AEW's Brian Cage Defends PED Use

Brian Cage's physique helps him stand out amongst his peers in AEW, which is a large part of his presentation as "The Machine." However, fans have often speculated on his possible use of steroids, which Cage admitted to during an interview on "The Smoothvega Podcast."

"I don't care, I want to be more and more open about this," Cage said regarding performance-enhancing drugs. However, he clarified that steroids aren't a magical fix to make one muscular, and it still requires a great deal of hard work. "Do steroids work? Absolutely. Have I taken PEDs? Absolutely! I've never said I haven't!"

Cage stated that his success isn't due to PEDs, though he acknowledged that he has used testosterone replacement therapy to help him maintain his physique at 42. According to Cage, he's far from alone in that regard, and he pointed out that the federal government has changed the classification of many PEDs in recent years, and newer research has denied any connection between steroids and cardiac arrest.

Despite this, Cage has one important caveat about steroid usage. "There's obviously a difference between use and abuse with everything, right?" he pointed out, citing how someone can consume alcohol responsibly or begin abusing it on a regular basis. "Everyone's on peptides, and they're great, they're freaking phenomenal! Again, are they magic? No. Do they work overnight? No."

Steroid usage is controversial in the world of pro wrestling for multiple reasons, but especially with regard to the Chris Benoit double murder-suicide in 2007. Benoit's actions have often been publicly tied to steroid use as well as extreme levels of CTE, but Cage doesn't believe that steroids were at the root cause of Benoit's actions that weekend.

"Even when it happened, I'm like — I wasn't taking steroids then — but right away I go, 'That's not a 'roid rage thing.' First of all, like I said I don't fully believe in it, but also a 'roid rage thing wouldn't be a three-day premeditated setup," he argued, sharing his belief that there were other factors involved in Benoit's crimes.

Cage also recalled his earliest history with steroid usage, claiming that he never touched it until after his very first bodybuilding contest, denying that he was on anything during his indie run. "I had a really bad temper in high school and stuff when I was younger, and that was one of the reasons, too, why I never wanted to do it. I thought, because of 'roid rage, I was going to lose it — which is also, afraid to tell you, it's kind of bulls***," he opined. Cage then added that people who do have "'roid rage" are likely just using steroids to justify the anger issues they already have, while admitting that some people will react differently to the chemicals they inject into their bodies.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "The Smoothvega Podcast," and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.