"It's a dream come true": Canadian wrestler Ethan Page on his rise to stardom

Oct 11 2022, 2:15 pm

When Canadian wrestler Ethan Page lined up for a match last year against star opponent Darby Allin, a new challenge was presented to him.

Fighting in what’s dubbed a “coffin match,” Page was written at one point to be stuck waiting in the coffin for Allin’s signature “coffin drop,” where Allin would jump off the ring and break the coffin, all with Page left awaiting inside.

“I will say this. I earned my yearly salary in those 15 seconds,” Page joked in an interview with Daily Hive. “That was one of the scariest, craziest, and most I-hope-I-never-have-to-relive-it-again moments in my life.”

Page, a native of Stoney Creek, Ontario, but billed from Hamilton, is part of the All Elite Wrestling circuit (AEW), which has Dynamite and Rampage shows hitting Toronto’s Coca-Cola Coliseum for a pair of events this Wednesday and Thursday, respectively.

Limited tickets to both shows are available on Ticketmaster, with Wednesday’s show being broadcast on TSN2.

Page signed a three-year deal with AEW in 2021, and made his debut last March.

“A dream come true,” Page added. “AEW’s opened so many doors and given people so many opportunities and allowed us the freedom to kind of create the best version of ourselves. As a professional wrestler that’s all you want when you were growing up, was to kind of have the creative freedom to show your best self.”

Page added that he’s looking to explore all sorts of different wrestling avenues while working for AEW.

“I would say the potential is unlimited. And I don’t just mean on-screen. I mean behind the scenes, too,” he said. “I’ve recently gotten to agent a match, put the headset on and get to do that live. That was an experience that I hope to be able to do again. I love writing. I love being creative. So I hope I have the longest career humanly possible at AEW and not just on-screen.”

But while he’s working in some of the highest-profile wrestling shows around, Page says he hasn’t always been sure that he’d stick in wrestling while grinding his way through lower-level independent circuits.

“I’ve thought about stopping so many times,” Page admitted. “I would say there was probably a couple [of] moments where I got close to being like is this the right thing I’m supposed to do? It was during the start of the pandemic where I had to kind of tell myself like if this is what I got to do, [I] gotta give 110% and try and make this happen.”

But when it comes to the mid-match self-doubt if it’s wise to continue, it’s not much of a question for Page. If he’s hurt, the match is over.

“[There are] actually certain protocols that AEW sets to keep us safe. I’m the type that if I’m hurt, guess what? The match stops, I really don’t care,” Page said. “There is not [an] audience member in the crowd that means more to me than my daughter, my son and my wife. So if I think it’s a serious injury, then I’ll definitely just count out.”

For young wrestlers in Canada and beyond, Page stressed the importance of sticking in school before hopping into a wrestling career full-time.

“I would suggest following the same path my parents forced me to follow which was getting educated first and leaning your education towards things that can actually become tools for you,” Page said. “If professional wrestling is your ultimate dream, I would first make sure that you understand that you might not become a professional wrestler, but if you love professional wrestling, and you might end up in it, [there are] a million jobs and every job is important, because every single person is a part of putting on the shows.”

One of the ways Page used his degree — in television broadcasting — was the creation of his popular toy hunt vlogs released each week.

“That was just me leaning into things that I like,” he said of starting the vlogs. “So [there are] definitely ways you can elevate your career without actually performing in the ring.”

While AEW is known for helping wrestlers like Page rise to the top, it also features some of wrestling’s longtime legends, including 51-year-old American-Canadian star Chris Jericho.

“When I see guys like Jericho have that longevity and work from company to company and match to match, to be on the marquee so often… all it does to me is show me that it’s possible,” Page added.

Adam LaskarisAdam Laskaris

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