After Tony Khan said Christian Cage is in very good physical condition to fight even after wrestling for so many years (since 1995), Christian Cage was touted as one of the protagonists of the AEW Revolution show! The veteran Canadian presented himself as stellar hiring, he signed the contract in the center of the ring and left without a word because, at that time, he was fighting in the latest edition of the Royal Rumble, experiencing a very intense moment in the ring with his friend Edge. Despite the fact that most of the All Elite Wrestling staff knew that Christian Cage would join them, many don’t know the whole story. For example, there were a lot of things happening before he joined that we will discuss.
Did you know that it was Christian Cage who approached Tony to join AEW? He was also called fragile by the WWE. Want more juicy facts? Keep reading!
Christian Cage’s Journey From Retiring To The Biggest Villain: 5 FACTS!
1. He was once considered “Fragile” by WWE:
Christian Cage is one of the most experienced names in the professional wrestling world and after having to retire from WWE in 2014 due to concussion-related issues, Cage returned to the ring after seven years at the Royal Rumble in 2021, where he had a great performance.
Last year, Cage was involved in a small angle with Randy Orton on an episode of RAW. But according to his interview with Sports Illustrated, Christian Cage added that he was annoyed with WWE because the company put him on a list of wrestlers who couldn’t take a big hit, indicating the fact that WWE considers him fragile.
“That didn’t sit well with me. Am I really so fragile that I need to be on the no-touch list? So I decided to go on my own and see some experts here in Tampa at the University of South Florida”.
Despite his outstanding performance in WWE, Cage did not sign a contract with WWE as his talks with the company failed to reach an agreement. Cage has signed a multi-year contract with AEW and soon became one of the top names in the company.
2. Unofficial comeback in the 2021 Rumble as Reso, joined AEW as Christian Cage:
At their Revolution event, AEW revealed who their mysterious new hire was. Christian Cage was now All Elite. Yes, it is true that he attended the Royal Rumble 2021, but even if he shone in the WWE a few months ago, it looks like he worked without a signed contract with Vince McMahon.
Yeah, Cage now works for Tony Khan. And the last name is an important fact as it is specifically Christian Cage, “The Instant Classic”. That was the nickname he used during his time at Total Nonstop Action between 2005 and 2008 – a time many believe was the best time of Christian’s career. Many of his best fights were held there, and it was in TNA where he finally won a world title: the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, which he won twice, going unbeaten for 23 months, a great success.
Shifting from Reso to the iconic Christian Cage, it seems that AEW recognizes this. The song he used on his debut was very similar to his song used in TNA. It will be interesting to watch the return of Cage, who, excluding the 2021 Royal Rumble, has not fought regularly since 2014.
3. Speaking of not fighting regularly, let’s look at why he retired:
To the surprise of many, in 2021, and after a 7-year retirement, Reso left WWE once again to enter All Elite Wrestling, where he won the Impact World Championship. Prior to that, back in December 29, 2014, during the episode of RAW a wrestler named Paul Heyman in the company of Brock Lesnar interrupted a segment between Cage and his friend Edge who were the guest General Managers of the program. RAW commentator Jerry Lawler erroneously alluded to Christian’s retirement from wrestling in the middle of the show’s broadcast. Although he himself denied having retired shortly after, on October 27, 2015, Christian’s profile was moved to the Alumni Section, alluding to an alleged dismissal of him due to the fact that his contract as a fighter expired. However, he was still working for the company on WWE Network’s “The Edge & Christian Show,” which began on February 21, 2016.
In May 2016, it was announced that Christian had been released from his contract with WWE. However, this would not affect “The Edge & Christian Show” since Christian would work as a WWE ambassador, which confirmed his retirement from professional wrestling.
“It’s been a long process getting in shape to get back in the ring,” Christian said. “I retired because of injuries seven years ago and I’d be lying if I said Edge’s return didn’t make me consider it. Seeing all that adrenaline when he almost came through the curtain and the huge reaction he got from the fans live was something. incredible. I knew my case was different from Edge, but I wanted to feel that feeling one more time. When I had that Unsanctioned Match against Randy Orton I repeated to myself if I was making a mistake by forcing my health. I started to get in shape and I made several changes in my life. I didn’t want people to remember me just for getting kicked in the head in a ten second match. I needed to finish on my terms, and if Royal Rumble started to open doors for me”, the veteran wrestler stated.
4. Christian Cage went from retiring to AEW’s biggest villain in one promo:
Since joining AEW, Christan Cage has largely been an afterthought in the singles division. He changed that by delivering a fiesty promo. Representing a WWE guy who’s in AEW just to make money, Christian Cage soon became a high heel (bad guy) of the company.
Christian Cage became the most hateful, delectable, and driven heel after he delivered his clear motivations. Villains don’t have to align themselves with the moral compass of the crowd, but their actions do have to make sense. This is why Edge’s Judgment Day faction fell apart so quickly. It was never clear exactly what his motivations were, and all WWE did was give silly nicknames and an over-the-top entrance instead of building a character. Standing in the middle of the ring and laughing with each other is not a character. It’s a one-way ticket to the Main Event.
Christian Cage, on the other hand, with an impassioned promo, went another direction from his brother Edge.
From an AEW afterthought to must-see TV, in a move audiences have been waiting for months, Cage turned on Jungle Boy on the June 15 episode of Dynamite. With Luchasaurus sold outside the ring, Christian pulled the trigger on a heel turn that wasn’t too hard to see coming.
Both his company AEW and the wrestler himself teased this wonderfully, and the execution was a great start: his promo on the homecoming show for Forbidden Door took everything to a whole different level.
“You think I came back to nurture young talent? You think I came back to help the next generation? No, it’s crap. I came back here to make a lot of money, and that’s the only reason,” Cage explained.
Then the veteran wrestler went further, telling the wrestlers at the back that if they wanted his paycheck, they had to “try to have a match that people are talking about more than a week after it happened”.
“The type of game that parents have their kids sit down and watch over and over again. The type of match that is changing the industry. The type of match they call pay per views after. Do that and you can be on my paycheck. Until then, eat my crumbs and enjoy”, he continued.
With this kind of heel-running in AEW, with the pay gap between local AEW talent and former WWE wrestlers, Cage strikes as the iron is hot. It’s the kind of heel the company (and other wrestlers) badly needed. A product of true value – one with one foot in reality and the other in sports entertainment – and now it’s up to other wrestlers to keep this challenge going!
5. Tony Khan didn’t approach him, Reso approached Tony first:
AEW President Tony Khan responded to several questions from the media at a post-AEW Revolution press conference, revealing that it was Christian Cage who first contacted the AEW establishment.
“I met Christian Cage seven years ago, he is a great person and I always liked him a lot as a person, but long before that, I was a big fan of him as a fighter,” Khan said at the press conference. “I think he’s one of the great wrestlers of the last two decades. He’s had great matches in different companies, he’s been a great singles wrestler, a great tag team champion and I think he’s one of the greatest minds in wrestling.”
“He is in very good physical condition and we saw him compete very recently on PPV. There was a lot of interest in him, he generated a lot of interest and he was interested in wrestling on a regular basis. He called me and said: ‘I would really like to come and fight on AEW for you.’
And I said, ‘I’d really like you to come and fight for me .’ It all went really well and I think it’s going to be really good.”
Frequently Asked Questions About Christian Cage
Who is Christian Cage?
Christian Cage who was born as William Jason “Jay” Reso is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Under the ring name Christian Cage, he is associated with Jurassic Express and is best known for his tenure in WWE where he regularly appeared from 1998 to 2005 and again from 2009 to 2014. He also worked for Impact Wrestling, then known as Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), from 2005 to 2008 and during a brief comeback in 2021.
Born on November 30, 1973, this Canadian professional wrestler and actor was trained by fellow Canadian wrestlers such as Ron Hutchinson, Dory Funk, Jr., and Tom Prichard, debuting in June 1995. During his time in small independent promotions, he competed as a singles and tag team wrestler, with Edge, his in-story brother.
Why did Christian Cage sign with AEW? Why did Cage leave WWE?
The wrestler’s comeback, days after his return to WWE at the Royal Rumble, saw him leave and join AEW.
In an interview with “ET Canada”, Christian stated that the opportunity to sign with All Elite Wrestling gave him the chance to end his career the way he always wanted, focusing on developing new talent.
“It’s a gift. Really is. To get my career back and to be able to take control of it after losing it for seven years is very special. At this point in my career, I just wanted a platform that I could end my career the way I wanted. I wanted to do it on the biggest stages possible. The place that could provide me with the best opportunities, and in addition, be able to help the new generation that is emerging after me. AEW is a perfect place for me for those reasons,” Cage stated.
However, Christian revealed what the big reason was and what was responsible for him to be able to sign permanently with All Elite Wrestling. None other than Tony Khan, founder, and president of the company, managed to convince him with just one conversation.
“I just had a conversation with Tony (Khan) about it. Halfway through the conversation I was convinced this was the place for me. It was basically for him. Obviously, he managed to put together a very talented squad, but most of all, I wanted to work for him. I really wanted to be a part of AEW and help it grow,” he concluded.
Why did Christian Cage leave TNA for the WWE in 2009?
Christian Cage (who worked for Impact Wrestling aka Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), from 2005 to 2008) is one of the transfers in the winter market in North American wrestling, having left TNA for WWE. Official information quickly speaking in the United States left the fans of the fighter in an uproar when he left WWE in 2005 and joined Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA).
It is recalled that TNA removed Cage’s profile from its official page on the Internet and noted the passage to WWE, where he should shine on SmackDown, alongside his “brother” Edge.
In 1998, Reso was signed to the WWF, capturing the WWF Lightweight Championship. Edge and he would win the WWF World Tag Team Championship on seven separate occasions.
How many awards has Christian Cage won?
In total, Reso has won 22 WWE and TNA titles, being a six-time World Champion (two-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion, two-time ECW Champion, and two-time World Heavyweight Champion), and a one-time World Heavyweight Champion. WWF Lightweight Champion, one-time WWF Hardcore Champion, one-time WWF European Champion, four-time WWF/E Intercontinental Champion, and nine-time World Tag Team Champion. In May 2011, Reso became the twenty-third Triple Crown Champion and the eleventh Grand Slam Champion in WWE history.
Who is Christian Cage’s wife?
Reso currently lives in Tampa, Florida with his wife, Denise, to whom he has been married since 2001. It is interesting to note that Denise is a model from Germany.
Is Christian Cage from Canada?
William Jason Reso was born in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada on November 30, 1973 to an American father and a Canadian mother.
As a child, Chrisitan played hockey and was a fan of professional wrestling.[6] After moving to Orangeville, Reso met Adam Copeland, who became his best friend and later wrestling partner like “Edge” and “Sexton Hardcastle”.
The two attended high school together at the Orangeville District Secondary School.
Before moving to Orangeville, Rhesus lived in Huntsville and the East Luther-Grand Valley.
He is good friends with fellow wrestler Terry Gerin, better known as “Rhino”, “Rhyno” and “Rhino Richards”.
