The AEW star recently had a lengthy interview with Muscle and Fitness. He talked about things such as early struggles with poverty, his time in WWE developmental, and more.
During the talk, Cage also discussed his most recent injury and confirmed that he has finally been cleared for action after almost a year of hiatus:
“I haven’t made my return yet. I just got cleared fully from everyone to be able to come back so then, there’s the hopes of that too, of like, okay, this is a perfect way to press restart and start new and come back and re-debut in a good way, in a new way, bigger way, whatever, and make the best of a bad situation,”
Brian Cage tore his quad tendon in an indie match against Chris Masters back on March 20, 2025. The 42-year-old opted to also get a knee replacement surgery while out of action with the quad injury, delaying his return.
The Don Callis Family member later commented on his AEW return as well, saying that he doesn’t know when or where it will happen, but he can’t wait for it. Though the former FTW champion noted that he doesn’t want to have too high expectations in case his return is not as good as he wants it to be.
Unfortunately, Brian Cage is not close to making his return to the ring. The AEW star shared an update with fans on social media today, revealing that he will need to undergo another surgery despite his quad and left knee being repaired.
Cage has been out of action since that injury happened in March. While sidelined, he decided to get a minimally invasive operation on his right knee in hopes that it would correct an issue he was having and he would be able to recover from the surgeries simultaneously. While trying to get cleared, Cage found out that he will need surgery again on the right knee.
“There is an issue on the operation I had on my right knee,” he wrote. “I was fighting an uphill battle that no amount of therapy, modalities, stem cells, peptides, etc [were] going to fix. I have to go back under the knife for them to try to fix or correct the situation.”
Cage was hoping that he would be back this month for AEW Full Gear. Instead, his return timeline remains unknown. It is a situation where doctors are hoping for the best but will not have a full picture of what is going on until they go in to perform surgery.
Even if it is the worst-case scenario, Cage is optimistic that his right knee will be “phenomenally better” after surgery. He noted he is \”beyond devastated\” but is trying to stay positive.
“Once we get this fixed and back on track I’ll pick up the pieces I’ll rebuild and become a better version of ‘the machine’ once again,” he wrote.
Brian Cage is recovering from double knee surgery—but that’s not slowing him down. The AEW star is also making a major leap into Hollywood with a role in an upcoming Steven Spielberg film.
Speaking to The Magic of Wrestling, Cage shared how Chavo Guerrero reached out with an opportunity to star in a wrestling-themed TV show. When that project stalled however, Guerrero put Cage\’s name forward for a new movie and quickly caught the attention of producers.
“I get an email: ‘Hey, I just sat down and watched all your stuff with the director. He absolutely loves you. He thinks you’re perfect. He knows everything about you—your look, your charisma, your personality. He wants to offer you the role.’”
Cage was excited about the correspondence but had no clue who the director who thinks he is \”perfect\” actually was. When he reached out to find out, he learned that one of Hollywood\’s biggest names is now a fan of his.
\”I call the guy… and he goes, ‘Stephen said this, Stephen said that.’ And I go, ‘Stephen?’ And he goes, ‘Yeah, the director. It’s Steven Spielberg.’ And I’m like, ‘Oh, oh sh*t.’”
When asked if there was anyone he’d like to work with on the film, Cage didn’t hesitate to name his AEW tag partner, Lance Archer. The two reportedly filmed scenes together before Cage’s injury. The movie is currently slated for a June 2026 release, though that date may still shift.
Brian Cage has revealed he recently underwent knee replacement surgery, just eight weeks after a previous procedure to repair a torn quad tendon.
The AEW star has been sidelined since suffering a leg injury during a match with Chris Masters at the March 20 OWA event. Cage’s last appearance for AEW was on the March 22 episode of Collision, where he teamed with Konosuke Takeshita and Lance Archer.
In April, Cage shared that he had returned to training following his initial surgery. Now, in a new Instagram post, he revealed he’s already back in the gym just four days after undergoing knee replacement surgery.
“4 days post knee replacement (8 weeks post quad tendon repair) and I’m already back in the gym,” he wrote, adding: “Love me, hate me, or somewhere in-between, you can’t deny I’m a f***ing machine!”
Cage explained he had long been dealing with severe knee pain and had planned to have surgery after All In. However, after tearing his quad, he chose to move forward with both procedures sooner than planned.
“Not an easy or fun choice,” he said, “but I’m gonna come back ripping heads off.”
Brian Cage has resumed gym training after recently undergoing knee surgery.
The AEW star had been out of action for several weeks, with his last match taking place on the March 19 episode of AEW Collision. His injury was initially revealed by The Wrestling Observer, and later referenced on the April 9 episode of AEW Dynamite when Don Callis noted that the Don Callis Family would be seeking new members due to injuries to both Cage and Mark Davis.
In a series of Instagram stories, Cage confirmed his knee procedure by showing off his post-surgery wound. He also revealed that while he had been working out with a brace prior to surgery, he has now officially returned to the gym post-op.
As of now, no official timeline has been given for Cage’s in-ring return.
Brian Cage reveals that he has had a surgical procedure done to his injured knee.
AEW wrestler Brian Cage sustained a knee injury during an independent match against Chris Masters on March 20 in Los Angeles.
This injury has led to changes in the AEW World Tag Team Championship match at the upcoming Dynasty event, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Originally, Cage and his tag team partner Lance Archer, collectively known as the Murder Machines, were scheduled to challenge The Hurt Syndicate—Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin—for the titles.
Due to Cage\’s injury, AEW has announced that Big Bill and Bryan Keith will replace the Murder Machines as the challengers for the championship.
Despite this setback, Cage remains committed to AEW. He has expressed his satisfaction with the promotion and confirmed his long-term contract, indicating his dedication to returning to the ring once recovered.
Prior to his injury, Cage was also scheduled to face notable opponents like Will Ospreay on AEW Dynamite.
AEW\’s Brian Cage is set to don the iconic loincloth once more to reprise his role as He-Man in the upcoming fan film \’Fall Of Grayskull: Rise Of The Horde.\’ Cage\’s participation in the film was announced by Red Serial Films on Instagram this week.
The film serves as a sequel to the popular 2015 short film \’Fall Of Grayskull\’ in which Cage also played He-Man. A synopsis for the new movie via Kickstarter reads as follows:
\”In the end credits of part one, we tease of Hordak preparing to invade Eternia..where this movie will pick up. Prince Adam/He-Man has to deal with taking over as king after the death of his father, the inner struggle of being forced to kill Skeletor in the previous film, and trying to protect Eternia from this new invading army. Like He-Man, Teela is also struggling with the loss of a parent and attempting to take on her new role as guardian of Grayskull. We also meet Adora who is contemplating the morality of her life in the Horde and discovering her destiny of becoming She-Ra.\”
You can check out Cage in the first He-Man: Fall of Grayskull film down below.
Cage certainly has the build to once-again portray the iconic character of the 1980s that has seen a revival in recent years thanks to a Netflix adaptation and several comic projects. Although the former FTW Champion set to return to the world of Eternia, fans can expect to see plenty of Cage in AEW after signing a new contract last year.
Brian Cage re-signed with AEW over a year ago and the length of \’The Swole-verine\’s\’ deal is pretty swole.
\’The Machine\’ has been running with The Gates of Agony as The Mogul Embassy recently turned on AEW World Champion Swerve Strickland, but no matter what the future holds for the group, who just added Hechicero on AEW Rampage, Cage is completely content with sticking around All Elite Wrestling.
Speaking on \”The Lightweights Podcast,\” the former FTW Champion expressed just that about his current deal.
\”I don\’t see myself going anywhere else. With how long I\’ve been there and how long my contract is for and everything else, it makes sense to stay put and I\’m happy with that.\”
When Cage was asked if his deal was about six more years, Cage said it was and he didn\’t negotiate it alone. \’The Machine\’ had an agent to help nail down a deal for him. That was a first for Cage as he flew solo when negotiating his first few name deals in wrestling.
Cage has been with AEW for years at this point, first aligning himself with the now defunct Team Taz and has primarily remained a heel for the majority of his run.
While Cage is locked down by AEW, some names have been floating around as free agents recently. Arn Anderson, Mark Henry and Jake Hager all just announced their exit from AEW, but one major name to leave WWE is Becky Lynch. While it\’s expected that Becky will stick around WWE after an extended leave, AEW could front the kind of contract Cage has in an effort to secure \’The Man\’ comes around AEW.
Drew McIntyre is going the extra mile in preparation for his upcoming battle against Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 40. \’The Scottish Warrior\’ was spotted doing a workout session in the gym with none other than AEW star Brian Cage.
We are just a few days away from what is being billed as \’The Biggest WrestleMania Ever\’ and Drew McIntyre is pushing himself in the gym. The former WWE Champion took to his Twitter/X account and dropped a video clip of a bench press session with Brian Cage being the spotter. McIntyre said that it was his last chest workout session before \’The Show of Shows\’. His caption read:
“It’s #WrestleMania week and the beast has been let out the CAGE.”
Brian Cage took note of the post and replied to McIntyre:
Drew McIntyre is set to challenge Seth Rollins for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 40. \’The Scottish Warrior\’ has overcome a lot of hindrances on his way to this weekend\’s high-stakes match. He outlasted five other competitors to win the 2024 Elimination Chamber match and secured his title opportunity.
He has been involved in a rivalry with CM Punk as well. From time to time, McIntyre has taken shots at \’The Second City Saviour.\’ Notably, CM Punk was the original challenger planned for \’The Visionary\’ at WrestleMania 40. But those plans were nixed when Punk suffered a torn tricep at the 2024 Men\’s Royal Rumble match and it came upon as a blessing in disguise for McIntyre.
Drew McIntyre\’s future
Fans are buzzing about his future. Though McIntyre is set for a huge match at WrestleMania 40, it\’s quite interesting that his contract with WWE is running out soon. A new deal hasn\’t been inked yet which means he could be a top free agent on the market shortly.
AEW has been the preferred destination for the free agents in recent memory. It will be no surprise if Tony Khan splurges a massive sum of money to rope in \’The Scottish Warrior\’ similar to how he has signed stars such as Adam Copeland, Mercedes Mone, and Kazuchika Okada.
Well, all that depends on what McIntyre wants in the future. Will it be WWE? or AEW? Only time will tell.
Brian Cage was a stand-out performer wherever he went before arriving in AEW. He has made fans stand in awe as they watched the big man pull off moves nobody his size could do. Despite his incredible abilities, The Machine is still a man.
Brian Cage\’s Latest Bad Bump
Brian Cage is not immune to injuries. Recently, Cage shared evidence of substantial bruises he took during an intense moment in his AEW Dynamite match last week.
During the latest episode of AEW Dynamite, Brian Cage participated in a fatal four-way match, facing off against Trent Beretta, Bryan Keith, and El Hijo de Vikingo. The was set to determine the next contender for the AEW International Championship.
In the end, Trent Beretta emerged victorious, cementing his match against Orange Cassidy for his title.
While taking to Instagram, Brian Cage posted a video showcasing the severe bruises he obtained during the match. These bruises were the result of a particularly intense spot where he was thrown onto his arm from the top rope.
”Welllllll, I may or may not have gotten a “boo boo” last Wednesday night on Dynamite…..but I’m not a man, I’m a machine! And the show must go on. #takencareofbusiness #machine #cantstopwontstop #cantbereasonedwith #itsnotballet”
Brian Cage committed to long-term contracts with both AEW and ROH before any speculation arose about his potential departure from AEW. Since then, he has seen a notable increase in his booking within the company.
Tony Khan knows what kind of talent he has on his roster, but The Machine may need a bit of rest to heal up from this latest batch of bruises.
Brian Cage\’s time with All Elite Wrestling will seemingly be coming to an end soon enough, despite the promotion\’s best efforts.
In January, a report from Fightful Select noted that Cage’s AEW contract is set to expire in a matter of weeks, but that there was the possibility it could be extended.
Cage originally signed his AEW contract in 2020 with a two-year deal, but his option year was picked up by the promotion.
Running Out of Time
In its update, Fightful Select reports that AEW was hoping to extend Cage\’s current deal due to the time he was injured, which would have made his deal last until the end of June.
Some of the time that was supposed added to Cage\’s contract is actually because Cage was signed while injured after leaving Impact Wrestling.
Cage, a former Impact Wrestling World Champion, \”pushed back\” on that idea, and said he was \”interested in exploring free agency.\”
Fightful was told that Cage has had some \”heavy hitters\” within AEW in his corner of late, and that Chris Jericho has been putting over his work.
The head of the Jericho Appreciation Society has spoken publicly about his desire that Cage re-signs with AEW.
In 2021, Cage reportedly had heat backstage in AEW after his wife Melissa bashed the promotion on social media and said her husband should be used more.
WWE Interest
In January, it was reported that \”feelers\” from WWE had tried to gauge if Cage would have any interest in signing with the promotion.
Fightful Select has been told that WWE has maintained an interest in Cage in the event he becomes a free agent, and is open to having conversations.
AEW and Cage have agreed to work together through the end of March, specifically the ROH Supercard of Honor Pay-Per-View.
One second generation star could be a free agent soon, as his contract with All Elite Wrestling is set to expire in May.
AEW is getting into an interesting position where they must decide if they will re-sign talent. The company has had many wrestlers compete for them in their four years of operation. As we enter the fourth year of AEW, some multi-year talent contracts are up for renewal.
Spoiler Warning Ahead!
The company has several wrestler contracts set to expire soon. FTR\’s Dax Harwood said on his podcast that his and his partner Cash Wheeler\’s contracts are set to expire in April. They have yet to decide if they will try to re-sign with AEW. Fightful Select reported on Jan. 24 that Brian Cage\’s contract would expire in a few weeks. AEW may look to re-sign him, but the report also shared that WWE could be interested in signing Cage.
However, they will have to decide if they will keep Brock Anderson, son of Arn Anderson, whose contract expires in May. Arn broke the news in an interview with Wrestlingnews.co Steve Falls on their Patreon. He also shared that his contract expires next year and is unsure if AEW will keep either him or his son after their deal ends.
\”Well, Brock\’s got about, I think in May his is up, and then I have another year passed that. I\’m having a great time. I\’m enjoying working for the company and I\’m going to certainly get that last year now. What they have for Brock and I together going forward, I don\’t know. I look at things and always have going all the way back to WCW when contracts came out. When you get a guaranteed contract, your wife has the luxury of planning your life because they do it anyway. To know much time and it\’s not something that\’s not going to change and all that, you can map your life out. That gives me another year and a half almost to help Brock every which way I can,\” said Arn(h/t Angel Aramboles).
Arn and Brock Anderson
Will AEW Re-sign Brock Anderson?
It\’s unclear what the future holds for Brock. He is featured only sometimes on AEW Dynamite or Rampage. AEW mostly has him compete on AEW Dark. In his AEW career, Brock\’s win/loss record stands at 16-13.
Although Brock is featured a little in AEW, he is still young in his career. At age 25, AEW could look to do more with him if he re-signs. However, the company may have to review its roster and decide whether it can renew Brock\’s contract. Another possibility is WWE could look to sign the young talent if he becomes a free agent.
ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Champion Brian Cage is about to become a free agent.
A new report from Fightful Select notes that Cage’s AEW contract is set to expire in a matter of weeks. That could change at any time if an extension is reached.
Cage originally signed his AEW contract in 2020 when he joined the promotion, and it was a two-year deal. However, his option year was picked up by AEW. At that time, word going around was that Cage was pleasantly surprised as he didn’t expect to have his option year picked up because he had been off TV for almost one year.
WWE Interest?
The report noted there have been feelers within WWE to gauge the company’s interest in possibly bringing Cage in. As of this writing, it remains to be seen whether either side has an interest.
While away from AEW, he had been working for Warrior Wrestling, XPW, and other indie promotions. Cage has received internal praise for his work since returning to AEW TV in September.
Cage is currently on a four-match winning streak in AEW as Cage has picked up wins over Schaff, Carl Randers, and Willie Mack before beating Mack again on last week’s Rampage episode.
This week’s episode of AEW Dynamite will feature Cage vs. Bryan Danielson in singles action.
This Wednesday AEW will be celebrating its three-year anniversary for their flagship program of Dynamite, which began its run on TNT and has since moved to TBS. While the lineup was already pretty stacked a major title matchup has since been added.
Wardlow took to Twitter this evening to issue an open challenge for Dynamite, with Mr. Mayhem adding that he will be putting his coveted TNT championship on the line. The champ writes, \”I dare someone to challenge me for the TNT title this Wednesday at the anniversary show. Someone remotely close to my level. Just show up, I’ll be waiting.\”
I dare someone to challenge me for the TNT title this Wednesday at the anniversary show. Someone remotely close to my level. Just show up, I’ll be waiting @TonyKhan@AEW#AEWDynamite#IDareYou
It wouldn\’t take long for someone to respond Wardlow…and that person was Brian Cage. The Machine has been noticeably absent from weekly AEW programming for some time aside from a few appearances on the company\’s Youtube shows Dark: Elevation and Dark. Cage did join forces with Tully Blanchard at ROH Supercard of Honor, but Blanchard has since departed from the company.
Tony Khan would later confirm the matchup for AEW fans, one that many have been asking for due to each man\’s impressive athleticism and build.
This Wednesday, October 5 Wednesday Night #AEWDynamite 3 Year Anniversary Show LIVE on @TBSNetwork 8pm ET/7pm CT
During Friday\’s episode of AEW Rampage, it was announced that Tully Blanchard Enterprises would be in action during the kick off show to Ring of Honor\’s Pay Per View Death Before Dishonor.
However during the ROH Death Before Dishonor Zero Hour we learned that Prince Nana had acquired Tully Blanchard Enterprises.
Brian Cage along with the Gates Of Agony members Toa Liona and Kaun now becoming part of The Embassy.
— ROH – Ring of Honor Wrestling (@ringofhonor) July 23, 2022
Prince Nana accompanied the new additions to The Embassy in their trios match against Alex Zayne, Blake Christian and Tony Deppen. The three men continued their dominance in Ring of Honor by picking up the pinfall victory on Deppen.
In the Death Before Dishonor post-show media scrum, president of AEW Tony Khan was asked about the status of Tully Blanchard.
\”Tully\’s good. I think for the workload and the things we\’re asking I would just say and where he is in this stage I think it was a good fit and now the business transaction that went down here in Ring of Honor between Tully and Princess Nana.
\”I think Tully, he\’s doing really well, personally and thriving and I\’m happy for him and excited and now Prince Nana.
\”He\’s a legend, it\’s great to have Prince Nana and the Embassy back in Ring of Honor. So I think that\’s something to be excited about its great group of wrestlers and very excited about that and wish Tully the best.
\”And you know, we certainly could see him around AEW, Ring of Honor again. But now that transition and that transaction got Prince Nana back here, which is awesome.\”
Tony Khan on Tully Blanchard\’s status
With Tully Blanchard seen on the match graphic the day before the pay per view and no where to be found the day of, many speculated there might have been more to this story.
That hunch was correct as Fightful reports Tully is essentially done with AEW & ROH.
Ring Of Honor is scheduled to present its second PPV event under Tony Khan\’s ownership in Death Before Dishonor this Saturday. It may see two unadvertised stars making an appearance.
According to reports from Fightful, Brian Cage who has moved to the ROH brand recently, is scheduled to travel to Lowell, Massachusetts for the upcoming show.
Cage was revealed as a member of the Tully Blanchard Enterprises at Supercard of Honor last month. No match has been announced for the heavyweight star but it\’s believed that he will be wrestling on the PPV.
Another unadvertised name who is scheduled to be in the arena for the Death Before Dishonor event is former ROH Pure Champion Josh Woods.
Woods is a former NXT star who competed in WWE\’s development brand from 2014 to 2016. He has been working with ROH since his WWE release.
Josh Woods made his AEW debut back in December and he has been wrestling on Dark and Elevation occasionally.
The former champion held the Pure title until this April. He was defeated by Wheeler Yuta at the Supercard of Honor event which was the first ROH show under Tony Khan.
The main event of Death Before Dishonor will see Claudio Castagnoli challenging ROH champion Jonathan Gresham for the title. Though this match may have already been spoiled by the promotion.
Brian Cage hasn\’t been seen in some time on AEW TV. His last appearance was back in the October 6 edition of Rampage where he lost an FTW Title Philadelphia Street Fight against Ricky Starks.
Fightful Select reported that Cage was present backstage at AEW Dynamite this past Wednesday. He hadn\’t been seen backstage recently. There is no information regarding his return to the company or if there are any plans for him.
While Cage was not used by AEW, he continued wrestling on the independent scene. The company picked up his contract option despite not using him for months.
Cage also made an appearance at the ROH Supercard of Honor event on April 1. He defeated Ninja Mack with Tully Blanchard on his side.
Cage did tease a \”shocking re-debut\” recently when the official AEW Twitter account made a throwback \”on this day\” post, highlighting Cage\’s debut at Double or Nothing 2020.
\”About time to make a shocking return/ re-debut and do it again,\” Cage wrote.
Considering AEW mentioned Brian Cage\’s debut and he was also present backstage, it wouldn\’t be surprising if we see him return to AEW programming soon.
Brian Cage will be sticking around in All Elite Wrestling. Fightful Select reported today that the word going around backstage at Wednesday\’s AEW Dynamite event was that Cage had told those close to him that AEW picked up his option year on his contract. AEW nor Cage has confirmed this.
Cage was reportedly surprised by this as he thought just like most people on the AEW roster that the promotion would simply not pick up the option and the deal would expire. The report also noted that they hadn’t heard anything in regards to when he could be brought back to TV or if there are even any plans for him.
Cage hasn’t worked a televised match for AEW since October 6th on Rampage when he wrestled Ricky Starks. He was sent on the Chris Jericho cruise that same month where several AEW stars wrestled.
While not being used by AEW, Cage continues to work the independent scene for the likes of Revolver, Warrior Wrestling, among others.
In 2020, Cage made his AEW debut in the Casino Ladder Match at the AEW Double or Nothing pay-per-view event in Jacksonville, Florida. He was later paired with Taz as his manager and held the FTW Title.
Cage’s wife, Melissa Santos, did confirm in November 2021 that her public comments regarding the way AEW had been booking her husband did get him some backstage heat:
Back in September, Melissa Santos made public statements that her husband Brian Cage was not being used right in AEW. According to comments she recently made to Chris Van Vliet, those comments ended up getting Cage heat backstage in AEW.
\”I got really spicy about it. Maybe I shouldn’t have. But then he got all the heat,\” Santos said during the interview. \”He didn’t even say anything. I know, I know. He got all the heat. I do feel bad about that because he loves wrestling, he loves AEW, absolutely adores Tony [Khan], loves being there and I feel like all of it came from the love of wanting [Brian Cage] to be more involved and that’s really it.\”
\”It was just from a passionate place and because I’m all loud, loud, loud, I got him in trouble and I do feel bad for that because that wasn’t my intention.\”
What Did Melissa Santos Say Originally?
Santos just put out a short 15-second clip on social media saying that Cage has been a world champion in multiple promotions and is currently being misused in AEW.
“You see, Brian Cage is a superstar,” Santos said. “Those people who know him from indies, Impact, Lucha Underground where I met him, know that he’s a superstar. All you have to do is Google him and watch all his matches [at] PWG. He’s a superstar, and he’s being misused right now.”
AEW star Brian Cage is the new champion of the recently rebooted XPW promotion.
An episode of Dark Side of the Ring this season focussed on Rob Black\’s XPW promotion from the early 2000s. Perhaps in response to the renewed interest in his promotion, Black announced XPW would be returning.
They had their first show back this weekend from the Main Street Armory in Rochester, New York. A replay of the show is available on FITE here.
The show featured a tournament to determine a new XPW Champion. The company issued the following statement congratulating Brian Cage on his win:
\”XPW would like to congratulate Brian Cage as the New XPW World Champion. Showing everyone what a real champion looks like. It takes a special type of person to be the Face of a wrestling company. Willie Mack was a great competitor but in the end he came up short.\”
XPW Championship – Tournament Finals Brian Cage defeated Willie Mack
The tournament concluded with a \”Dusty Finish\” where it appeared as though Willie Mack had won the title but the match was restarted and Cage was able to score the victory shortly after.
Brian Cage has revealed that he would have turned heel and feuded with Tessa Blanchard had he stayed with Impact Wrestling instead of going to AEW. The former Impact star recently had an interview with Dynamite Download. He discussed things such as the partnership between AEW and Impact and more.
During the interview, Cage also revealed nixed plans for a feud between him and the then Impact world champion that got nixed because of his departure:
“If I had stayed with Impact instead of going to AEW, I was going to turn heel and that would have been my perfect heel character because I was going to come out and celebrate with Tessa, and then I was going to take her head off.
That was going to be a feud with Tessa, I would get my win back and the title from her.\” said Brian Cage, \”I’ve never been able to be this heel. Every time I’ve been a heel, it’s always to be the strong, silent, meathead, high school bully kind of heel.\”
The AEW star returned to Impact Wrestling in January 2018. He stayed with the promotion for a couple of years before leaving to join Tony Khan\’s company in January 2020. He made his debut in May.
Though it seems that Cage is not happy with the lack of spotlight on him in the AEW roster. His wife Melissa Santos recently made a post about him being underutilized and Brian seemed to agree with her comments.
AEW star Brian Cage has shared his thoughts on working with Team Taz and his time as the FTW champion. The Machine appeared on Dynamite Download this week and discussed his feud with his former faction.
Cage says he\’s ready to move on from the rivalry and admits that he didn\’t love working with Taz when he was a member of the group. When asked by host Sean Downey if he felt misused during his time with Team Taz, Cage gave his honest opinion.
\”…I\’ve said it to you, I was like look Taz you don\’t really care about me. You don\’t really care about how I\’m being looked at or represented,\” said Cage. He continued, \”You just care about how it makes you look. You just trying to live vicariously through me and that\’s why you gave me the FTW title.\”
Brian Cage Rivalry with Team Taz
Cage made his AEW debut on May 23, 2020, at AEW Double or Nothing after winning the Casino Ladder match with Taz as his manager. On July 8, 2020, Taz gave Cage the FTW Championship, which Taz made famous. However, Cage felt he didn\’t need it.
\”…The FTW title too, which I never asked for Obviously. It was just gifted to me,\” said Cage. While being appreciative, he also shared he was indifferent to being the FTW champion.
\”…We never really did that much with it. It was cool, I was indifferent on the whole thing. And obviously how it all ended, how I lost it and, everything else it exactly doesn\’t sit well with me,\” said, Cage.
Cage lost the FTW championship to Ricky Starks this year on the July 14th episode of AEW Dynamite. Team Taz turned on Cage, which led to him feuding with the group. During their time together, Cage shared that his issues with Taz affected other members of the group.
He shared that he and Taz would critique each other, which led to disagreements. \”…I don\’t want to say we were butting heads, but it wasn\’t working out and then it kind of fell through with everyone else,\” said Cage.
While he didn\’t have issues with Will Hobbs or Hook, he admitted that disagreements with Taz led to issues with Starks. \”…I didn\’t really butt that many heads with Will or Hook actually. It was more with Ricky trying to steal the spotlight and Taz kind of trying to live vicariously through me said,\” Cage.
What\’s Next for Cage
The feud with Team Taz seemed to have ended at AEW Rampage on October 8th. Starks defeated Cage in a rematch for the FTW Championship. While Cage is ready to move on from the feud, he doesn\’t know what AEW has planned for him. He also made a case for him being the number one contender for the AEW World Championship, if Adam Page defeats Kenny Omega at Full Gear.
Regardless of AEW\’s plans, Cage is looking forward to a fresh start after dealing with Team Taz.
Brian Cage recently appeared on Dan and Don\’s Toxic Masculinity Podcast with Don Frye and Dan Severn. During the discussion, Cage said that Tony Khan is taking on the vast majority of the creative responsibilities in AEW.
\”Creative team? No. It’s just Tony. Tony Khan who owns it [AEW] and he does so much anyway already, it’s literally just all him,\” Cage said on the show (transcriptions via POST Wrestling). \”He’ll have some help or input from other guys and some of the EVPs that you know helped start it like The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega, Cody Rhodes. They kind of help do their own stuff.\”
Cage continued to say that Khan has the final and often only say on the majority of the product.
\”Tony pretty much has the final and only say on majority of the entire product which is a little nuts. I do think that it could benefit with some of the people helping out on that.\”
Cage also said that Tony Khan is always up for discussing creative ideas, something he doesn\’t believe happens elsewhere. He also said the backstage environment in AEW \”far exceeds\” anywhere else he\’s been. Cage also praised the way the company handles the laying out of matches.
\”They don\’t micromanage anything…it\’s pretty easy going in that regard.\”
Brian Cage clarifies Comments
Brian Cage took to Twitter to clarify that he was not speaking poorly of AEW\’s creative process, just that Tony Khan takes on a lot of work with it.
\”He could benefit from sharing some responsibility as in it\’d take some weight off his shoulders, smh. I get enjoying it and wanting to over see everything, it\’s just a lot of work for any one person, without other obligation on top of it. But didn\’t say anything negative. Damn,\” he Tweeted.
That's why I explained. Not nuts like how dare he think he can do it. It's nuts that he is doing it because of the overwhelming work load he has.
Cage hasn\’t wrestled since September 1st. It was reported in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that he is currently dealing with his knees flaring up after a stem cell treatment.
The full episode of the podcast is available in the player below:
Has Brian Cage gotten lost in the shuffle in AEW? There are some who believe so. According to Cage\’s wife, Melissa Santos, he is being misused in the promotion. She posted a video to social media explaining her position.
\”You see, Brian Cage is a superstar,\” Santos said. \”Those people who know him from indies, Impact, Lucha Underground where I met him, know that he\’s a superstar. All you have to do is Google him and watch all his matches [at] PWG. He\’s a superstar, and he\’s being misused right now.\”
The former FTW Champion lost to Team Taz\’s Powerhouse Hobbs on Dynamite last week. Back in July, he lost the FTW title to Ricky Starks. Before then, he lost to Hangman Page in the opening match of the Double or Nothing PPV in May. Cage had defeated Page on an episode of Dynamite back in April, however.
The last time Cage was ranked in the AEW top-5 was on May 19th, 2021. Cage\’s career record in AEW currently sits at 38-9.
Triplemania XXIX took place inside Arena Ciudad de México in Azcapotzalco, Mexico City, Mexico. The event featured an AAA Megacampeonato title match between Kenny Omega and Andrade. Also featured on the card was a mask vs. hair match between Psycho Clown and Rey Escorpion.
Impact Knockouts Champion Deoanna Purrazzo shared the ring with AAA Reina de Reinas Champion Faby Apache in a title vs. title match. Also, Fenix and Pentagon defended the AAA Tag Team Titles.
The show even featured a surprise appearance from wrestling legend Ric Flair. Flair was recently released from his WWE contract. Flair was in Andrade\’s corner after \”El Idolo\” had a disagreement with Konnan, who ended up cornering Omega.
Here are quick results for AAA Triplemania XXIX.
Mask vs. Hair: Psycho Clown def. Rey Escorpion
AAA Megacampeonato: Kenny Omega (c) def. Andrade
Lucha de Empresas: La Empresa (Puma King, Sam Adonis, & DMT Azul) def. Team AAA (Pagano, Murder Clown, & Chessman)
AAA Tag Team Championship: Fenix & Pentagon (c) def. Hijo del Vikingo & Laredo Kid, Taurus & Brian Cage
Deonna Purrazzo def. Faby Apache – For Impact Wrestling Knockouts & AAA Reina de Reinas Titles
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