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This past Sunday at Revolution former WWE superstar Christian Cage was revealed as AEW’s newest signee, a highly-anticipated surprise that left the many in the pro-wrestling universe shocked to their core. Christian had just returned at WWE’s Royal Rumble in January and proved that he can still go by ending up in the final four along with his long-time friend and eventual Rumble winner, Edge.
Now Christian has opened up about his decision to join AEW on the latest edition of Renee Paquette’s Oral Sessions podcast. He begins by saying he wanted to explore his options after being cleared to compete, with Renee’s husband, AEW superstar Jon Moxley, convincing him to speak with company president Tony Khan.
On Wednesday [March 3], there was nothing signed. It was a shock to me when I heard [Paul Wight’s announcement]. Obviously, Tony [Khan] and I hit it off pretty quick and we felt comfortable enough that we were going to work together. I wasn’t sure I was going to go (to AEW after the Rumble) and all the talks I had (with WWE) were very cordial. [Jon Moxley] talked to me and had his opinions and made me think, ‘Okay, I’m doing myself a disservice if I don’t at least explore my options.’ At this final stage of my career, I had a conversation with Tony and it escalated very quickly. Within a week, it was a done deal.
Christian later acknowledges how difficult a decision was to leave WWE, but believes AEW was the best platform for him at this time, and expresses how passionate he is about helping the next generations of wrestlers grow.
Of course. Anytime there is a life-altering decision, there is a lot of thought. I didn’t have a lot of time to think about this but what I really needed was the best platform for me — I got a second lease on life here to showcase (myself) but also help. Where could I help the next generation? That’s what I felt at AEW. In my initial talks with Tony, the first conversation we had, we talked for two hours. From that initial conversation I was like, ‘Man, I didn’t think it would go that well.’ It came together pretty quickly after that. We hit it off, we had the same feeling as far as where he saw me and what I could bring to the table and how I could help the roster and the show. That was intriguing to me and I like a challenge. It wasn’t an easy decision, but it also wasn’t a hard decision. There was something intriguing about being able to be hands-on with everything and having that challenge. It felt like the right situation. There’s nothing wrong with WWE and how they do things.
You can check out the full interview here.
(H/T and transcribed by Fightful)