Christian Cage debuted to much fanfare in All Elite Wrestling (AEW) back in March. AEW Revolution 2021 was billed as an event which would see a true “legend” and “one of the greatest wrestlers of all time” debut, per Tony Khan. Indeed, whereas there were whispers of disappointment when Christian Cage was revealed as the surprise debutante, it cannot be denied he is both a legend and one of the all-time greats. More often than not, the reaction to his debut was positive – with fans longing to see a return of the Christian Cage character who made TNA Impact must-see television in the mid 2000s. Since this debut, the booking of has been questionable, to say the least. Christian Cage appears to be lacking direction in AEW, but this is an easily fixable problem.
Christian is Capable of Much More
The problem isn’t to do with Christian losing matches. On the contrary, Christian is undefeated in singles competition since his debut, only losing a multi-man match (to Jungle Boy) at Double or Nothing 2021. He is being billed and treated as a legend – a distinction his talent and track record make him fully deserving of. The problem is, he is capable of so much more. There is no denying that Christian is in the twilight of his career. At 47 years of age, just months shy of turning 48 in November, there is no need for Christian to be winning titles – but his brilliance as a worker and as a character means AEW should be making the most of his limited ring-time to elevate someone new as part of a creative, in-depth story. Maybe the long-term plan is to do precisely that but there is no need to delay this; this isn’t a Miro situation, where he had to be slowly rebuilt following years of misuse. Every pro wrestling fan in the United States knows Christian as a respected, prestigious performer equally capable of working as a lovable, sympathetic babyface or sadistic, twisted heel – much like Edge.
Young Talent Need a Christian Cage
Young talent need a Christian Cage. A solid worker with fan recognition, who can draw interest to any feud he is a part of. Should Christian turn heel, he would be an excellent adversary to someone like Sammy Guevara – who is now seemingly being built as one of the company’s top, future babyfaces. Darby Allin, though already involved with another legend (or Icon) in Sting, is another such young competitor who would be sure to benefit. Should Christian remain a babyface, he would be perfect for a truly sadistic heel with no respect for veterans, someone like MJF. With Wardlow being someone positioned as one of the company’s homegrown, future stars, he, too, would benefit from a feud with Christian. The point is, Christian – at this point in his career – should not be having meaningless matches. For all of their faults, the WWE have done a tremendous job with handling Edge since his return last year. Christian, too, deserves such treatment and every future match should be one as part of a larger narrative. Whether he feud with the next generation, or with another veteran like former tag team partner, Chris Jericho, he should be treated with care.
Growing Fears of an AEW Veteran Problem
There are growing fears in the fanbase that AEW does not know how to effectively book its in-ring veterans. Outside of Chris Jericho, who has been booked like the star he is, Billy Gunn, Matt Hardy, Colt Cabana (to a lesser extent) and more haven’t been booked as wisely as they should. In fairness to the case of Billy Gunn, he is 57 and should be winding down now. Matt Hardy, however, is a Christian level performer and at 46, still has something to offer. He, too, arrived to much fanfare; debuting in the company in March of 2020 as the lovable “BROKEN” Matt Hardy, hot off a lukewarm run in the WWE which saw him get laid out by Randy Orton. Whereas his AEW tenure has brought notable highlights since, such as his role in the war between the Inner Circle and The Elite in the company’s inaugural Stadium Stampede Match at Double or Nothing 2020, there has been a clear lack of direction since. Christian doesn’t need to meet the same fate and needs to enter a serious feud soon, or risk becoming just another veteran on the roster, as opposed to the legend looking for “One More Match” in what will likely be the final run in an illustrious, if not underrated career.
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