Ethan Page made his WWE main-roster debut on the “Monday Night Raw” following WrestleMania 42. From there, he spent nearly six months pursuing the Intercontinental Championship.
The road to the title had a setback: Page lost his first shot against Penta at Saturday Night’s Main Event in May. His fortunes turned on Nov. 2, when he faced then-champion Chad Gable. After Page sent Gable into a corner with an exposed turnbuckle, he caught him with an Egoplex and scored the pin to win the championship.
Page said becoming champion felt almost legendary. The title has been held by some of wrestling’s biggest names, including Chris Jericho, Triple H, Razor Ramon, The Rock, Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart and Randy Savage.
Asked how he planned to add to the championship’s legacy, Page said he had no intention of changing it or relying on nostalgia. He believes his own performances will give the title added significance, rather than its design or history doing the work for him. He also criticized wrestlers who, in his view, focus too much on recreating championship looks from their childhood.
Page said he was disappointed that Gable’s side plates were removed from the belt after the title change. To him, they were part of the history of the championship he had just won. He hopes that years from now, wrestlers will look back at his reign and want to bring back the design he carried.
Page was also asked whether he would offer challengers title opportunities. He pushed back on the idea that it was his role to choose opponents or arrange matches, saying those decisions belonged to the matchmaker. He added that he was still recovering from his recent match with Gable and was focused on defending the championship when asked.
Raw general manager Adam Pearce set up a triple-threat match on Monday to determine the next challenger. Rey Fenix pinned Big Cass, while Gable was not pinned but missed out on another shot at the title.
Page said he would wrestle whoever was put in front of him, but wouldn’t take on the job of making matches. He contrasted that with Gable, who he said had tried to handle matchmaking as well as competing.
Page is the 193rd Intercontinental Champion in WWE history and the third wrestler to hold the title this year.
