The downward spiral of Ethan Page was on full display during this week’s WWE NXT, with the former NXT Champion dramatically claiming he had “lost his smile.” In an emotional in-ring promo, Page revealed that he’s uncertain about his love for wrestling after recent setbacks.

Je’Von Evans interrupted, urging Page to shed his “All Ego” persona and show everyone the real Ethan Page. Trying to boost Page’s confidence, Evans added, “We’re all proud of you.” However, Page responded by viciously attacking Evans. He wrapped a chair around Evans’ neck and stomped on it, leaving Evans coughing up blood as officials attended to him.

Page’s internal conflict has been brewing since his defeat in the Iron Survivor Challenge at Deadline earlier this month. Following that loss, he admitted he wasn’t sure about his future, and suffered a further setback in a live event match against Dante Chen last week, before deleting his X account.

Page’s promo this week echoed Shawn Michaels’ infamous “lost my smile” moment from the February 13, 1997, edition of WWE Raw, which also took place at the Memorial Auditorium in Lowell, MA.

Stay tuned to SEScoops for updates on Ethan Page and what lies ahead for the former NXT Champion after his shocking attack on Je’Von Evans.

WWE NXT’s Je’Von Evans has impressed plenty of people during his run so far, and now he has the backing of Sean ‘X-Pac’ Waltman. During the latest episode of WWE NXT, Waltman approached Evans and spoke about his 1-2-3 Kid victory over Razor Roman, which took place at the same age Evans is now. The two-time WWE Hall of Famer gave him a ton of kudos while proclaiming how much he believes in him.

Waltman is just the latest name to throw their support behind the Young OG. Last month, WWE NXT arrived in the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, where Rob Van Dam shared his support for Evans. The former WWE/ECW World Champion stood in Evans’ corner for his match with Wes Lee and raised his hand afterward.

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Evans signed with WWE in November 2023 after making a name for himself as Jay Malachi on the independent scene, and has received quite the push already. A video package hyping Evans debut would play at NXT Stand & Deliver, arguably the brand’s biggest event of the year, back in April.

Evans has already challenged for the NXT and NXT Tag Team Championships, as well as the NXT Heritage Cup. Not confined to the silver brand, Evans has also been in the hunt for the WWE Speed Championship, earning a spot in a tournament finals in August before losing to Pete Dunne.

Expectations are high for the 20-year-old Evans, who shared the ring with Randy Orton in October in only the Viper’s second match in NXT to date. Stay tuned to SEScoops for the latest on the Young OG who continues to impress each week in WWE NXT.