In a twist that would make a pretzel jealous, “All Ego” Ethan Page has somersaulted from AEW’s playground to WWE’s NXT sandbox. The former AEW star, and once-upon-a-time Impact tag team champ, pulled a fast one by debuting at the tail end of Tuesday’s NXT episode, leaving fans’ jaws somewhere on the floor.
The scene: NXT Champion Trick Williams and his tag partner Je’Von Evans, with rapper Sexyy Red adding some musical spice at ringside, just clobbered Gallus. Cue Lash Legend, who sashays into the ring to grill Williams about a backstage beatdown involving the Meta-Four’s Oro Mensah and Noam Dar. Williams barely gets to flex his vocal cords before the WWE Performance Center goes full blackout mode. Spooky!
Lights up, and BAM! Ethan Page teleports into the ring, channels his inner Hulk, and proceeds to wallop Williams and Evans. The crowd? Flabbergasted. Page, never one to shy away from a dramatic mic drop, declared himself the mysterious backstage assailant. He quipped, “I’m about to whoop that Trick!” before demonstrating his words with a flurry of fists on Williams, then hoisting the NXT Championship aloft like a victorious gladiator as the broadcast dramatically fizzled out.
Rumors had been swirling like a tornado about Page’s impending AEW exit since early May. Word on the street, courtesy of Fightful Select, was that Page had been itching to split from Tony Khan’s league since February. After signing a three-year deal with AEW in March 2021, Page was seen whispering sweet nothings with WWE, thanks to his buddy Cody Rhodes’ AEW connections. Back then, Page said the WWE talks were cozy, but AEW was where his heart fluttered.
Now? It looks like Page’s heart has found a new beat in NXT, and he’s bringing all his ego with him.