It’s no secret to anyone paying attention, that Brian Cage hasn’t been seen on AEW TV wrestling for quite some time. This has been a growing source of frustration for him and his fans. Cage has been wrestling for quite some time, has had epic runs in many promotions and a great period of time in Impact Wrestling. This all before he made the jump to AEW.
It was early in his run with AEW that he was seen a great deal or at least a fair deal, and as part of the faction of Team Taz, he got the TV time he deserved to some extent, and although it was a good thing for him to break free from that faction and make a name for himself as a babyface, it ended up working out in the opposite way.
Yes, he is part of the new Tully Blanchard faction in ROH, Tully Blanchard Enterprises, or rather on the ROH events AEW has put on, but I ask the question: Is it enough for someone as seasoned as Cage is?
A little while back his wife actually posted on social media in defense of her husband, stating that he was being underutilized and in a recent interview Cage stated that he always shares articles that are in favor of him.
I can attest to that, as it was only last summer that he re-tweeted an article I wrote for Daily DDT about him, stating how much of a positive thing it was at the time that he and Team Taz had severed ties and he was getting a chance on his own.
Recently, he went further to discuss this into detail and he went into the relationship he now has with some in AEW since his wife’s tweet during a virtual signing for K & S WrestleFest. Here’s some of what he had to say:
“I’ve re-tweeted in favor of plenty of things that fans have said about me…I mean, why would I not? They are supporting me. So regardless, if someone agrees or not, it’s someone’s opinion and it’s positive for me, why would I be against that? The fact that it’s my wife, she’s obviously going to have a biased opinion…
It’s not really for what she said, it’s about certain people backstage in AEW who don’t like me there that pointed that (tweet) out and brought that heat to me intentionally…So it wouldn’t have been a big deal but certain individuals there made it a big deal. And that’s what they hung their hat on. There’s more to it, but I’m not going to say that. These certain individuals know who they are…
I don’t really have heat with them…I show up, go to the gym, eat, have the best match possible, and go home. I don’t hang out, drink, or party…a pretty simple and easygoing guy. And some people are upset because they don’t look like me or can’t move as well as me with the way I look. That’s on them…
If you want to call it professional jealousy, that’s what it is…Without naming names, we can maybe put it together, there is another big superstar’s wife that has heavily criticized things at the company and there are no repercussions for them…Melissa didn’t say anything negative, all she said was, ‘Brian Cage has been underutilized.’ She didn’t say anything really bad. Even what she originally tweeted was a write-up about me from a writer or journalist…
She just re-tweeted that and I re-tweeted what she re-tweeted. The write-up was nothing negative about AEW or the booking. Basically, ‘I’m a big Brian Cage fan; I hope he gets used better.’ That’s all it was…There’s not a whole lot I can do…I’ve done what I can do…until I get another opportunity…
The thing that sucks is I haven’t had the opportunity to do anything since then (Melissa’s tweet). They have me there for a reason and I’m still there, but if I’m not able to showcase anything, I’m not able to climb myself out of the hole. Until I get that opportunity, I’m just gonna sit around and wait.”
via Wrestling Inc. (Transcription)
Patience in pro wrestling is key…especially at large promotions, but sometimes, a person can only wait around for a certain time before he or she naturally gets tired of waiting…as wasted talent and all…time dwindles, and pro wrestlers (the good ones at least), like some artists, just want to get out there and work; this is something that many promoters drop the ball on unfortunately.
Looking forward to seeing Brian more—much more. He is the personification of what a professional wrestler should be. He’s got the look, the conviction, the talent, and is great on the microphone as well. Wasting his time and the viewer’s time makes as little sense as putting square tires on a bicycle, folks.