Adam Copeland had a WWE contract renewal in his inbox, but he decided against signing it. He wanted something else out of this chapter of his career, and he is finding it in AEW.
Adam Copeland Is Having Fun In AEW
Since arriving in AEW, some fans have noticed that Adam Copeland has worked with a variety of people, including an old frenemy in Christian Cage. The fact that Copeland is holding open challenge matches is also proof that anyone could face him next.
During a conversation with Busted Open Radio, Adam Copeland made it very clear that he wants to have as much fun as possible with his life. Wrestling is his first love, and it’s also a pleasure to work in that world, so he is making the most of every opportunity he can.
Anything I do at this stage of life has to be fun or I’m not going to do it. Wrestling was the first love and it always will be. That can never be taken away. I still find so much fun. The minute it stops being fun is the minute I need to be done. Because it was taken away from me the first time, and then to come back, and have this whole new generation of talent that I’ve never performed with or got in there with. It’s fun. I’ve repeatedly said how much fun I’m having. That’s what it boils down to. No matter what I’m doing, I’m having fun, or I wouldn’t be doing it. I wouldn’t be wrestling Griff Garrison if I didn’t find the fun in that. I wouldn’t be wrestling Lee Moriarty if I didn’t find the fun in that. It’s just a blast.
Copeland later stated that he’s still having fun while wrestling. At this stage in his career, the Rated R Superstar wouldn’t keep going if he wasn’t enjoying himself.
This may sound like a lie, but I’m at a stage in life where, if it’s not fun, I don’t need the money. I know that sounds really bad, but I was always really smart. I still drive a pick-up truck. I don’t waste my money. It hurt too much to make. If I’m doing it, it’s purely for the joy of it.
Adam Copeland’s Road in AEW So Far
Tony Khan was quick to place Adam Copeland right in a feud with Christian Cage, a spot he remains to this day. As the two carry on, it is evident that there are a lot more stories to tell that reek of awesomeness.
New details have emerged about WWE storyline plans for Edge before his heartbreaking retirement in April 2011.
The Rated R Superstar’s career was cut short abruptly over a decade ago after he was diagnosed with cervical spinal stenosis. In an emotional address to the WWE Universe (seen below), Edge said doctors warned him he risked paralysis or even death should he continue wrestling.
The Toronto native never gave up on his dream to wrestle again. Nine years after stepping away from the ring, he made a shocking return to WWE at the 2020 Royal Rumble.
With Edge pondering retirement once again, this time on his own terms, we’ve now learned about a major angle WWE creative had in store for him in 2011.
Plans for Edge before 2011 Retirement
On the latest episode of his Wrestling With Freddie podcast, former WWE writer Freddie Prinze Jr. shared a storyline he wrote for Edge that wound up getting scrapped.
“I actually wrote the story for Edge that he ended up having to pull out of because he retired. We wrote this whole thing where, and it was creepy because it was kind of actually what happened to him.”
“He wanted to get the belt on Christian, and Christian was gonna turn on Edge. [He was going to] just for weeks, smash him. It was going to be like when Dave Chappelle spoofed Sesame Street. He was going to do something like that, and they were gonna spell the word spine and what each letter stood for. Just mock what he did to this dude’s neck. It was this whole thing.”
“Then Edge ends up actually hurting his neck. He couldn’t do the story. So they just wrapped it around Alberto Del Rio. [Christian] ended up getting [the title] for a day.”
WWE Raw was back in Edge’s home town of Toronto this week. After Raw went off the air, he addressed the crowd and spoke about his plans to retire once and for all in the near future. More on that story (including video of Edge’s speech) here:
Please link to SEScoops if you use any of the quotes transcribed in this article. New episodes of Freddie Prinze Jr.’s podcast Wrestling With Freddie drop Wednesdays.
Matt Hardy has looked back at the time Michael Hayes pitched a cinematic match long before they were cool.
When Matt made the transition to his “Broken” character, it took on a life of its own. Matt made it cool to do cinematic-style matches. What’s interesting is, he was close to having a cinematic match long before he started the “Broken” gimmick.
Cinematic Match Pitched
During a recent edition of The Extreme Life Of Matt Hardy, Matt reflected on the time Michael Hayes pitched a cinematic match between The Hardy Boyz and Edge and Christian (via Fightful).
“Michael was a very out-of-the-box thinker. He was trying to think of things that would be different and original and unique and he did pitch something that was very similar to that. I wonder how that would have turned out if we’d had done it at that stage in our career.
“Because we’re very different performers. We were definitely thinking more about work rate than the actual work of telling a story and being character performers, so I don’t know.
“It would have been an interesting scenario because Vince, he takes these things so seriously, and that’s why I took a different approach to The Final Deletion.
“I didn’t want this thing to be looked at as too serious because at the end of the day, wrestling, it’s these people that are amazing athletes, they get in a ring and go have a 15 or 20-minute match, especially with all these unique spots and whatnot. But still, it’s entertainment at the end of the day, and we can’t lose track of that.”
Matt and Jeff are currently on the AEW roster along with Christian. Edge works for the WWE banner after he had been retired for years due to an injury. Hayes remains behind the scenes in WWE.
Wrestling legend Gangrel spoke with SEScoops Ella Jay this week to promote his return to Major League Wrestling (MLW). The Attitude Era star competed on this week’s episode of MLW Fusion, which you can catch on YouTube.
During the half-hour conversation, Gangrel spoke about a wide variety of topics. In this installment of our write-up, we’re focusing on The Brood.
The Brood was a faction in WWE during the beloved Attitude Era. Led by Gangrel, the Brood helped introduce Edge and Christian to the WWE Universe. A later incarnation, The New Brood, saw Gangrel paired with Matt and Jeff Hardy.
The Brood remains popular to this day, as evidenced by Edge busting out the Brood entrance and “Brood Baths” in some of his recent feuds. Gangrel would have been down for a surprise Rumble appearance and a Brood reunion in WWE, but gave a surprising (and disappointing) reason why it never happened.
Here’s our half-hour interview with Gangrel, with some highlights below:
“People Won’t Remember The Brood”
Last year, Christian reunited with Edge at the Royal Rumble. This year, fans were hoping that Gangrel would make an appearance at the Rumble to continue the Brood nostalgia tour.
Gangrel says he’d speak to Edge about reuniting the Brood in WWE, but Edge didn’t think Vince McMahon would be on board.
“No, I would talk to Edge, he would tell me that he didn’t believe Vince McMahon believed people will remember The Brood, let alone myself.”
– Gangrel on a Brood reunion in WWE
Over the past year, Edge has paid homage the Brood several times, including for special entrances and for unleashing “Brood Baths” on his enemies.
Edge’s Brood entrances were always a hit with WWE fans, but he really had to work hard in order to convince Vince McMahon that it was worth doing.
“[Vince is] very set on certain things, so [Edge] told me he had to work like two and a half months to get the music to be able to do a ‘Broodbath,’ not a bloodbath because the networks wouldn’t have blood,” Gangrel continued.
“He did that for two and a half months and and he said he was trying to work it all out. He said he did it pay homage to The Brood and myself and all that he was super happy about it.”
Gangrel said he actually had an AEW appearance lined up at one point that would have included an elaborate entrance, but that got derailed.
“And then when I told [Edge] ‘Yeah well…’ He was like, so excited to tell me on that Monday, and I go ‘Well… I was supposed to do AEW that Wednesday, they were gonna do the whole entrance and everything.’ But it just trended so much that it was just like forget it. So that was a bummer one way, but in another way it was just great to see Adam, Edge come out to that and then it cut and go to his music. It was just really, really cool and I was super happy for him and honored and flattered.”
Watch Edge’s Brood entrance from WWE Day 1 (1.1.22)
Memories of Working with the Hardys, The New Brood
Gangrel spoke fondly about working with Matt and Jeff Hardy in the early years of their careers.
“Yeah, well, a lot of people ask me what was my favorite Brood, The New Brood or the old Brood. I always say older with Christian and Edge because for one, we’re the original. We were working the Hardys and we had a program with them. I always love wrestling the Hardys. I personally love wrestling Matt Hardy because he’s a thumper. He’ll get in there and he’ll mix it up. Matt Hardy is a bit harder and tougher than people think.
I remember Michael Hayes would drive those poor guys crazy. I hope that I didn’t drive Christian and Edge as crazy as Michael Hayes did with his old school banter like ‘It’s my dime and it’s my time’ and stuff like that.
They’re just great guys. I’ve known them since, I don’t know, like since they were 16-17? I think we were all floating around doing extra work and different stuff for WWF whenever they came to the South. So I’ve known them for a long time. They’re just tremendous guys. Jeff’s super laidback, Matt’s more always intense about the business stuff. I’m super super happy for them.”
Gangrel also revealed that he’s going to be wrestling against The Hardy Boyz somewhere in Virginia soon. It will be Gangrel and Joey Janela (the “The New New Brood”) against The Hardys (“The Old New Brood”).
Gangrel with The Hardys
Steve Austin’s Input on Theme Music
The Brood’s theme music is legendary (you can listen below) and really set the tone for the group’s image. Gangrel shared a cool story about “Stone Cold” Steve Austin giving him advice about the importance of entrance music.
“…One time Steve Austin asked me, ‘What do you like about you like your music?’ The music that I had with the Brood. I go, ‘I could walk to it.’ And he goes, ‘That’s the key thing, you really want to become one with your entrance music. You really want to get that groove and that vibe and be able to gel with that coming out to get a feel.’
MLW’s two next shows are scheduled for WrestleMania weekend, at Gilley’s in Dallas, TX. If you’re in town, visit MLWTix.com for ticket information.
Jim Ross has a theory on why Christian, known as Christian Cage outside of WWE, never reached the popularity that Edge did.
Many wrestling fans fondly remember the tag team of Edge & Christian during the Attitude Era. Both men weren’t afraid to tell you that they “Reek of Awesomeness.” As a team, the two had many memorable matches including the big TLC match at WrestleMania X-Seven back in 2001.
Edge and Christian ended up having success as singles competitors, but there’s no denying that Edge became more popular. Meanwhile, Christian is often regarded as one of the most underrated talents in the wrestling business.
During an edition of his Grilling JR podcast, Jim Ross shared his take on why Christian never caught fire the way that Edge did in WWE.
“I always thought Edge was going to be a breakout star because he connected with the audience. [Christian] was always the clear number two on that team. I was glad they both got their opportunity to grow on their own, but I always thought that Edge had a little bit of a leg up in that scenario. That does not mean by any stretch of the imagination that Christian wasn’t a great hand. The match that he had with Kenny Omega in AEW was outstanding. He still is a hell of a worker, he’s always been a hell of a worker, but he just didn’t quite have that connectable charisma that Edge had.”
JR went on to say that his comments aren’t a slight to Christian at all. In fact, he thinks it’s more of a testament to Edge’s abilities.
Regardless of stardom, it’s safe to say that both Edge and Christian are quite happy at the moment. Edge has proven that he’s still got it since returning to WWE after being forced to retire due to neck issues. As for Christian Cage, he’s the current Impact Wrestling World Champion and has been a key player on AEW television.
Former WWE Superstar and newly signed AEW roster member Christian Cage recently spoke to Bleacher Report. Captain Charisma discussed a number of topics during the interview, including the recent WWE release of his former TNA colleague, Samoa Joe.
“That surprised me” Christian Cage began, speaking to Bleacher Report. “Joe is a super-talented guy. You see it in the ring, and obviously he has tremendous verbal skills.”
“He was a natural as a commentator as well,” Cage noted, referring to Joe’s recent run on Monday Night RAW in the booth. “When you have that kind of multi-talented individual who can wear a lot of hats, that’s invaluable.”
Christian continued, “He truly is, in my eyes, a top performer. He’s not going to have any shortage of suitors when the time comes, that’s for sure.”
Many fans have said that Samoa Joe should be a sure-fire signing for AEW. It is worth noting however that he was not cleared by WWE officials to perform, so there may well be lingering issues that mean he may not be able to perform in ring for some time if not ever.
IMPACT Wrestling EVP Scott D’Amore has however been teasing a return to IMPACT/formerly TNA for the former TNA and X Division Champion. It remains to be seen if a return to his former stomping grounds is on the cards for Samoa Joe.
Christian recently signed with All Elite Wrestling and has vowed to, “Out. Work. Everyone.” During this discussion with Tony Schiavone and Aubrey Edwards, Captain Charisma spoke about his AEW debut, what he loves about AEW and much more.
Christian made his AEW at the recent Revolution pay-per-view. He was the ‘big signing’ teased by Paul Wight. Even though he’s been a household name for decades, Christian reveals that he wasn’t sure how fans would react to him in AEW.
“I get there, and straight onto a bus, and it’s nerve-wracking you know, because you’d be like, ‘Will anybody even care that I’m here?’” he said. “You know, you have those kind of thoughts that go through your head a little bit.”
Christian in AEW
Christian’s first match for AEW was against fellow veteran Frankie Kazarian. It was Christian’s first singles match in seven years. He felt Kazarian was the right guy to work with for his debut.
“I wanted to raise his stock no matter what happened in that match, and I know he felt the same way,” said Christian. “When you have two guys committed to that purpose, I think you’re gonna go out there and do something really special.”
Christian was with WWE since the Attitude Era in the late 1990’s. He knows that system inside and out. There are several ways that AEW differs from WWE. Christian says that one thing in particular that he enjoys is the amount of time that AEW gives talent to do their thing. “That’s the thing, too, that I love about AEW. There’s so much time in these matches to tell these stories.”
Other topics discussed include Jon Moxley’s role in Christian joining AEW, his appreciation for AEW’s tag team division, who he’s excited to work with and more.
Listen to Christian on AEW Unrestricted in the link embedded below.
We cover his surprise signing, his 1st match in 7 YEARS with Kaz + the exchange he had with TK after the match, getting medically cleared, his routine to get shredded + more!
Christian Cage made his return to in-ring action as a surprise entrant in the 2021 Royal Rumble after saying away from the action for more than 7 years. However, while the plans for his return were only finalised days before the show, the journey for his comeback started months before the PPV.
During his recent appearance on the Talk Is Jericho podcast, the former world champion detailed the steps he took that led to his Royal Rumble appearance. He recalled how Edge’s return a year prior had made him think about his own future. Christian revealed that he made an appointment with the doctor. His thinking was that if the results were positive then he would have opened the doors. If they were not then he would be in no different situation than he already was:
“I went to the University of South Florida and saw a specialist there, and I went through the physical training, went through the testing on the computer. They even said the testing had advanced some, obviously since I took it last, and when I sat in with the doctor, after I did all the tests, he was like, ‘Man, your test scores were great. You were average or above average on everything. You didn’t fail. You weren’t below average on any of these scores. Your physical tests were great, so let’s have a conversation.’ We started talking.”
Christian eventually got to the point where the doctors started asking him about his plans. The former WWE star told them that he wanted to go back and finish his career on his own terms. Once the doctors told him that it was a possibility, he brought it to the attention of WWE. The company then sent him to Pittsburgh for more rigorous testing towards the ending of October:
“I brought it to WWE’s attention that I had got this clearance, and obviously, they were very excited about it and was told they wanted to keep it close to the vest, quietly, [they] sent me up to Pittsburgh, I believe, towards the end of October. They sent me up there, and same thing, I just went through tests, but it was a harder test. It was more thorough tests, and it was probably about five hours long to be honest. And I saw about three or four different specialists for different things. Did a full in the gym physical workout.”
However, while the WWE doctors had cleared him for a return, Christian hadn’t heard anything about his future until January. According to him, the officials called him on the Friday night before the Royal Rumble. They told Captain Charisma that they thought there wasn’t a big enough surprise in the Battle Royal. The current AEW star thought about it for a second and despite having no contract with the company at the time, he said yes to the offer.
The AEW signing of Christian is a bittersweet deal for WWE fans. They will get to see him competing in many exciting matches on his new promotion but it also means that we will likely never see him having a reunion with Edge.
During his recent interview with Sports Illustrated Media Podcast, the Rated R Superstar talked about a number of things and also opened up about his best friend’s decision.
Edge claimed that he is not bummed by the former world champion’s call because he wants Christian to be happy and get the respect he deserves:
“You know, I’m not bummed. I want him to be happy, and I want him to get the respect that he deserves.
Because I’d like for him to get the on-air respect that the locker room shows him. Because if you ask anyone within our industry, he’s one of the names where people go, ‘Man, that dude.’”
The ultimate opportunist continued by saying that he wants his best friend to be able to go out on his own terms instead of being told by someone else that he was done with wrestling:
“I just want him to be wherever he’s going to get that respect. Because whatever the initials are, he’s my best friend. I want him to be happy, and I want him to be able to do hopefully what I get to do, which is go out on your own terms,
And see this thing through properly instead of just like, ‘You’re done.’ ‘Wait, what? I’m what?’ We’ve both been in that scenario. So I just want him to go wherever that’s gonna be.”
Edge also mentioned how they were a tag team only for two years during the Attitude Era and they have been singles competitors for way longer than that.
Paul Heyman, the Special Counsel to Roman Reigns, had a lot to say this past week on Talking Smack about the Edge vs. Jey Uso matchup that’s scheduled for this week’s SmackDown. The winner of this match will determine who will be the special enforcer at the Universal Championship match between Daniel Bryan and Reigns at Fastlane next Sunday. While he was ranting about the match, he also worked in AEW’s Christian Cage leaving WWE for the rival promotion into the storyline. Christian had made a surprise comeback after seven years at the 2021 Royal Rumble match, and even had a reunion with Edge in the ring. it was then revealed a month later at Revolution that he was the surprise signee for a multi-year contract with AEW.
Paul Heyman blasted Edge for challenging Roman Reigns for his title at WrestleMania. He said that he expected a person like him with a surgically repaired neck to not piss off the “Tribal Chief.” Then he brought up Edge’s friend and former tag partner Christian. Heyman said that Christian went to AEW so that he wouldn’t have to face Reigns someday.
“Edge, your best friend in this world knew he was going to become Roman Reigns’ target just to get into your head and what did he do?” Paul Heyman said regarding Christian. “He ran away, before Roman Reigns could target him. How many, of your ‘Christians’ need to convert before you realize it’s not smart to piss off Roman Reigns? You, Edge, have pissed off Roman Reigns. You wanna be the special enforcer? You wanna involve yourself in Roman Reigns’ match against Daniel Bryan? Why? Because you know, it’s an easier fight against Daniel Bryan than it is against Roman Reigns who is untouchable, who is unbeatable…”
A Christian reference by Paul Heyman using it to put over the feud with Roman Reigns and Edge. No one does it better!! #TalkingSmackhttps://t.co/BPgZC9daqQ
— A Kenny For Your Thoughts (@_kennythoughts) March 13, 2021
Roman Reigns (with Paul Heyman) will defend his Universal title against Daniel Bryan at Fastlane on Sunday, March 21. This week’s SmackDown will determine who will be the special enforcer via a match between Edge and Jey Uso.
Christian Cage is All Elite. The former WWE Superstar appeared at Sunday’s AEW Revolution pay-per-view as the big signee teased by Paul Wight.
Christian came out during the show and officially signed his AEW contract. AEW President Tony Khan addressed the debut during the post-show media scrum.
Khan says he met Christian around seven years ago. He’s been a fan of Christians for a long time and called him a great person.
“I think he’s one of the great wrestlers the last couple of decades,” said Khan. “He’s had great matches in different companies, he’s been a great singles wrestler, a great tag champion, and I think he’s one of the best minds in wrestling.”
Christian at the 2021 WWE Royal Rumble
Christian Reaches Out To AEW
Christian made a surprise appearance at January’s WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view. Tony Khan says Christian looked great at the Rumble and that appearance garnered a lot of interest. He then revealed that it was Christian who reached out to AEW looking to join their roster.
“[Christian] was interested in wrestling on a regular basis and he gave me a call,” said Khan. “He said, ‘I’d really like to come wrestle in AEW for you.’ I said, ‘I’d really like to have you come and wrestle for me.’
Khan says the negotiations were easy and he has high hopes for Christian Cage in AEW. Christian signed a multi-year deal.
Christian Cage was revealed as the big new AEW signing last night. The 47-year-old had just recently been in the 2021 Royal Rumble for WWE. Tony Khan addressed how the deal came together to bring him into the company.
“He’s been a friend of mine for a long time. I met Christian Cage 7 years ago. He’s a great person,” Khan said at the post-event media scrum. “I’ve always really liked him as a person but long before that I’ve been a huge, huge fan of him as a wrestler.”
“I think he’s one of the great wrestlers of the last couple decades. He’s had great matches in different companies. He’s been a great singles wrestler, great tag champion and I think he adds a lot here.”
Khan continued to talk about what Christian’s brings to the company.
“He’s one of the best minds in wrestling and he’s in great physical condition.”
Khan then revealed Christian called him about working in AEW following his Royal Rumble appearance.
“We saw him very recently compete on PPV and there was a lot of interest in it, it generated a lot of interest. He was interested in wrestling on a regular basis. And he gave me a call and said ‘I’d really like to come wrestle in AEW for you’. And I said ‘I’d really like to have you come wrestle for me in AEW, that sounds awesome.'”
Later in the interview, Khan revealed he was not aware Christian was a free agent.
“This came together pretty quickly. Christian Cage had just recently returned to the ring and looked incredibly impressive and I was not aware that he didn’t have a contract and would be interested in wrestling for us,” Khan continued.
Christian made his WWE return at the Royal Rumble this year. It was his first real match since 2014. He embraced with Edge during the Rumble which led to many fans speculating about a possible return of their popular tag-team.
Jey Uso was recently interviewed by Fox Sports. During the discussion, he spoke about wanting his team with his brother Jimmy to face Edge and Christian someday.
“We had the Hardy Boyz, and then we had the Dudley Boyz … that’s one more team I have to mark off,” Jey said.
“They’re the OGs of the tag division. That triple-threat ladder match at WrestleMania, bro, like, c’mon. Two out of the three teams, me and my brother got to be blessed to work with … that’s another bucket list. Straight up.”
Uso also spent some time during the interview discussing his latest singles run. Although he noted he misses wrestling alongside his brother, Jey says he always knew he could be on his own.
“I always knew I could hang with singles work because wrestling is wrestling, Uce. The only thing is, it felt weird not having Jimmy with me coming out,” he said of the change. “I’m always on the left. He’s always on the right. It was just a weird vibe.”
Christian shocked the wrestling world by making his surprise return last month at the Royal Rumble, with the former World Heavyweight Champion stepping foot in the ring to wrestle for the first time in seven years.
Fans noticed how Christian’s physique was in top shape. His body looked as good as any other actively competing wrestler. A fitness company by the name of Nutrition Solutions shared transformation photos of the “Captain Charisma” on Instagram showcasing his transformation when he started preparing for his in-ring return.
“Everyone loves a ‘success story’… But what’s far compelling and relatable, is a story about someone who got to a dark place… decided enough was enough… drew a line in the sand… and then fought their way out of the darkness, back into the light,” the account wrote.
“That’s what Jay Reso, aka @christian4peeps did after going through a character building year, where he eventually found himself somewhere in a place that he refused to stay! Being a pro athlete his entire life who is well known for his work ethic and competitiveness, Jay committed not just to getting himself back in shape, but getting himself in the best shape of his life at 47 years young! And as you can see, in just 5 months time he’s made some remarkable progress! Thank you Jay for doing the work, kicking ass and giving us opportunity to serve you!”
It is without a doubt that Christian’s hard work on his body paid off as his physique appeared in top condition and he performed decently in the ring. Christian has said that being part of the action for so long felt surreal to him and he didn’t know what to expect.
“It was surreal to be honest with you, I didn’t know what to expect. You know it’s funny, everybody has a plan until you get hit. And that’s exactly what happened to me.” said Christian, “I got hit once and I was like, ‘ok, it’s on.’ This is what I was born to do, so I felt like I was home. I was playing coy all day in the locker room since nobody knew what was going on. It was a fun surprise.”
When Christian was asked what’s next for him after his return, he said, “What’s next for me? All I ever promised was one more match. That could be it.”
It has been reported that Christian would be making future appearances, and it is believed that he would be working a part-time schedule. Christian has said that it was a long process for him to get himself in the physical condition to step inside the ring again. He said that seeing his friend Edge return at the Royal Rumble made him think that there’s a possibility for him to make a return to action too. He then hired a nutritionist company and built a gym in his garage to get ready for a potential return.
Jon Moxley has one WWE legend that he wants in AEW.
All Elite Wrestling has seen a few former WWE stars jumping ship to the rival promotion since its launch. Most recently, the company was able to bag in Big Show. He just signed a multi-year deal with AEW to work as a broadcaster and wrestler.
Jon Moxley recently spoke with Inside The Ropes and was asked who else he’d like to see join AEW. Moxley said that he’d like to see Christian on AEW’s roster.
Christian, a World Champion in multiple promotions, made a surprise appearance at last month’s WWE Royal Rumble. He has also signed a part-time contract with WWE, reportedly.
Jon Moxley said, “I’ll tell you, a guy I’d like to see here is Christian. I don’t know if that was a one-off for him in the Royal Rumble but he looked frigging good to me. He looked like he was in great shape, he looked sharp, man.”
Jon Moxley on Christian
Moxley continued, “I tell you, he’s one of the guys that’s — the wrestlers know it more so than anybody — Christian is so good. Like, his brain and his execution, and his mind for wrestling is just like next-level.
“First time we worked with him, you know, we’d come in and we’re doing these six-mans with The Shield, really pushing the pace and trying to make the most exciting matches. We’re pushing these guys to like, all these dream team guys. We’re pushing them to be like, ‘No, let’s do another thing and another thing, let’s add more to do another save and another thing, and let’s do a triple this,’ or whatever,” he later added. “And we’re really pushing the pace, you know, and like thinking, like, ‘All right. Yeah, nobody can keep up with us. This is awesome.'”
Christian’s return to the WWE was kept quiet from everyone backstage. Only a select few knew about his involvement ahead of time. Edge was one of them, who even said that they drew to the Rumble in his car together. Christian reportedly signed to appear with WWE on a part-time basis.
Christian had to hang up his boots in 2014 after a history of suffering concussions. In a similar case to Daniel Bryan, Christian was medically cleared years after he was told that he couldn’t wrestle again.
After returning to WWE at the Royal Rumble on Sunday, Christian appeared as a guest today on WWE’s The Bump. He spoke about how Edge’s return motivated him to see if he could as well.
“It’s been a long process actually to get to the point where I could get myself in physical condition to step in the ring again,” Christian said on the show. “Everybody knows I retired because of injuries 7 years ago and I’d be lying if I didn’t say that Edge returning at the Royal Rumble made me think a little bit.”
“I started thinking that maybe this is a possibility,” Christian continued. He continued to say that at the time he was living the retired life and not making great decisions diet-wise.
“The way that my career ended before never sat well with me as it was,” he continued. “I need to get back in there, I need to finish this on my terms.”
“If it was just that one match at the Royal Rumble then so be it.”
He continued to say that he hired a nutritionist company and built a gym in his garage to get ready. Christian also noted that he didn’t find out he’d be in the Rumble match until Friday night. Edge was one of the only ones who knew he’d be in the match.
Christian’s comments can be heard in the player below:
Christian returned to the ring for the first time in almost 7 years at the Royal Rumble (not counting his “match” with Randy Orton last June). Edge and Christian embraced in the ring as fans grew excited about the possibility of them teaming up once again. Dax Harwood was recently asked online about a fantasy FTR vs Edge & Christian match. Perhaps surprisingly, Harwood doesn’t sound like he was much of a fan of the team. He noted that he considers them “pretty overrated.”
They wouldn’t have been able to keep up with us in 2001, much less 2021.
Harwood’s partner, Cash Wheeler, recently praised Christian heavily online, however.
Nothing really. Can believably be world champion in the main event or working with the newest guy on the roster in the opening match. Can do serious, comedy, angry, goofy in the same segment. Excels in any match. Regular. Tag. Ladders etc. All at the highest level. https://t.co/deefso5jBR
His personality. His footwork. His psychology. His ring positioning. His mind for the business. His ability to elevate his opponents unselfishly & make them look better than they are. His passion. His willingness to help younger talent. His seamless mic work. But that’s it really https://t.co/I8D8pJRhA7
Edge recently commented on him and Christian both being back in a WWE ring in 2021. He spoke to the Sporting News about Christian’s Royal Rumble return.
“I was one of the few that was privy to the fact that he got cleared a few months ago. We didn’t know he was going to be in the Rumble until Friday, though,” Edge said. “I was in the midst of driving down to his house from North Carolina to stay for the weekend. And then we found out and we’re like “OK, well, we’ll drive over to the rumble together then.”
Lots of big things happening in this company. Make sure you witness it personally!
Edge made his return on last week’s Royal Rumble match and after a seven month absence as the #1 entrant and won the match by eliminating Randy Orton. This would mark the second time Edge would win the Royal Rumble and the only star to win the match after being inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Apart from Edge, we got another surprise in the form of a returning Christian, who entered the Royal Rumble match at #24. During the match, we saw a brief reunion of Edge and Christian before the latter got eliminated by Seth Rollins after lasting over 18 minutes.
As big of a moment as it was to see Edge return and get the chance to challenge a champion of his choice at WrestleMania 37, it was equally touching to see Edge and Christian embrace in the ring. Speaking on Christian’s return, Edge said that he was one of the few who had knowledge of his friend’s return.
“I was one of the few that was privy to the fact that he got cleared a few months ago. We didn’t know he was going to be in the Rumble until Friday, though,” Edge told Sporting News. “I was in the midst of driving down to his house from North Carolina to stay for the weekend. And then we found out and we’re like “OK, well, we’ll drive over to the rumble together then.”
Edge: “We Didn’t Think We’d Ever Be Back”
Edge also said that even though he already knew it was going to happen, seeing Christian walk down the ramp towards the ring was a surreal moment for him. When asked if either of them thought they would get to see this moment.
“Nope. We didn’t think we’d ever be back, period,” said Edge. “And I think that’s what was going through my mind. Even though I knew it was going to happen, still, to see him walking down there, and for me to have been in the ring by that point for like 35 minutes, I just had to take a second.”
Edge added that it wasn’t just his character who was reacting to the moment. It was real. Fans saw a genuine moment when Edge saw Christian walking to the ring. In his words, the fans witnessed “something that he was never supposed to do again.”
Edge also talked about the time when he got injured as he suffered a torn tricep on Backlash back in June 2020. He said that he can usually gauge when he could return to the ring, and he expected himself to be ready to be back for the Royal Rumble.
Christian was the big surprise appearance in this year’s Men’s Royal Rumble Match at Sunday’s WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view event and now fans are wondering what his future exactly holds.
PWInsider.com reports he will be making future appearances and the belief is that he’s working a part-time schedule. However, as of this afternoon, he was not scheduled to appear on tonight’s episode of Raw from Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida.
The report goes on to state the story making the rounds backstage after the Royal Rumble was he secretly got cleared a week before the Rumble after a visit to Pittsburgh.
It was added that up until he started to warm up for the appearance, his return was kept quiet from everyone backstage beyond a very small amount who were aware ahead of time.
Christian’s career in the pro wrestling business ended due to his history of suffering concussions in 2014. However, in a situation like Daniel Bryan, who also had a history of concussions, he was medically cleared years after he was told that he couldn’t wrestle again.
Before the Royal Rumble, the closest he came to wrestling again came back on the June 15, 2020 edition of Raw where he had an unsanctioned match with Randy Orton.
Former world champion Christian made a surprise in ring return during this year’s edition of the Royal Rumble PPV for the first time since 2014.
The former champion was interviewed backstage after the show was over. When asked how he felt being part of the action after so long, he said that it was surreal and he didn’t know what to expect:
“It was surreal to be honest with you, I didn’t know what to expect. You know it’s funny, everybody has a plan until you get hit. And that’s exactly what happened to me.” said Christian, “I got hit once and I was like, ‘ok, it’s on.’
This is what I was born to do, so I felt like I was home. I was playing coy all day in the locker room since nobody knew what was going on. It was a fun surprise.”
Talking about the victory of his former tag team partner Edge, Christian said that if he couldn’t win the battle royal, he is glad the Rated R Superstar did.
Captain Charisma was then asked the question which is in everybody’s mind and when asked what’s next for him after the big return, Christian said this:
“What’s next for Me? All I ever promise was one more match. That could be it,”
Former WWE/TNA Superstar and multiple time World Champion Christian recently appeared on SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio. Christian appeared on the show to discuss the release of the new Cagefighter movie.
Christian also discussed a number of other topics, including the RETRIBUTION stable and angle on Monday Night RAW. Captain Charisma would state that the new leader of the group, Ali, is an exciting prospect in the role.
Christian on Ali in Retribution
“I think that he’s got a lot of untapped potential” Christian began on the podcast. We haven’t really had a chance to see any layers of his personality, I don’t think. And? I think that there’s a lot there.”
Ali was recently revealed as the leader of the RETRIBUTION group. Ali would align with the group on RAW shortly before the WWE Draft. The casting of such a ‘fringe’ character on WWE programming to such a prominent role was risky; however Christian believes that WWE have the chance to develop Ali further alongside the likes of T-BAR.
“I’m interested to see how that unfolds and how he builds on it” Christian continued. “Now? He’s got an opportunity. That’s what you know everybody needs, that opportunity to show what they can do and he’s got it now.”
Christian would finish by praising Ali further, saying that he hopes the newly ‘heel’ Ali can flourish in the role. “I’m really really interested and hoping that he can hit it out of the park on this.”
It was recently reported that WWE opted to send a RETRIBUTION member ‘back’ to NXT. Pwinsider.com reported that Mercedes Martinez had been removed from Retribution after she had been assigned the “Retaliation” name. There’s currently no confirmation on why WWE decided to take this route with Martinez.
Do you agree with Christian? Do you think that Ali will be able to get higher up the roster with RETRIBUTION? Let us know in the comments
Former WWE/TNA Superstar and multiple time World Champion Christian recently appeared on SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio. Christian appeared on the show to discuss the release of the new Cagefighter movie.
Christian also discussed a number of other topics, including the now cancelled WWE Backstage show. Captain Charisma was asked on the show if CM Punk took the show ‘seriously’ and if he was really ‘into’ the concept at the time.
Christian on CM Punk
“I think he took it seriously” Christian began on the show. “I don’t think he would have done it if he was just going to come in and half ass it like that. I’ve never known him to be that type of guy and I don’t see why he would he would do that.”
Christian would then praise Punk for his few infrequent appearances on the show. “But the few times that he was on the show? He was 100% present and like super into everything and had his finger on the pulse of everything that was going on. So he took it very, very seriously and I thought he did a good job.”
The ill-fated WWE Backstage show was reportedly a ‘hit’ on the FOX network. Christian recently stated that the network were very happy with the ratings that the show garnered.
When Punk was first revealed as an analyst for the now cancelled show, it was a major story that led many fans to believe he may return to WWE proper at some point. CM Punk has made it abundantly clear on several occasions that he was signed to FOX and not WWE; thus why the Straight Edge Superstar was arguably more candid and ‘honest’ than others on the program.
CM Punk did recently state that he was still ‘signed’ with FOX but his future with the network and WWE is at this time unclear.
Do you agree with Christian? Do you think CM Punk did well on WWE Backstage? Let us know in the comments
Former WWE/TNA Superstar and multiple time World Champion Christian recently appeared on SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio. Christian appeared on the show to discuss the release of the new Cagefighter movie.
Christian also discussed a number of other topics, including the now cancelled WWE Backstage show. Captain Charisma suggested that the show was actually a hit on FOX Network, and that it was the COVID-19 pandemic that derailed the programme.
Christian on WWE Backstage
“I don’t think it went awry, I think it was like any new show? It’s a work in progress” Christian began on Busted Open. “I mean even like equating it back to the Edge & Christian show, I didn’t like the first half of that first season. It took trial and error to see what it was that fit, and a show like that hadn’t really been done before.”
“It didn’t get cancelled because of ratings” Christian continued discussing WWE Backstage. “If that’s what people thought. The ratings? They’re (FOX) actually really happy with the ratings. Ratings were actually very strong. Whatever was in that time slot before Backstage, did a fraction of the ratings that Backstage did.”
Christian would also confirm that the periphery elements of the show proved that it was indeed a hit on the network. “And then also the replay. Oftentimes it would do just as, if not very close, to the original rating. Then the obviously the YouTube views, and the social media views. It was a really well watched show actually. So, you can’t just go off that that number of that first viewing, there was more to it than that.”
The former WWE Superstar would confirm that it was indeed the pandemic that put the sword to the show. “It was just a victim of circumstance, of the kind of time that we’re living in right now. And it was unfortunate and we hate to see anybody, you know, get put out of work for any reason at all. It’s tough.”
Do you agree with Christian? Do you think that WWE Backstage worked as a format? Let us know in the comments
Last night on WWE RAW, Christian faced Randy Orton in an unsanctioned match. The bout didn’t go long, however. Ric Flair gave Christian a low-blow before Randy Orton delivered a punt and pinned the returning Superstar. Booker T recently addressed Christian’s WWE return on his radio show and YouTube channel.
“You get the bug once you get back in. Once you get a little taste…” Booker said when asked if he thinks Christian’s performance was a one-off.
“It’s something that wants to just pull you back in, something that just wants to draw you back in, make you feel like ‘I can do this.'”
“We all feel that way, we all feel like we got one last run and Christian, I’m going to tell you right now, after just getting in the ring, just making that walk, I can only imagine if there had been 10,000/15,000/20,000 people in the arena, he would have really lost his mind when he got back to the hotel room. He would have had goosebumps looking in the mirror going ‘I think I can still do this.'”
“I don’t think it’s going to be a one-off, I think Christian’s going to come back, I think he’s going to get the bug.”
“I think Christian will be at Extreme Rules in the ring, and the thing is, he’ll have time to get ready for it.”
Charlotte Flair has reacted to her father’s actions during last night’s episode of Monday Night RAW. “The Nature Boy” turned heel after accompanying Christian to the ring, delivering a low blow that would cost him his Unsanctioned Match against Randy Orton. Christian had accepted Orton’s challenge earlier in the night.
Taking to Twitter, Charlotte Flair posted to tweets in relation to her father’s appearance on the show and subsequent actions. Last night saw her share some screen time with Ric Flair in a short backstage segment. Afterwards, Charlotte tweeted out two goat emojis, in reference to her father being the “Greatest of All Time.”
This was in response to a tweet from the WWE Universe’s account, highlighting how “The WOOER becomes the WOOEE” after Charlotte Flair delivered a “Woo!” in Ric’s face.
Charlotte Flair’s second tweet was uploaded after Ric aligned himself with Orton. It read:
“The more things change, the more things stay the same.”
This, too, was in response to a WWE tweet that stressed how Ric Flair is still the dirtiest player in the game. This tweet was accompanied by a Gif of the moment Ric Flair dropped to his knees and delivered the match ending low blow. Randy Orton would follow up with a vicious punt kick to Christian’s head.
