Christian Cage deserves a lot more credit than some fans give him

When Paul Wight teased another big name Hall of Fame caliber superstar signing with AEW at Revolution, online speculation ran rampant.

That was kind of the point. The laundry list being thrown around included the likes of Kurt Angle and Brock Lesnar, though both were long shots at absolute best. Christian Cage was certainly one of many possibilities that were discussed.

Then on the night of Revolution, Christian Cage walked out and confirmed he was All Elite. But the response from some corners of wrestling fandom to his signing was less than positive. Apparently, there are fans who have forgotten who they’re dealing with.

Christian Cage when he was just Christian

Most fans first got familiar with Christian’s work back in the days of WWE having an F on the end of its acronym. He and his kayfabe brother Edge were a tag team. And once they got their feet under them, they became one of the most popular tag teams in the WWE.

Their wars with the likes of the Hardy Boyz, the Dudley Boyz, and the APA were hallmarks of what was arguably one of the best eras of tag team wrestling in the WWE. This included the intense and unforgettable TLC matches that are still being talked about today.

But as is often the case, Edge and Christian went their separate ways. When a tag team splits, one member sometimes ends up being the Jannetty. It’s a rather cynical reference to what happened to Marty Jannetty’s career when Shawn Michaels left The Rockers behind.

In this case, Christian has been perceived by some to have had the lesser of the careers between the two. Given Edge’s extensive list of championships and accomplishments over the years, few people’s careers stack up to his. But Christian hasn’t exactly been dogging it.

The success of Christian Cage

Christian Cage is best known as a tag team specialist, and rightfully so. In WWE, he was a nine-time tag team champion. Seven of those times were, of course, alongside Edge though he also won the titles with Lance Storm and Chris Jericho.

Keeping that in mind, he wasn’t exactly a slouch in the singles department, either. Christian Cage held the ECW Championship, the European Championship, the Hardcore Championship, the Light Heavyweight Championship, and the Intercontinental Championship.

On top of all of that, Christian Cage is a two-time WWE World Heavyweight Champion. All of that combined made him the 11th Grand Slam Champion and the 23rd Triple Crown Champion. That, by anyone’s standards, is a Hall of Fame WWE career.

But Christian Cage’s success was not confined to the WWE. At one point, he left WWE behind and ended up in TNA. There, he became a two-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion. That’s something that not even Edge has accomplished.

Fans complaining about nothing

When you take a look at Christian Cage’s long list of championships, accomplishments, and incredible matches, one would think that fans would have been overjoyed to see him in AEW. And a vast majority of fans were absolutely ecstatic.

Then, there were the ones who thought his signing was a letdown for some inexplicable reason. When Paul Wight talked about the AEW signing of some huge Hall of Fame-worthy talent, there was naturally a lot of speculation, which isn’t a bad thing.

One name fans were floating around was Brock Lesnar. No disrespect meant to an athlete of his caliber, but AEW does not need a part-timer like him who will show up to work three times a year and eat up half their roster’s salary in the process.

Christian Cage is in AEW to do the work. Period. He’s a career wrestling professional who can help iron out the backstage kinks while putting over new talent. And he might even add one more title to his resume in the process. Any fans who don’t see his value to AEW have simply lost the plot.