When your nickname is “All Ego,” people aren’t going to ask a lot of questions about your self-confidence. But for Ethan Page, it’s not just born of him thinking he’s good.
His peers know it too. Iconic names like Chris Jericho and Jim Ross have mentioned on AEW television this year that he’s one of the company’s most underutilized talents. The general consensus among fans and observers is that the 33-year-old Canadian is underrated, someone who could blossom into a bigger star if given the right situation.
Now he might be getting it. Page is one of the participants in the AEW World Title Eliminator Tournament leading up to Full Gear, where the final match will be held. He’s already advanced to the semifinals by defeating Eddie Kingston, and will face Bandido on Dynamite on Nov. 16.
Page is no stranger to tournaments, having been in the mix for the AEW All-Atlantic Championship when he was unceremoniously bounced in his first match this summer. But this is different, as he explained to Wrestling Junkie in a recent phone interview.
“I was in the All-Atlantic tournament, and the first round was a big ask: I had to face Miro,” Page said. “These are all kind of things I was thrown into last minute. This one I had weeks to prepare for, like I announced my entry two weeks before I even had my first match, so it’s a little bit of a different situation for me.”
The circumstances are different too. Not only are the stakes larger, with an AEW World Championship title shot next month going to the tournament winner, but Page himself is more of the focus than when he was essentially the sidekick to Scorpio Sky as part of Men of the Year.
“I would say pretty much until three weeks ago, I was a secondary character to Scorpio Sky, and I was a background actor for Dan Lambert,” Page said. “Now, I’ve been pushed to the forefront, I’m getting the spotlight that I feel like I deserve, and I’m actually prepared for it mentally, physically. It’s just the perfect opportunity at the perfect time.”
He also has the backing of The Firm, a group assembled by Stokely Hathaway with the original intent of supporting the returning MJF in his quest to become world champion — and intervening directly at All Out to help him get the poker chip that secured his title shot against Jon Moxley at Full Gear.
Since then, however, MJF has made it clear he didn’t want any help from The Firm, and expressed his desire to beat Moxley on his own. This being pro wrestling, that difference in philosophies led to the group turning on MJF in dramatic fashion, with Page delivering a superkick to start off a beatdown that also included his finisher, the Ego’s Edge.
Does that mean Page’s success is now The Firm’s top priority? He stops short of saying that, suggesting that he’s simply “going with the flow” as the group’s motivations are now obviously different.
“The guy that was paying our bills is no longer the one calling the shots,” Page said. “The Firm is going to back Ethan Page. That doesn’t mean we’re not going to support The Gunns on becoming AEW tag team champions. That should still be the goal. I still want to see Lee Moriarty go after the Ring of Honor Pure Championship. We still have things in our sights, it’s just that we kind of changed the direction and see more opportunities as well.
“I’ve already put the champ on his ass, and the number one wrestler in the company, MJF, on his ass. So now it’s my opportunity to elevate myself to the ranks of the people that I just beat the crap out of.”
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He’s got more work to do first. A victory over Bandido would mean Page is in the final at Full Gear, where he’d be up against either Brian Cage or the winner of the Lance Archer–Ricky Starks match. It’s not hard to imagine any of those men as someone AEW would put up against Moxley or MJF — particularly Starks, who is in the same category as Page when it comes to unrealized potential.
But even if this push continues for Page, it doesn’t mean his outlook or drive will change. If the underrated label starts to fade from the mouths and keyboards of the wrestling world, he still plans on using it to motivate himself to prove he’s as good as he says and that others think he can be.
“I can be AEW World Champion and be on television for 20 minutes every week, and I personally will still feel like I’m underrated,” he said. “I’m going to have to entertain people for the entire two hours of Dynamite. So for me, I’ll never be satisfied and I’ll never be happy, and I think I’ll be underrated for the rest of my career.
“There’s always going to be something more that I could bring to the table that they’re just not letting me. I show that with every sliver that I’ve been given. You put me on commentary, I’ll knock it out of the park. You ask me to be a producer, I’ll knock it out of the park. Promo? No problem. I’ll get it done in under a minute, and it will be the best one on the show. This is the golden opportunity, I feel, to change my position and the weight of my name when it’s said backstage at AEW.”