The wrestling industry leader has once again bolstered its roster with a former star from its biggest competitor, AEW: “All Ego” Ethan Page made a surprise debut at NXT!
The Canadian wrestler appeared on the weekly NXT TV show on Wednesday night and attacked Trick Williams, the current champion of the roster. Page also revealed that he was the mysterious “assassin” who had attacked Williams’ NXT colleagues Oro Mensah and Noam Dar in recent weeks.
It seems Page – who is known to be good friends with WWE top star Cody Rhodes behind the scenes – is immediately jumping into a title feud, and his restart after leaving AEW is off to a promising start. Moreover, Page might not be the last AEW star to join WWE this year.
Ethan Page: From AEW to WWE NXT
Page, whose real name is Julian Micevski, was under contract with AEW from 2021 until 2024, before it was revealed this month that he did not renew his deal. The 34-year-old is a well-established veteran of the North American independent scene, having made a name for himself as a tag team specialist over many years.
Along with his former partner Josh Alexander, the duo known as The North, he held numerous titles in various leagues. At AEW, Page formed the duo Men of the Year with Scorpio Sky.
Page’s most notable appearances at AEW came as part of American Top Team, led by renowned MMA coach Dan Lambert, who introduced several famous octagon stars like Jorge Masvidal and Paige VanZant to AEW. Lambert’s crew had a significant feud with the Inner Circle, led by legend Chris Jericho, with Page doing much of the in-ring work for the crossover alliance.
Page also had a notable program with veteran Matt Hardy, now a free agent, and matches with top stars such as MJF and Kenny Omega. However, he never achieved major breakthrough success at AEW, never winning a title and recently only appearing in the sister promotion ROH, which is akin to AEW’s version of NXT.
Increasing Movement from AEW to WWE
Page’s move highlights a trend that has been increasingly noticeable over the past two years.
After a significant exodus to the rival promotion founded in 2019, partly driven by the personnel policies of former WWE boss Vince McMahon, several well-known figures have recently made the reverse move.
Not only have established and rising top stars like Rhodes, CM Punk, and Jade Cargill transitioned from AEW to WWE (or returned), but several second and third-tier talents who were dissatisfied with their prospects at AEW now see new opportunities with the market leader, which has been restructured under the leadership of Paul Levesque, known as “Triple H.”