The May 28th episode of NXT was truly a sight to behold. Along with Jordynne Grace making her NXT debut, confronting Roxanne Perez, we saw the debut of “All Ego” himself, Ethan Page. Page debuted attacking Trick Williams at the end of the show, announcing he was responsible for the prior backstage attacks on Noam Dar and Oro Mensah.
Bringing Ethan Page to NXT was arguably one of the best free-agent signings by WWE in recent memory. This could also go down as being one of the most important signings in NXT history. Page is one of the most talented, and charismatic wrestlers around today. He can get a reaction from the fans with ease, whether boos or cheers.
Page’s debut in WWE couldn’t have come at a better time, with the NXT roster lacking heavily in main event talent in the men’s division. Page truly fits the bill, and this was a match made in heaven between the two parties. However, for this to truly payoff in WWE’s favor, Page must win the NXT Championship from Trick Williams.
Ethan Page must defeat Trick Williams for the NXT Championship this summer
With NXT: Heatwave right around the corner, the main event for the show is seemingly settled. Trick Williams is putting his NXT Championship on the line against Je’Von Evans who won a battle royal to earn that spot. Interestingly enough, Page never was eliminated from that match and even went on to beat Evans the same night in the main event.
Last night on NXT, Page cut a promo saying that he deserves the main event spot. He called out the general manager of NXT, Ava and she admitted he had a point. This drew out Shawn Spears who said he also pinned Evans a couple of weeks ago. While not announced yet, it looks like the main event of Heatwave could be changed to a four-way match.
Page came up just short against Williams at NXT: Battleground earlier this month. However, don’t get it twisted, Page will eventually have the NXT Championship around his waist. It made sense not to have Page defeat Williams for the NXT Championship in his first-ever match in NXT. This allowed WWE to build Page up more before giving him the top prize.
One of the biggest reasons to have Page win the NXT Championship is to make NXT feel fresh once again. Page as champion would be completely new and opens up a world of opportunities for not just him, but everyone else on the roster. Williams has been a part of NXT for several years now. As both a heel and a face, Williams has feuded with just about everyone on the roster. There’s nothing more to do with him since Ilja Dragunov left NXT.
On the other hand, Page can have various title defenses against the likes of Noam Dar, Oro Mensah, Wes Lee, and even Trick Williams himself. NXT would feel brand new again, and Page as a champion would surely not disappoint. However, there’s one bigger reason for Page to get the NXT Championship from the business side of things.
WWE should put the NXT Championship on Page to help attract free agents, similar to how they booked Jade Cargill and even Cody Rhodes. Earlier this year, AEW signed Kazuchika Okada, Will Ospreay, and Mercedes Mone. WWE showed that they weren’t willing to throw the checkbook at them, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing, as we can see with AEW’s ratings.
WWE has been building talent within itself, especially in NXT. People like Carmelo Hayes, Bron Breakker, Lyra Valkyria, and many others are all beginning to become household names on the main roster. However, giving Page the NXT Championship could help lure talent over who are on the fence about leaving a place like AEW due to a lack of screen time. Ricky Starks could very well be the perfect example of that.
People have called for Page to be pushed at various companies. WWE has the chance to appease all of those people by giving Page what he deserves. It’s mind-boggling how AEW couldn’t find any way to use someone with the talent of Page, and his being successful in WWE could be the ultimate dig to AEW.
Ethan Page is one of the most highly touted talents around today. He is the perfect embodiment of what a young WWE star should aspire to be. Page has all the talent, promo skill, and charisma to back every claim I stated above up. One thing we know for sure is WWE struck gold with Ethan Page.
What are your thoughts? Do you think Ethan Page should win the NXT Championship against Trick Williams? Let me know on Twitter @Scott44Mitchell or @PWMania.
Until next time,
Scott Mitchell
