Christian Cage says top AEW star being shockingly added in his match against John Cena played major role in his WWE exit 

Christian Cage initially left WWE in 2005 to join TNA.

Christian Cage says top AEW star being shockingly added in his match against John Cena played major role in his WWE exit 

John Cena and Christian (via Tapemachinesarerolling)

Christian Cage has rejuvenated himself as a prominent heel in All Elite Wrestling. However, 19 years ago, he was already an established tag team star and was waiting for his push to the main event. Cage was supposed to challenge John Cena for the WWE Championship at Vengeance in 2005, but it became a triple threat match when Chris Jericho was added to the mix.

While speaking with Chris Van Vliet on Insight, Christian Cage was asked what the final nail in the coffin was for him when he left WWE in 2005. Captain Charisma asserted that he was one of the most popular stars in the company, with fans rallying behind him in his matches against the top babyface, Dave Bautista. Therefore, when Chris Jericho was added to his title match against Cena, he felt that the promotion didn’t see him as a main-event superstar.

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The fact that the Stamford-based company didn’t even give him the chance to prove he could be the top star of the company bothered him. He made his TNA debut on November 13 and won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship twice before returning to WWE after four years. He became the 11th Grand Slam champion after winning many titles in his second run, spanning over 12 years.

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That bothered me. You’re not even gonna give me the chance to prove that I can do this?
Christian Cage via the Insight

After making his debut in AEW, his character soon received praise from fans, eventually winning the TNT Championship twice. Recently, he was revealed to be Swerve Strickland‘s opponent after returning to AEW Dynamite following a two-month hiatus on May 1. In the match against him at Double Or Nothing, Captain Charisma failed to dethrone Strickland.

Christian Cage expressed his opinion on taking things too far in his promos in AEW

Christian Cage is unquestionably delivering some of his finest work for the Jacksonville-based company at this moment. As a heel, he has said a lot of things that don’t sit well with the audience. The former World Heavyweight Champion spoke in an interview about whether he takes things too far in his promos.

Christian Cage
Christian Cage (via AEW)

In the same interview, the 50-year-old wrestler stated that he hadn’t regretted any of the things he said. He added that he neither regretted nor apologized for anything. Christian took credit for inspiring Jack Perry’s new character, attributing it to the influence of everything he had taught him.

I don't apologize for anything that I've said. [on Jungle Boy] You know he had to be brought down a notch. But now look at him, he's obviously taking some influence and what I taught him.
Christian Cage via the Insight

The 26-year-old wrestler returned on April 21, and three days later, he and The Elite attacked Tony Khan. Perry and Cage engaged in a rivalry in late 2022 and early 2023, in which Jungle Boy won in a final burial match.

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