WWE star Ethan Page has revealed that one of the most talked-about chair spots of his NXT run came dangerously close to ending in a serious injury for Ricky Saints.
Speaking on Insight With Chris Van Vliet, Page reflected on the match in which he defeated Saints to capture the NXT North American Championship, explaining that a chair spot during the contest nearly resulted in a devastating accident.
“It could have been worse,” Page said. “He almost lost his eye.”
Page detailed how the frightening moment unfolded, explaining that while attempting to execute the spot, the chair came dangerously close to Saints’ face.
“He ends up injuring his trachea, the way the chair fell. I give him a twisted grin, and I’m trying to pull his throat down in between the legs of the chair,” Page said. “As I’m yanking him down, if you watch the leg closest to the camera, it literally grazes his cheek, and you see his cheek after, there’s a mark. It’s like purple. Maybe an inch to a half an inch, he would have lost his eye.”
Looking back on the footage, Page also commented on his own facial expression during the sequence.
“I don’t know why I’m smiling, but yeah,” he said.
Despite the close call, the match remains one of the defining moments of Page’s NXT career. He noted that Mattel later immortalized the bout by producing a commemorative action figure set featuring both competitors.
“That night I became North American champion, and Mattel enjoyed that so much that they commemorated the moment by giving myself and Ricky Saints a two pack with the North American Championship from that match,” Page said.
Page also reflected on another memorable chair-related moment from his NXT tenure, referencing the incident in which Je’Von Evans lost teeth during a brutal spot. He believes that sequence helped establish a more aggressive side of his on-screen persona.
“Sometimes you just gotta do what you’re told,” Page said. “That whole experience gave me something I desperately needed in NXT, which was a very hard edge, and it was pivotal for Ethan Page.”
The former NXT North American Champion credited both moments with helping shape his character, while acknowledging just how close one of the promotion’s most memorable matches came to ending in a far more serious injury.
