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Ethan Page isn’t focused on what his pro wrestling legacy will be.
Page spoke with WrestleZone Managing Editor Bill Pritchard, who asked if there was anything from Page’s career that he wished fans talked about more. Page, a former NXT Champion, said he doesn’t have anything that comes to mind for a good reason.
“No,” Page stated. “And I’ll say that because the less people have seen, the more I can draw from past experiences or past. I can link it to like a standup comedian traveling around trying to perfect your act. If they’ve already heard the jokes, they’re not as funny when they hear them. So, I’m hoping not everyone has heard all my jokes. I can bust out a couple of jokes in NXT that I have been able to perfect over the years.”
Page said it’s not that he doesn’t care about what people think or say, but highlighted a recent interview with Mike Tyson for putting things in perspective. Tyson appeared on the Jazzy’s World podcast and said he doesn’t really believe in legacy and feels it’s more about ego.
“It means absolutely nothing to me. I’m just passing through,” Tyson told Jazzy. “I’m going to die and then it’s going to be over. Who cares about legacy after that?”
Ethan Page said he’s not sure if it’s because of his tenure in the business or not, but he agreed with Tyson’s stance. Page said his career is in so many others’ hands and legacy isn’t real, and he wishes other wrestlers would listen to Tyson’s words.
Ethan Page on Mike Tyson and legacy
“Mike Tyson kind of touched on this in a weird way when he got interviewed by that little girl. When he started talking about death,” Page explained. “It absolutely is the wildest thing but also it’s the realest thing, especially when it comes to wrestling. Because you are talking about a guy who has a legacy and he will be talked about for the rest of his, for the rest of probably existence. In one way or the other, good or bad, it doesn’t matter. He will be spoken of in some fashion. People talk about, ‘Oh my legacy this, my legacy that…’ Who gives a crap? When he’s talking about that like it means nothing, that… That is the truth.”
At the end of the day, Page said all he wants is for his family to love him. There’s so much that he can’t control in life, and realizes that he can’t put so much focus on such an intangible concept.
“There’s so many things out of my control. My career is in the hands of a million people and none of those hands are mine. So, at the end of the day, this, ‘Oh I hope people remember me for this, I hope…’ I couldn’t give less of a crap. I don’t know if it’s because I’ve been in this for 18 years now. I’m just like, I cannot focus on keeping this thing. This is not a real thing. It is an intangible thing. It’s made up. And it’s made up here in my own head. When I’m dead I’m gone. So who cares? I just want my kids to love me, my wife to love me. I’m good with that.”
Ethan Page still wants to be remembered as a great entertainer
Ethan Page agreed the dynamic of Tyson sharing such a profound thought with a kid reporter was wild, but it’s still great advice. Page gave a second thought and said if he is remembered by his peers, he hopes it’s for being a positive and entertaining part of the business.
“What he said was very real, and it resonated with me a lot. And I wish a lot of dumb wrestlers listened to that interview too, and kept their mouth shut. That would be amazing. No one cares about your legacy. You’re not that important. I am though,” Page quipped.
“And she did a great job. Kept her composure. Let Mike embarrass himself. It was great. Both of them did such a great job entertaining me. But there, that one section for sure really resonated with me. And I’m glad you asked. Because it’s like, ‘Oh what do I like…’ Yeah there’s nothing… You know what I want to be remembered? I want to be remembered by my peers in a positive way. And I want people to say, ‘You know who entertained the hell out of me?’ That’s what I want people to say,” Page claimed.
