Published: 3 minutes ago by Dave Adamson | Last Updated: 24 seconds ago by Dave Adamson
Dave has been a website writer for WrestleTalk since October 2022, having previously written for Den of Geek, among a number of wrestling, movie and television-related sites. Dave has been around the independent wrestling scene for more than a decade, including behind-the-scenes.
WWE
A current Raw star has opened up about believing that a WWE signing was off the table, with his career at the time being up in the air.
Having signed with AEW in March 2021, Ethan Page’s career had, to that point, seen him on the independent scene and undertaking a run in TNA Wrestling.
When it comes to WWE, he would eventually sign with the company in 2024, although he didn’t see that as part of his future plans.
Speaking on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, Page reflected on a past email he received from WWE, stating that it told him that the company wouldn’t hire him.
Asked whether there was a point in his career where it felt like a WWE signing was never going to happen, Page responded:
“Oh yeah, dude, I have this clip, and I’ve texted to a couple people, because I’ve filmed everything in my life, pretty much, especially when I started. When I was with Evolve, my wife convinced me to get a GoPro and start vlogging, but I had no clue what I was doing, so I just have random footage from back in Evolve, then all through TNA, all through Japan, England, all through AEW.
“I like pretty much filmed as much of it as I could for YouTube, and there was the time I was leaving TNA, and I decided not to stay. In that window, I had gotten an email while in Nashville, recording the show for Impact, and the email was from WWE, telling me that they’re never going to hire me.
“So I had my camera, and I’m vlogging. I read the email, and I’m like, oh man, what am I going to do? I just told Impact that I’m not staying. AEW was a possible option, but nothing was concrete. Then I get this email being like, ‘Yeah, we’re not hiring you; just stop.’ Pretty much, this is the end of the road; it’s not gonna happen; just let it go. So I filmed myself right after reading the email, and then had a conversation with myself documenting it, pretty much being like, ‘You gonna be okay with this, or are you gonna like shove it up their ass?’”
Page’s TNA Wrestling contract expired on January 1, 2021, with the star going on to make his AEW debut at Revolution in March of that year.
Since signing with WWE, Page has held the NXT Championship and NXT North American Championship, receiving his main roster call up in April of this year.
The Never-Ending Road
The journey may not always be a straightforward one, but there is something of a never-ending road when it comes to becoming a WWE star for some.
What may be a “no” in one year can see a much more positive outcome in a later time, as tastes and interests change.
There’s an argument to be made that Page’s popularity as an AEW star led to increased interest from WWE, a company that had previously ruled out the possibility of signing him, and to see him capitalize on the opportunities on offer in either company is an indication of the star that he has become.
Parting ways with the WWE also doesn’t bring the road ahead to an end, as can now be seen with the confirmed return of Big Cass, himself a former AEW star.
Whether it be the likes of Matt Cardona or Baron Corbin making their WWE returns, or Ethan Page, Ricky Saints and Danhausen hoping to the company from runs in AEW, the journey has produced a number of new highlights and opportunities to explore for years to come.
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