Christian Cage Explains Why He Keeps Targeting Dead Dads in AEW Promos

Christian Cage’s villainous streak in AEW has taken him to some dark places—but nothing has hit harder than his obsession with tearing down his opponents’ late fathers. And according to him, it all started with one shocking line about Jack Perry’s dad, the late actor Luke Perry.

During an interview with Yahoo’s Uncrowned, Christian revealed that the massive backlash to that line only motivated him to go even further. He didn’t stumble into this approach by accident—it was all calculated to get the strongest reactions possible.

After hearing the audience’s response to the Luke Perry jab, Christian made the decision to lean in:

“When I got the reaction, it just made me want to push it further and further, and that’s what I did.”

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That one comment set the tone for what’s become a signature of his heel promos. Christian acknowledged how far he was willing to go to stir emotions—and how much freedom he was given to do it his way:

“I said one phrase and people went crazy with it. So I just kept pushing it and pushing it. The thing is, too, you can’t have any reservations about things like this. You have to believe in yourself and you have to be willing to go to certain places to garner reactions. I was going to places that at the time nobody else was going to.”

He also noted that his style has since influenced others across the industry, hinting that he’s the blueprint for a wave of copycat promos:

“This is a very copycat-type business. When you see the influence of other people, [who] start doing and saying things in the same way that you are, then you know what you’re doing is working, especially when it runs across multiple companies and other people.”

Christian emphasized that when you’re given the mic with full creative control, it’s on you to make it count—no excuses, no fallback:

“When you go up there and have the ability to say 100% your words and your vision, it’s up to you to connect with the audience. If you don’t, then it falls on your shoulders. There’s nobody else to blame.”

As for whether he expected the line about Jack Perry’s father to go viral, Christian admitted it caught him off guard:

“No, I had no clue. It was a deeply personal line, and I was expecting a reaction. I don’t know if I expected it to go as viral as it did. And when something like that happens you have to jump on it.”

Christian Cage’s ability to get inside people’s heads—and under their skin—has helped define one of the most ruthless characters in modern wrestling. But as he keeps proving, no subject is too sacred if it gets a reaction.

What do you think of Christian Cage’s promo style—too far, or fair game in wrestling? Let us know in the comments.