Former WWE NXT Champion Ethan Page got knocked out by CM Punk’s GTS after losing his title. However, he still found a bit of satisfaction in how things played out.
In 2024, WWE NXT made the jump from the USA Network to The CW. The premiere episode on The CW aired on October 1, with CM Punk acting as the special guest referee for the NXT Championship match between Ethan Page and Trick Williams.
Trick Williams defeated Page to become the new NXT Champion. After the match, CM Punk hit Page with a GTS. Looking back on the moment during an interview on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, Page acknowledged that while the episode ended with him laid out in the ring, his face was the final image the fans saw.
“Let’s also talk about how that was the last thing people saw on that episode is confetti falling in my stupid face after CM Punk knocked me out in the middle of the ring. You know what? There was some joy that I got out of it. It was the fact that Trick Williams won the championship. But the last thing people saw was my stupid face.”
Ethan Page recalls a powerful moment with The Rock
During the WWE NXT New Year’s Evil 2025 special, The Rock made a surprise appearance. He shared a backstage moment with Ethan Page and NXT General Manager Ava. Reflecting on the memorable segment, Page recalled pulling The Rock aside to express what it meant to share the screen with someone he had idolized his entire life.
“To me, doing anything with him was always the dream. I was very fortunate enough to be given the chance to pull him to the side and tell him what it meant to see something that I created on my own and envisioned my whole life would be on screen with my favorites. To do it with my actual number one, and in the position that he’s in, and what he’s been doing for the last couple of years, the amount of things that needed to fall into place for this to happen, pretty crazy.”
“But I was very glad that I was able to express that to him and to get some one-on-one time, and then it just kept extending, he gave me great advice, and he’s turned me into an absolute menace. Because, I mean, when the person you look up to the most, pretty much tells you to not hold back. Yeah, you ain’t gonna hold back. I’m sorry Ricky Saints about your throat.”
When asked how much of The Rock’s influence shows in a young Ethan Page, he admitted it plays a major role.
Read More: Ethan Page Was Battling An Illness Before NXT Match, Had To ‘Get It Under Control’
