WWE has seemingly broken the unwritten rule of not directly referencing its main competitor, AEW, on its programming.

This week’s episode of NXT featured multiple segments that alluded to the rival promotion.

The show saw the debut of former AEW and Impact Wrestling star Ethan Page, who attacked Trick Williams and laid claim to the NXT Championship. During Page’s segment, announcer Vic Joseph almost mentioned AEW before being cut off, indicating this was a deliberate reference planned by the WWE.

Fightful Select reported that Page has indeed signed a contract with WWE, despite his earlier comments saying he was not officially part of the company.

PWInsider has also confirmed the signing, noting that Page underwent a pre-signing physical at the WWE Performance Center last week.

The episode also featured the surprise debut of Jordynne Grace, the current TNA Knockouts World Champion. WWE sources revealed that significant effort was put into keeping appearances of Grace and Page a secret, with top stars like Shawn Michaels and Booker T used as placeholders during rehearsals.

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