Christian Cage On Why He Chose AEW Over WWE, Edge’s Reaction

Following his big signing this past Sunday at AEW's Revolution, Christian Cage is now ready to reclaim his rightful position as both an in-ring competitor and trainer for the younger talent. This week, Cage spoke to Renee Paquette on her Oral Sessions podcast about how confident he is to showcase his charisma once again.

"If I didn't have the confidence that I would be able to go like I did, I wouldn't be attempting this," Cage mentioned. "This is something that I take pride in. If I'm involved with something, I'm all in on it. I'm coming back to prove I'm one of the best, in my mind – I hate to say this – to ever do this."

Coincidentally, Christian and Edge have both seen their comeback stories take flight as of late. Cage, who was in Edge's corner last year during his return at the Royal Rumble, is happy to have the "Rated R Superstar" in his this year, especially now that they're rivals on different promotions.

"Well, he was one of the very few people who knew. When I told him what I was thinking, he was very supportive," he noted. "When you get to that point where you think it's gone, and then it comes back, it's like what just happened?

"When he came back at Royal Rumble from the year previous, he's always been good at keeping his nerves in check. I've never seen him nervous before. And he was super nervous for that Rumble. I was there to lighten the mood. And he kind of did the same for me. It's just reverse roles. He's a great sounding board."

Although most fans believed Christian was going to sign with WWE following his Royal Rumble appearance this year, Cage admits that he wanted to weigh his options before making a final decision. With this being his final stage in his career, he wanted to make sure that he was going to seal the deal with a company that had his best interest at heart. And for him, that was AEW.

"It happened really quick," he replied. "I wasn't sure how it was going to go after. All the talks I had were very cordial. Obviously, I'm good friends with you and good friends with your husband, Jon. He talked to me and, you know, had his opinions on it, and it kind of made me think, 'Ok. Maybe I am doing myself a disservice if I don't at least discover all of my options.'

"At this final stage of my career, I ended up having a conversation with Tony [Khan], and it just escalated pretty quickly and went very fast. Within a week, it was a done deal."

Continuing on, Cage also revealed that wanting to wear multiple hats in the industry was another big factor that determined his choice to head to AEW. Now, he'll be able to perform, train and do other work behind the scenes with his new contract. He also wanted to clarify that he had no ill-will towards WWE; he just thought AEW would provide him with more opportunities to showcase his talents both on and off the screen.

"Of course. There's always that life-altering decision that has a lot of thought going into it. Obviously, I had a lot of time to think about this," he admitted. "What I really needed was the best platform for me to showcase this and where I can help the next generation. That's kind of what I felt here at AEW...There's something intriguing about that to me. And I like a challenge. It wasn't an easy decision, but it wasn't a hard decision.

"There's nothing wrong with WWE and how they do things. I needed this for me at this point."

Before concluding his interview, Cage briefly spoke about the trials and tribulations he faced when trying to get medically cleared for his comeback run.

"So, I went up to Pittsburg after the one [I did] in Tampa. And I went through a five-hour test," he mentioned on how his comeback came to be. "I had to do a full 45-minute workout and balance tests. They had me wear these ski goggles on my face, and they were putting lights in my eyes to see my reaction. I saw four different specialists in those five hours. It was very thorough.

"I had a discussion with that doctor after, and he said the same thing the other doctor in Tampa said...He told me not to go to the ring with any fear or anxiety because I was going to make myself more susceptible. He said, 'You can't go in there thinking that you're going to get hurt. You're not a greater risk now than you were in your life or in your career. You have to go in there with full confidence that you're going to be fine.' I felt that way going into the Rumble. It did not cross my mind once."

You can listen to Christian Cage's full interview here. If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Oral Sessions w/Renée Paquette with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.