Backstage Update On Brian Cage's AEW Contract Status, Reported Interest From WWE

From the beginning, Brian Cage's contract situation with AEW has been complicated. When it was first announced that he had joined AEW, he was still entertaining offers from Impact Wrestling to stay a part of their roster. But things got messier when "The Machine" sustained an injury ahead of his match with Rob Van Dam at Hard to Kill in 2020. Ultimately, the former Lucha Underground star became All Elite while healing from that bicep tear. Now, as his AEW deal is reaching its end point, his time on the shelf may be affecting the expiration of his pact.

According to Fightful Select, Cage AEW's contract was originally set to be up sometime between late January and mid-February. But due to his time missed recovering from injury at the beginning of his run, Tony Khan was looking to keep Cage in the fold until the end of June, at the very least. However, despite a contract extension currently on the table comparable to his current terms and influential backstage voices like Chris Jericho advocating for him, Cage is said to be showing some hesitation to re-up. 

WWE has reportedly shown interest in and are willing to engage in talks with the former FTW Champion should he become a free agent. And while Cage may be leaning toward exploring all of his options before agreeing to a fresh deal anywhere, he has reached an agreement with Khan to keep working together through Ring of Honor's Supercard of Honor pay-per-view at the end of March. It's expected he and the rest of his Embassy comrades will defend the ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship there — titles they likely will not hold onto if Cage is showing signs of heading out the door.