In a surprising turn of events on a WWE NXT episode aired on May 28th, Ethan Page made a surprise appearance, subsequently launching an assault on NXT World Champion Trick Williams. This marked Page’s premiere with WWE, a development that followed soon after his abrupt exit from AEW/ROH where he played a significant role for numerous years.
In a recent episode of the “Talk’n Shop” podcast, Page made a comparison of his new wrestling environment with his past stint in AEW/ROH. He portrayed AEW/ROH as disorderly and uncoordinated, stating that in contrast, NXT felt like a precisely coordinated operation.
Page also voiced his appreciation for the trainers at the WWE Performance Center, acknowledging their proficient advice. He said that their guidance had been instrumental in helping him hone his wrestling skills and tactics, even after spending seventeen years in the wrestling business.
Page expressed, “It’s unbelievable. I transitioned from a place that was disorderly and disorganized to a place that’s incredible, it works like clockwork. I am still learning here, given I’m still fresh. It’s comforting to know I don’t have to shoulder every responsibility. It’s heartwarming to have individuals who truly want to see me excel… I’ve been in this industry for seventeen years, and I feel like — I don’t prefer saying I’m inexperienced, but, I’ve mainly had to handle everything on my own. I essentially trained myself how to wrestle and now I’m pleasantly surprised that there are experts here around me all the time. I can ask them, ‘Is this not good? Can you show me how to improve?’, and they happily help.”
Page also unveiled how he ended up signing with WWE. He further elaborated,
“I managed to make an exit, and I’m grateful for that. Later, I received an unexpected phone call while on a layover, and I couldn’t believe it was real. They gave me an offer, and I immediately accepted. I was left stunned after the call. After that, another call came in, asking me about the previous call. I thought, was that really happening? It was when I was returning home from Winnipeg to work with Sami Callihan in Dayton, Ohio. All this while I was about to embark on a long three-hour drive from Detroit, and I wasn’t exactly thrilled about it. As I performed at a show guarding a secret, and subsequently meeting my former colleagues from IMPACT it felt surreal and unexpected.”
Page is expected to contend for the WWE NXT World Championship at NXT: Heatwave 2024, which will witness him wrestling against Trick Williams, Shawn Spears, and Je’Von Evans in an exciting fatal four-way match.