Story byEthan Page wearing a green jacket - Wwe/Getty ImagesElla JayWed, January 14, 2026 at 2:31 AM UTC·2 min readHeading into his backstage conversation with "WWE NXT" General Manager Ava, Ethan Page wanted to be on the shortlist of NXT Championship contenders. Coming out of it, though, he found himself off the list and set up for a defense of his existing NXT North American Championship instead. Amidst his discussion with Ava, Page pointed out that, as NXT North American Champion, he had a record number of title matches in 2025, and because of it, he is now also approaching a record amount of days as the champion. Much to his surprise, Ava then praised Page for his efforts with the title, while adding that it deserved its own spotlight.