Image: AEW
On Renee Paquette’s Oral Sessions podcast, Christian Cage discussed how his AEW deal came together and the timeline in which he got medically cleared.
He said that as of the Wednesday before last Sunday’s Revolution, there still wasn’t a signed deal so he was surprised to hear the Paul Wight promo that a major signing was going to be announced. He arrived at the venue Sunday an hour before the show started and was kept away from people, which added to his nervousness. His t-shirt design didn’t come together on Saturday.
The process of returning began after last summer’s unsanctioned “match” with Randy Orton in which Christian couldn’t take any moves or offense due to his medical status. Afterward and without telling anyone, Cage went back to the University of South Florida Concussion Center to see the same doctor he worked with at the time of his retirement. He wanted to see where he was at, the possibility of a return, and if the doctor said he shouldn’t return, he would have agreed and called it good.
After a battery of tests in Tampa and a thorough five-hour test in Pittsburgh, doctors cleared him without issue and he began to get back into shape using a minimalist’s gym he built in his garage and using the same nutrition company as Adam “Edge” Copeland. Along the way, he floated the idea of him returning to WWE with Vince McMahon who was receptive through his preparation process.
As Cage prepared for and desired a more full-time return, he talked with WWE that was “cordial” but that he wanted to explore all of his options in this final stage of his career. He had met Tony Khan years earlier in Boston through mutual friend Chris Nowinski (who he admitted he never spoke with about his concussion issues). He said the AEW talks escalated quickly and were done within a week.
He wasn’t asked whether he talked with McMahon or WWE about his decision to sign with AEW, whether they offered him a contract, and the interest level after his performance in this year’s Royal Rumble.
Cage will make his Dynamite debut this Wednesday with an appearance.