Wrestling legend Christian Cage announces a contract extension with AEW – news that further fuels speculation of a move for his companion Edge.
WWE competitor AEW can continue to count on the services of a legend who has been through the mill – a finger pointing to another, even bigger personnel move?
Former WWE World Champion Christian Cage revealed the news over the weekend that he will remain with AEW. League boss Tony Khan had given him a new “big fat contract”, the 49-year-old explained at the post-Pay Per View All Out press conference. He was speaking “in character”, in his TV role as the evil “heel”.
The intriguing question here is whether this also has implications for the open future of his long-time companion and good friend Adam Copeland aka Edge, whose WWE contract he says will expire at the end of the month.
Christian Cage has reinvented himself at AEW
Cage, who rose to fame in WWE in a tag team together with Edge, had celebrated a ring comeback two years ago after his career – just like Edge’s – seemed to be over due to a severe head and neck injury.
After a one-off WWE match at the WWE Royal Rumble 2021, which Cage did together with Edge, the Canadian then signed with AEW, where he reinvented himself over time in a changed role as a bitterly evil unsympathetic man in a turtleneck. Cage had a long-running storyline at AEW with young Jack Perry – now suspended indefinitely due to the brawling incident with the fired CM Punk – first as his mentor, then as his nemesis.
Currently, Cage is linked to Perry’s masked ex-partner Luchasaurus, who is the league’s reigning TNT champion – with Cage always presenting the belt as if he were the title holder himself, including at Sunday’s PK.
Cage looked back on his AEW involvement with satisfaction at the PK, saying he had shown it to all the critics who thought the hype surrounding his surprise 2021 debut was too much. Khan, on the other hand, had understood what he had in him and had now “rightly opened the vault for me”.
The question now on wrestling fans’ minds beyond that: Will billionaire son Khan also open the vault for Edge, who at 50 is still in top form and, according to his own statement, is open to all options?
Reunion of Edge and Christian at WWE rival?
Edge’s friendship with Cage (and also with AEW tag team champions FTR) is considered no small factor in his decision.
This year, noted wrestling journalist Dave Melter reported in his Wrestling Observer that Edge and Christian were considering one last stint together as a duo. That it has now come out that Cage’s contract end has been placed near Edge’s could also indicate that the two have been toying with the idea of taking their next step together for some time.
If Cage is now tied to AEW for a while longer, that eliminates the option of a WWE comeback together and increases the likelihood of Edge going to AEW should he move on instead of retire.
Also at Sunday’s press conference, a reporter got the idea to put the two personnel together and asked Cage what he thought of the speculation that “your good friend Adam Copeland” could end up at AEW.
Cage’s reply, deadpan: he was only here to talk about himself and Luchasaurus, “I have no other friends”.
