Add as a preferred source on Google Ethan Page looked back on the segment he shared with The Rock at NXT’s New Year’s Evil, which took place on January 7, 2025, in Los Angeles.
Speaking on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, Page said sharing the screen with his biggest idol fulfilled the number one goal he had when he first created his pro wrestling character. He also took the opportunity to call out The Rock for a possible match.
“That whole experience was fantastic. I would say the best part was getting to be able to tell him, ‘Hey, when I started all this, the number one goal was seeing what I created on screen with what I admired.’ He was the absolute pinnacle of what I admire from professional wrestling. So he’s, to me, the best. So to get to see what I cultivated in wrestling on screen with my number one wrestler. I mean, there’s nothing else that I need to do, unless he wants to have a match with me. Come on Rock, put your little underwear on. Let’s do it. Everybody wants to see your hamstrings. Anyways, that was an unreal experience. So I got to tell him that it was very, very good experience. I’m very happy that I could actually share that with him, and just be like, hey, I’m very proud of this. I wanted to say thanks, it was very great.”
Beyond the callout, Page revealed he also walked away with an important piece of advice from The Rock. While the segment was being put together, he asked for permission to pitch an idea, which the team accepted right away.
“But there was an interaction we had when we were going through everything and the situation is very interesting. So I ended up putting my hand up like I was in school because they were debating on like how to handle something, so I was like, ‘May I make a suggestion?’ They’re like yeah sure go ahead. So I say what I say, and they go, ‘Yep, that’s good. We’ll just do that.'”
After the taping wrapped, The Final Boss told him never to second-guess himself again.
“So after the interview, Rock’s like, ‘Hey, don’t ever second-guess yourself ever again. If you think it and if you feel it, say it. Worst is we say no.'”
Page said that advice has stuck with him.
“I was like, oh, okay. So I’ve definitely taken that with me going forward through the rest of my career in WWE, and it’s definitely helped me.”