Who Could Dethrone New IC Champion Ethan Page?

Ethan Page finally captured WWE gold on the November 2 episode of Raw in Brooklyn, defeating Chad Gable to become Intercontinental Champion after months of chasing the title since his main roster call-up. Now that “All-Ego” has the belt around his waist, attention is already turning to who might end his reign — and a few names stand out as logical first challengers.

Rusev is one of the more intriguing options. He and Page have been allies for much of the year, with Rusev helping set up Page’s original Intercontinental Title opportunity back on May 4, when Page pinned then-champion Penta while the two were teaming up. Rusev has also been easing back into in-ring action during WWE’s recent Hawaii live events, teaming with Page against Chad Gable and Rey Mysterio on October 17. Since returning to WWE in 2025, Rusev still hasn’t captured a title, which makes the Intercontinental Championship a natural target — and a friends-turned-rivals dynamic with Page would give the program an easy emotional hook.

Rey Fenix is another candidate worth watching, and he already has a head start. On the October 5 Raw, Fenix beat Page in a non-title match, giving him a built-in case for a crack at the gold now that Page is champion. Fenix currently holds AAA’s Cruiserweight Championship, so a true title-versus-title matchup isn’t out of the question — especially given Page has spoken in the past about wanting to work AAA dates. After previous runs opposite Penta and Rey Mysterio, Fenix stepping up against Page would continue WWE’s pattern of pairing him with top luchadores.

Then there’s Je’Von Evans, who may have the strongest overall case. The two have crossed paths repeatedly across NXT, Raw, and AAA, including an Evans win over Page on the August 3 Raw and a three-way scramble for Chad Gable’s Intercontinental Championship at an October 16 house show in Honolulu. Beyond the in-ring history, there’s a record angle that makes an Evans title win especially notable: at 22, he’s still young enough to challenge Jeff Hardy’s long-standing mark as the youngest Intercontinental Champion ever, set when Hardy beat Triple H for the title at 23 years and 7 months old in April 2001. Evans would need to win the title before December 9, 2027, to claim that record.

It’s worth remembering Page only just won the belt, so none of this is imminent — WWE will likely let him enjoy a meaningful reign before turning to the next challenger. But all three names tie into existing storylines rather than coming out of nowhere, which is usually a good sign of where creative is actually leaning. Rusev offers a betrayal angle, Fenix offers a champion-versus-champion showcase, and Evans offers a rising young star with a built-in record to chase. However WWE plays it, Page’s first defense is shaping up to be one of the more closely watched moments on the midcard in the months ahead.