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It’s been about one year since Adam Page was offered a golden opportunity.
With the departure of AJ Styles, Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson, the Bullet Club was in rebuilding mode, under the new leadership of Kenny Omega. The notorious gaijin stable was looking to add young talent from both New Japan Pro Wrestling and Ring of Honor, and Page was asked to join the superkick party hosted by the Young Bucks and company.
In May 2016, 24-year-old Adam Page became Hangman Page, the new noose-wielding member of the heel faction. Page was the centerpiece of a controversial ROH angle when he joined the Bullet Club, hanging Chris Sabin from the ring with a noose. It wasn’t long before the new “Hangman” act rubbed some fans the wrong way.
“Some time ago I stumbled on a tweet from a fan who saw me on ROH close to or on the anniversary of his father’s own suicide,” Page said in an interview with PWTorch.com. “The situation in itself is pretty terrible, and I didn’t want to be one to make that any worse than it had to be. I definitely don’t want to make too public someone’s very private experience, but I’ve reached out to them since then. Actually, I’ve had a number of people message me with similar stories.”
The back-and-forth dialogue with fans gave Page the idea to use his celebrity – and the popularity of the Bullet Club – to help raise awareness of suicide prevention. Page is auctioning off the first pair of trunks and a vest he wore as a member of the Bullet Club. All of the proceeds from the auction will be donated to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP).
“When I started the Hangman persona, I knew that it would get some negative feedback,” Page said. “But I guess that’s the point: I’m not supposed to be the good guy. For some people the character does cross a line, and I guess this is my attempt to reach out to them and say, ‘Your feelings are valid and I want to help.’
“I wanted to donate money to some sort of charity that dealt with mental health and suicide prevention. In my short amount of research, this seemed like the best organization to support.”
Page started wearing these particular trunks and vest when he joined the Bullet Club in May 2016. He wore this gear several times in ROH, and for his debut match in NJPW as well.
“I used to keep all of my old wrestling gear but realized that there are collectors out there and decided to part with some of them,” Page said. “I’ve had these trunks and the vest for nearly a year and probably quit wearing them about six months ago, so it’s about time to get rid of them. I definitely knew this gear in particular would be more valuable than some of my other stuff since it’s Bullet Club. If I can use that for good, then I’m happy.”
Page said he has no idea how much to expected from the auction. As of March 21, the auction was at $401 with 14 bids.
“I really have no idea how much I’ll be able to raise,” he said. “I guess it just all comes down to who out there has got some cash they could part with for a good cause and a stinky pair of spandex underwear.”
The auction for Adam Page’s Bullet Club trunks and vest benefiting the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention can be found at https://www.ebay.com/itm/282399635985 (seller ID: adampagewrestling7). The auction ends Monday, March 27, at approximately 10:45 p.m. Eastern time. Follow Adam Page on Twitter @theAdamPage.
Photos courtesy of Adam Page.
NOW READ OUR PREVIOUS COLLECTIBLES COLUMN: COLLECTIBLES COLUMN: Where to Find Cards of Koloff, Steele, Bass and Others
PWTorch Collectibles Specialist Michael Moore can be reached at michaelmoorewriter@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @MMooreWriter.
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