Cody Rhodes Allegedly Provided Personal Financing for Ethan Page at Prior AEW Show

Upon arriving in AEW, Ethan Page had solid feuds with the likes of Darby Allin and other top stars. He remains a consistent part of the mid-card scene in AEW and ROH, but hasn’t touched championship gold in the company. He was also part of the first-ever All In event back in 2018 and is convinced Cody Rhodes paid for him out of his own pocket.

The original All In event in 2018 was a groundbreaking independent wrestling show that aimed to make history by selling out an arena with over 10,000 fans. The event was spearheaded by Cody Rhodes and The Young Bucks, who took on the challenge of organizing the show.

While they received assistance from other wrestling promotions for talent and production, the creative vision and leadership of Cody Rhodes and The Young Bucks were prominently featured throughout the event. All In marked a significant moment in the wrestling industry and showcased the ability of independent promotions to draw large audiences.

The Zero Hour pre-show included an Over Budget Battle Royale featuring talent from various promotions, including Ethan Page. While speaking to Jackson Bragman on Bragman Breakdown, Ethan Page stated that he believes Cody Rhodes paid him out of pocket for the match.

”I don’t know if this is officially confirmed or not, so I don’t know how click baity this will be. I’m 99% sure…I’m pretty sure Cody paid me out of pocket. I want to say he hand-selected a few people that he wanted to feature. He put the show on with his buddies. Later on, there was the tie-in with Ring of Honor. Ultimately, my payment came from his name to my PayPal, so I’m pretty sure I was hand-selected by my friend to get this opportunity. He also put in the media scrum. He was definitely looking out. I’ll always deliver on my end to make sure whoever puts their neck out for me is not doing it in a way that is going to get them in trouble. He definitely put his foot forward for me. Ironically, when I was signing with AEW, he told me that he wouldn’t, because he didn’t want me to be a friend hire, and that’s how I started my career. I respected that. He’s always had my back, and I appreciate him putting me in that because it was such a huge spotlight.”

Ethan made his debut at AEW Revolution 2021. He participated in the Face of the Revolution ladder match, which also featured Cody Rhodes. Following his debut, Page had a singles match against Cody at AEW Rampage New Year’s Smash 2021.

What’s your opinion on this story about Cody Rhodes? Do you feel Rhodes is responsible for the growth of pro wrestling in the past decade? Let us know in the comments section below!