Ethan Page Slams AEW Run: "I Was Sitting In Catering, Begging For Work" (WWE News)

WWE NXT's Ethan Page talks AEW frustrations.

Ethan Page WWE NXT
WWE.com

While promoting the new The Heartbreak Kid: Becoming Shawn Michaels documentary, WWE NXT standout Ethan Page, while praising Michaels, also touched upon some of his frustrations from his time with AEW.

In the new documentary - which premieres on Peacock today - HBK has plenty of praise for All Ego, including how he sees elements of himself in Page. When asked about whether he expected to strike up such a bond with Michaels, Ethan enthused to Big Gold Belt Media about that working relationship, and how different it is from his previous employer.

As Page explained:

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"Coming over right away, he promised me nothing. I respected it so much because I had just come from a place that promised me everything, then, obviously, things went the way they went, and I had to make choices to end up where I am now. But it felt so refreshing to work for a man that was honest and that understood, like, all this guy wants is a chance. And he flat-out was, like, 'Look, I'm going to give you the opportunity, and I'm not promising you anything. The only thing that I'm promising you is that you'll be creatively satisfied, so you will constantly be doing something.' To me, I was, like, sitting in catering, just begging for work. I'm at an age in my life where I was, like, 'If I'm not working now, when am I going to be working?' So, I think preparation meant opportunity, and Shawn Michaels ran into me at the perfect time in my life, at the perfect stage of my career, at the perfect maturity level, hunger level, passion level, desperation level. Everything that was supposed to happen happened."

Ethan Page also said how he was "extremely flattered" by the comments Shawn Michaels made about him in this documentary, detailing how, for those who have no idea who Page is, hearing Michaels - one of the greatest to ever do it - say such positive things about Ethan would immediately change the perception of the former NXT Champion.

Up next for Ethan Page, he challenges Tony D'Angelo for the NXT Title tomorrow on the first of two weeks of Revenge specials.

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If you use any of the above quotes, please credit Big Gold Belt Media, with a H/T to WhatCulture Wrestling.

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Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks/Saints, Jamie Hayter, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.