AEW star Hangman Page responds to backlash over Marty Scurll photo
AEW star Hangman Page has responded to the backlash he’s received from fans after recently appearing in a photo with Marty Scurll.
When Dynamite took place in Orlando, Florida on January 21, Scurll posted a photo to Instagram showing him meeting up with Page at a Cracker Barrel restaurant. The post led to Page receiving immediate criticism for still having an association with Scurll, especially given the reputation that Page has built for speaking up about what he feels is right. In 2020, Scurll was accused of taking advantage of an inebriated 16 year old girl in an incident that happened in 2015. The allegation led to Scurll departing ROH and mostly being removed from mainstream wrestling in the years since. Scurll admitted that a sexual encounter between him and his accuser took place but called it “legal” and claimed he thought it was consensual.
Page told The Takedown on SI that he thought about writing a post addressing the photo controversy, but he thought it would be better to do so in a format where he could look fans in the eye and explain himself. Page noted that, though he’s kept in contact with Scurll over the past six years, he feels the behavior Scurll is accused of is “abhorrent” and “disgraceful.” He believes the repercussions Scurll has had to face are justified.
“I don’t want that photo to seem like some kind of endorsement, or, I have any interest whatsoever in whitewashing what he did, or any interest or intention of rehabilitating his public image,” Page said. “None of that is something that I’ve ever been interested in doing. Not now, not ever.
“And I think that the consequences of his actions that he’s had mostly from the public, aside from, like, harassment, I think they’ve been warranted. So I kind of want to make that clear.”
Page and Scurll previously worked together in NJPW and ROH and were stablemates in The Elite. Page said he did not expect their recent photo to be posted publicly, and he understands if fans have lost some respect for him or feel uncomfortable supporting him still. This situation has caused Page to revisit the allegations that were made against Scurll and what a continued relationship with Scurll would mean.
“I guess who I am is, when people treat me with kindness, I try to return it,” Page responded when asked why he kept in contact with Scurll. “I have never really wanted to get into that. And that’s more or less why I have a private relationship with him. Not out of a sense of self-preservation or shame, or something like that. But more or less, I just would never want that to be misconstrued as like an endorsement or an effort to rehabilitate someone’s public image, something like that.
“But I guess I’ve just always thought that he’s still a human being, and that relationships are complicated, but they’re still relationships, and he’s still a human being.”
The Takedown on SI asked Page about building back trust with fans who are disappointed with him for associating with Scurll.
“I guess the best that I can do is, you know, when asked about it like this to try to be as open and transparent as I can,” he said. “And I can just tell you the truth of who I am and the decisions I’ve made. And truthfully say that even if you’ve lost the tiniest amount of respect for me because of my choices, I can accept that. Like, I completely accept that. I understand it. I get it.”
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.