Ethan Page doesn’t understand why wrestlers spend their time arguing with fans on social media, especially when there are plenty of people saying nice things about them. To Page, the fact that negative comments can get such a reaction is one reason he thinks wrestlers today are “a lot softer.”
While speaking to Inside the Ring, Page was asked whether trusting people backstage is a good idea in the modern wrestling business. The question came after Page admitted that everyone in WWE has an ego, even if he believes he’s more willing than most to admit it.
Page didn’t buy the idea that wrestlers today are necessarily harder to trust. If anything, he thinks the locker room is probably safer in that regard than it was years ago. His issue with the current generation is something else entirely.
“I think trusting people now is probably safer than back in the day, but more people are a lot softer now.”
When the interviewer immediately questioned the “softer” comment, Page didn’t back away from it. His first example was wrestlers getting upset when fans criticize them online and then actually taking the time to respond.
““A lot softer? Yeah, for sure. Oh my God. Yeah. What? Wrestlers get upset when fans tweet them. They’re responding.”
That behavior makes very little sense to Page. If somebody sitting behind a screen says something that gets under a wrestler’s skin, he doesn’t understand why giving that person even more attention is the response.
“What are you responding to fans for? What the hell?”
Page also pointed out that wrestlers have another group of fans they could be spending that energy on instead. There are people complimenting them online, yet he believes it’s often the person saying something negative who ends up getting the response.
“Why don’t you respond to the ones that compliment you? Only the ones that hurt your feelings, that tell you the truth, are you the one you’re giving them attention?”
Page never argued that today’s wrestling locker room is filled with people who can’t be trusted. He actually thinks wrestlers may be safer trusting each other now than they were in previous generations. It’s watching wrestlers get dragged into fights with fans online that has him questioning how much thicker the skin used to be.
Do you agree with Ethan Page that wrestlers today are “a lot softer” when it comes to criticism from fans, or is responding to people on social media simply part of being a wrestler in 2026? Let us know in the comments.
This transcript was produced exclusively for Ringside News from the original recording. Republishing the transcription in full is prohibited. When using excerpts, provide prominent credit and a link to this article.
