Column on Christian's return
Via The Post and Courier. You can find the actual article here.
Nothing’s official yet, but it’s expected that former WWE Intercontinental champion and TNA heavyweight champ Christian Cage will return soon to WWE.
Christian (Jay Reso), whose contract with TNA recently expired, is banking on a much higher-profile status with WWE than the one he held when he left the company at the end of 2005.
Mired in mid-card territory, with little upward mobility in sight, Christian refused to re-sign a WWE contract three years ago when he felt he had gone as far as he could in that company. It didn’t help that WWE owner Vince McMahon didn’t recognize his star potential or view him as the main-event player others in the company saw him as. As a result he left WWE for TNA, went back to his old ring name of Christian Cage, traded his “Captain Charisma” moniker for “The Instant Classic,” and was given a bigger role in the smaller company.
Three years later Christian feels he has a good shot to make an immediate impact in WWE and, at age 35, this could be his last chance to deliver. Many top stars in WWE, including longtime friend Edge (Adam Copeland), strongly believe Christian can break into that rarefied realm and become a top-tier player.
While Christian enjoyed a good relationship with TNA brass, was assured of maintaining a strong position on the roster and had a more relaxed schedule with limited travel that kept him close to his family in Tampa, sources say Christian realized that this could be his final opportunity to prove himself as a main-eventer in WWE and establish himself as a future WWE hall of famer. And while Christian is one of the higher-paid performers in TNA, a long run in WWE could ensure long-term financial stability for the wrestler and his family.
Christian could resurface in a WWE ring as early as this month’s Royal Rumble when Jeff Hardy defends the WWE title against Edge at the Royal Rumble. He also is expected to be revealed as the person who attacked Hardy on the morning of the Survivor Series pay-per-view, according to prowrestling.net, setting up a possible Christian vs. Jeff Hardy match at Wrestlemania 25.
Nothing’s official yet, but it’s expected that former WWE Intercontinental champion and TNA heavyweight champ Christian Cage will return soon to WWE.
Christian (Jay Reso), whose contract with TNA recently expired, is banking on a much higher-profile status with WWE than the one he held when he left the company at the end of 2005.
Mired in mid-card territory, with little upward mobility in sight, Christian refused to re-sign a WWE contract three years ago when he felt he had gone as far as he could in that company. It didn’t help that WWE owner Vince McMahon didn’t recognize his star potential or view him as the main-event player others in the company saw him as. As a result he left WWE for TNA, went back to his old ring name of Christian Cage, traded his “Captain Charisma” moniker for “The Instant Classic,” and was given a bigger role in the smaller company.
Three years later Christian feels he has a good shot to make an immediate impact in WWE and, at age 35, this could be his last chance to deliver. Many top stars in WWE, including longtime friend Edge (Adam Copeland), strongly believe Christian can break into that rarefied realm and become a top-tier player.
While Christian enjoyed a good relationship with TNA brass, was assured of maintaining a strong position on the roster and had a more relaxed schedule with limited travel that kept him close to his family in Tampa, sources say Christian realized that this could be his final opportunity to prove himself as a main-eventer in WWE and establish himself as a future WWE hall of famer. And while Christian is one of the higher-paid performers in TNA, a long run in WWE could ensure long-term financial stability for the wrestler and his family.
Christian could resurface in a WWE ring as early as this month’s Royal Rumble when Jeff Hardy defends the WWE title against Edge at the Royal Rumble. He also is expected to be revealed as the person who attacked Hardy on the morning of the Survivor Series pay-per-view, according to prowrestling.net, setting up a possible Christian vs. Jeff Hardy match at Wrestlemania 25.