Brian Cage isn’t pretending he’s completely satisfied with how things have gone for him in AEW. The 42-year-old wrestler flat-out admitted that he feels underutilized by the company, and he also revealed that one of the reasons he keeps working independent shows is because he isn’t getting enough of the kind of matches he wants in AEW.
During a conversation with The @smoothvega Podcast, Cage was directly asked whether he feels he has been underutilized during his time with AEW. The question came after Cage returned from roughly 14 months away due to injury, with the host asking whether he was happy with his presentation, booking and position in the company. Cage didn’t dance around the question. He acknowledged that almost every wrestler wants more, but made it clear that his own answer was still yes.
“Well, I think that question has to be yes. And not to like scapegoat that question. I feel like that answer would be yes by almost anybody because everybody wants more. Everybody feels like they can do more, provide more, but like absolutely.”
Cage then pointed to what he had already accomplished before AEW even existed. He noted that he was making a full-time living from wrestling without a television contract and suggested that some people positioned above him in AEW hadn’t been doing the same before joining the company.
“And I think too going back to the fact that before AEW existed and even when I didn’t have a TV contract, I was making a full-time living off of this business, right? There’s several people there that may be above me that weren’t. So, and then when I was and then anytime I was on TV, I was a main draw for like everything else. So, obviously like to not be presented in the same way makes you want more. And obviously, I feel like I have way more to offer. I know I do, in so many different aspects.”
Cage wasn’t trashing AEW in the process. He said he has had plenty of fun matches, praised Tony Khan as a boss and brought up the fact that AEW still signed and paid him after he tore his biceps.
“Now, yes, I do have tons of fun matches. I do love a lot of things about AEW. And Tony’s a great boss. I’ve talked about that story, too, about how he still signed me after I tore my bicep and they still contracted me, still paid me and, ‘Hey, let me know when you’re better. We’ll bring you on TV,’ and you know, they presented me and debuted me in a great way.”
Still, Cage made it clear that he wants more from his AEW run, and that leads directly into why he continues wrestling so frequently on the independent scene.
“But you know, I’ve loved a lot of stuff about AEW. Like same thing. Has it been perfect? No. Would I like more? Of course. But again, like I said, everyone would.”
Cage explained that independent bookings give him a chance to chase the matches that genuinely excite him. Money isn’t the driving force either, because his first question when somebody approaches him about an outside booking is who he’ll actually be wrestling.
“This is kind of one of the reasons to why I do so many independents. Because people ask me, ‘Man, why do you wrestle in the independents so much?’ I go, because I love this. I love this more than anything else. And even though I have good matches, I’ve had fun matches in AEW, I don’t feel like I have enough Brian Cage matches, so to speak, that I’d want.”
For Cage, the goal is getting that feeling after a match where the adrenaline refuses to shut off and he’s lying awake replaying everything that happened.
“You want those matches when you’re trying to go to bed at night in your hotel room and you can’t because you’re replaying all these spots in your head. ‘Oh, this moment and the crowd reaction, this,’ and you’re on this high that won’t go away. That’s the feeling that is the greatest feeling about being a wrestler.”
That’s where Cage believes his AEW run has left him wanting more. He stressed that he has experienced good matches and memorable moments with the company, but not enough of those nights where he leaves feeling completely satisfied.
“And even though I’ve had a lot of fun matches and awesome moments in AEW, I don’t feel like I’ve had a lot of those moments. And I feel like that’s why I still go out there and I chase it on the independents and it’s not even a slide on anyone. That’s just telling you how even though financially I do not need to work any independent shows. I’m doing it purely because I love wrestling.”
Cage clearly isn’t looking for a way out of AEW, but he also isn’t going to pretend that his current spot is enough. He believes there is still plenty left in the tank, and until he gets more opportunities to show it on AEW television, he’s more than willing to find those matches somewhere else.
Do you think Brian Cage has been underutilized during his AEW run, and what would you like to see the company do differently with him? Let us know your thoughts and feedback in the comments.
This transcript was produced exclusively for Ringside News from the original recording. Republishing the transcription in full is prohibited. When using excerpts, provide prominent credit and a link to this article.
