On the July 22, 2025 episode of WWE NXT, Ethan Page unveiled a new look for the NXT North American Championship. He told everyone in the audience that the championship should be representative of Canada’s dominance over Mexico and the United States.
As a heel and a real-life Canadian, his words aren’t that surprising. Very quickly, the arena was filled with a chorus of boos. He lifted the cover to unveil the Canadian flag, where the brown leather had been.
As he started to sing O Canada, the TNA Director of Authority Santino Marella came to the ring. Berating him about his behavior, he decided that he had all the qualifications of a champion. Seeing Marella compete in a WWE ring again would be great. But is this a ploy for someone bigger to emerge and challenge for the title?
Santino Marella Still Has Fight Left in Him
As TNA Director of Authority, he is one of many authority figures in professional wrestling today. Most of them are either recently retired or have been retired for some time. It would make sense for him not to be wrestling for many years, given his role.
However, those assumptions are correct. Yes, he’s 51 years old and hasn’t wrestled for WWE in nearly ten years. However, he has made several appearances on the independent circuit and has wrestled for TNA on multiple occasions since signing with them.
Just in the past month and a half, he wrestled Robert Stone at TNA Against All Odds and teamed with Lola Vice against La Hiedra and Mr. Iguana at AAA Verano De Escandalo. He may be an authority figure, but there’s no question he can still go. Marella facing Page will prove that he is still a reliable force in the ring.
Could This Be a Set Up for Ethan Page?
With the NXT and TNA partnership in full swing, there are surprises every week. At Slammiversary, the two top titles were retained and won by NXT wrestlers. Storyline-wise, it probably doesn’t make TNA happy. There’s also the talking point that a TNA wrestler has held no NXT championship.
Given those facts, it would be reasonable to think that Marella’s declaration is a setup. Page wants to fight Marella, instantly accepting it because he thinks it’s an easy victory.
He’ll be preparing to face him next Tuesday, not thinking that something else is going to happen. Having a TNA wrestler come in at the last minute and win the NXT North American Championship will not only bruise Page’s ego but give TNA a chance to hold NXT gold. A classic fake out would help TNA regain some momentum while making Page very frustrated.
Either Option Will Create a Memorable Match
There are some match scenarios in wrestling where either option is the right call. Having a dominant champion win will make the underdog more determined. Choosing an overmatched challenger to shock everyone helps the champion move up the card or go to the main roster. This upcoming match also falls into that category.
Even if Marella doesn’t win the NXT North American Championship, getting him in the ring is a win. The TNA Director of Authority wrestling an NXT champion will bring new layers to their partnership. On the other hand, not wrestling would be good for Marella as well.
The biggest complaint arising from Slammiversary was the victories of Jacy Jayne and Trick Williams. Having someone from TNA to take Page’s title will offset some of those complaints. No matter who Page’s opponent will be next Tuesday, the match will definitely be important to the NXT and TNA partnership.
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