Matt Hardy explains Ethan Page's WWE move: "That's why he didn't get a better opportunity in AEW"
Veteran wrestler Matt Hardy recently gave his thoughts on Ethan Page joining WWE after the latter's contract with AEW expired. Hardy explained the reasons behind Page's move and the latter's underutilization in Tony Khan's promotion.
On a recent episode of The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy podcast, Hardy shared that he liked working with Page, and they even became friends after being in a program in AEW. The Hardcore legend even thought that "All Ego" was perfect in WWE because he's more of an entertainer, which is not a priority in the other company.
"At the end of the day, I think Ethan Page is more of an entertainer than he's a wrestler. But he's a great wrestler; he's a great athlete! He's very smart, and he has a very good promo, and I feel like his entertainment value overshadowed his athleticism a little. That's why he didn't get a better opportunity at AEW. That's just my personal guess or my personal take. But him being on NXT, I think, is the perfect spot for him," Hardy said. [13:02 - 13:24]
Page linked up with the Jacksonville-based promotion in March 2021. He made his surprise WWE debut on NXT this past Tuesday, attacking NXT Champion Trick Williams to end the show. The former AEW star also claimed to have attacked Noam Dar and Oro Mensah in the past two weeks.
On the other hand, Hardy's AEW contract expired in April, and the veteran did not sign a new deal.
WWE Hall of Famer not a fan of Ethan Page's debut
Even though Ethan Page's NXT debut was praised by fans online, Bubba Ray Dudley did not like how the former AEW star's debut was booked. The WWE Hall of Famer explained on Busted Open Radio that Jordynne Grace's surprise appearance might have overshadowed Page's debut outing later in the show.
"I'm not a fan of the way they debuted Ethan Page last night. First, he got lost in the sauce of Jordynne Grace. There's no doubt. You could say whatever you want; Jordynne is the story from last night, so he's gonna bask in the shadow of Jordynne today. We'll see what happens as far as Ethan Page is concerned," Dudley said.
Page is the sixth former AEW superstar to join WWE in the past few years, joining Cody Rhodes, Jade Cargill, CM Punk, Lexis King, and Shawn Spears.