Eric Young Recalls Current AEW Star Turning Down WWE Deal Years Ago To Come To TNA

TNA Wrestling's Eric Young has explained why Christian Cage was a bigger and more important signing for TNA/Impact Wrestling than Kurt Angle. Modern wrestling fans have become used to seeing performers leave WWE to go to AEW and vice versa, but back in the 2000s, it was TNA Wrestling that was the main alternative, and several huge names crossed the line into the Impact Zone. 

Stars like Angle and Sting's work in TNA are often as celebrated as their time in WWE and WCW respectively, with Angle, in particular, spending more of his career in TNA than in WWE. Young was an up-and-comer back in TNA's first boom period and remembers all of the big stars that came through the door. During a recent appearance on Chris Van Vliet's "Insight" podcast, Young revealed the star who made the biggest impact on the company at the time.

"The biggest, for me, personnel-wise, is Christian [because] he came by choice," Young said. "Kurt had been released, and him coming probably is a bigger deal numbers-wise and visually. But I think as a wrestler, and as knowing the full story of both sides, Christian turned down a deal there [WWE] to come. He felt like he had a lot more to prove in the ring, he wanted to be 'the guy,' and he's one of the best professional wrestlers ever. I would challenge anybody that wants to argue with me."

Cage made his TNA debut at the 2005 Genesis pay-per-view and was immediately positioned as the company's top babyface. Within three months, he dethroned Jeff Jarrett to become the NWA World Heavyweight Champion and had a second reign with the title in 2007, before eventually leaving the promotion at the end of 2008 to return to WWE.

Please credit "Insight" when using quotes from this article, and give a H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.