Despite still being signed with AEW, the rumours of Brian Cage to WWE still linger after over a year of insecurity with The Machine.
In May, Brian Cage entered AEW and was immediately a star. The former Impact World Champion entered as the AEW Joker card in the AEW Casino Ladder Match, and beat out 7 other men to earn a shot at Jon Moxley’s AEW Championship.
He had already made a name for himself to hardcore fans, in TNA, AAA and Lucha Underground. These fans knew he had all the tools to succeed. They knew Brian Cage could be a huge star in AEW, WWE or wherever he went.
With his huge debut win, he looked to be a star in AEW from the word go. However, the reality of the situation was much different. Initially his partnership with Tazz made him look like more of a star, but he was soon lost in the shuffle of Team Tazz. His FTW Championship drew him away from the real titles in AEW, and his high spot was losing a feud to Darby Allin and Sting.
His split from Team Tazz and feud with Ricky Starks looked to claw back his momentum, but injury side-lined him before a decent culmination of the feud. They finally ended their rivalry with a Philadelphia Street fight on AEW Rampage, with Cage losing the bout. Who knows where Brian Cage will go next, but there’s no ruling out him jumping ship to WWE.
Brian Cage to WWE?
Brian Cage was actually briefly a part of the WWE developmental system. He joined the WWE system in late 2009, although his wrestling journey began in the mid 2000s. He debuted in 2005, under the watchful eye of the late Chris Kanyon.
Kanyon took Cage under his wing, and taught him everything he knew about being a wrestler. The pair were extremely close, and Kanyon considered Cage one of his best friends. Brian Cage was allegedly the only person, other than Kanyon, to portray the “Mortis” character, which Kanyon portrayed in WCW.
In July 2008, Cage signed with the WWE in a developmental deal. He was sent to Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) to wrestle and develop his skills. However, the name Brian Cage was not approved by WWE, so he was required to come up with a new name.
He was christened Chris Logan. Chris was an homage to Chris Kanyon, whilst Logan was taken from the name of the the comic book character Wolverine. This was due to Cage sharing a resemblance to the character from the comic books and films. He would embrace that later on post WWE, with his nickname “Swoleverine”
Cage would last just over a year in FCW. He wrestled against future stars like Bray Wyatt, Bo Dallas and Trent Baretta of AEW’s Best Friends. However he was released in 2009 and set out again on the independent. This is where the real Brian Cage was born.
Cage was a completely different beast on the indies than he was in WWE. He gained a ridiculous amount of muscle, completely changing his character and style in the ring.
Long story short, Brian Cage didn’t stop his Wolverine tribute with just the name Logan and his sideburns.
He is a Huge Jacked man.
Why Brian Cage would be a star in WWE
Brian Cage has had a stop-start career so far in AEW. He has reportedly complained about his position multiple times to the press, although he has shot down these quotes as taken out of context.
He has been spinning his wheels a bit since Team Tazz began teaming together. It looks like Ricky Starks and Powerhouse Hobbs are the future stars of AEW, leaving Cage by the wayside. That’s not even to mention the monumental popularity of HOOK!
Brian Cage could be on his way out of AEW to WWE, a place where he would fit perfectly.
Brian Cage, as previously mentioned, if fucking massive. He’s Vince McMahon’s wet dream. He arms are the size of about 12 Hornswoggles. And to top it all off, he’s actually a fantastic worker. He’s shown in matches with Ricky Starks, Jon Moxley and Darby Allin that he is a great seller with a fantastic work rate. I’m sure I even saw him do the worlds biggest Hurricanrana once.
His biggest downfall is his mic skills – something the WWE performance centre can help him with. Or they could assign him a manager, like Paul Heyman. While Tazz is spinning many metaphorical plates, a manager to devote their full attention to Brian Cage would make him an instant main event star. I could see Cage beating Brock Lesnar in WWE, he’s just that good.
Will Brian Cage go to WWE
I hope he doesn’t go to WWE, because Brian Cage still has a lot to offer AEW. I see a TNT Championship run in his future, and with some character development would not rule out a run as AEW World Champion. However, the riches and fame of the WWE could be too much to pass up, and I would not blame him.
Stardom in WWE is not guaranteed, but I think Brian Cage has the best chance of becoming a star in the eyes of Vince McMahon.
And as we know, that’s literally the only person who matters in WWE. Not the fans, just Vinny Mac.
Brian Cage Contract Extension
According to recent reports, Tony Khan has activated a one-year extension on the contract of Brian Cage. Cage looked likely to leave AEW for WWE once his deal was up early this year, but looks set to stay with AEW for another.
Brian Cage leaving AEW for WWE seemed a certainty, and it seemed strange that Tony Khan was no longer booking The Machine in AEW. However, this brings into question why AEW aren’t booking him. He has not appeared for AEW since October, and has kept himself busy on the independent scene since then, including a brilliant match against Will Ospreay.
Fightful Select reported that Cage was “Surprised” with the extension, as were a lot of the AEW locker room. According to reports, most of the AEW roster was surprised by Cage’s extension, with many expecting him to simply leave for WWE once his contract expired.
Ring of Honor
Brian Cage shocked the world by making his debut at Ring of Honor at Supercard of Honor XV in April 2022. He had not been seen in AEW in over 6 months, his last match being against Ricky Starks in October 2021 in a Street Fight against Ricky Starks.
Tony Khan completed the purchase of Ring of Honor before the event, which opened the door for a host of AEW talent to make their ROH debuts, and Brian Cage was no different. He was revealed as a member of “Tully Blanchard Enterprise”, being a client of the great Tully Blanchard.
In a surprise debut, he defeated Ninja Mack in a dominant performance, announcing himself on the ROH stage. While a Brian Cage WWE debut could be in the cards in the distant future, his immediate future lies in Ring of Honor.
“Cage was said to have been surprised by this, as he and virtually everyone on the All Elite Wrestling roster thought his deal would simply expire.”
