Backstage WWE Reaction To Christian Joining AEW, More Details Over Why He Signed

New details emerge on just how Captain Charisma ended up becoming #AllElite.

by Andrew Pollard
Christian Cage
AEW

With AEW’s new mystery signing last night revealed to be Christian Cage, there’s now new information on how this signing all came about.

During the post-PPV media scrum, AEW President Tony Khan revealed that the two-time World Heavyweight Champion actually reached out to offer his services.

Courtesy of Fightful, after praising the in-ring talents, tag team and singles accomplishments, and the wrestling mind of Christian, Khan explained:

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“He’s in great physical condition and we saw him very recently compete on pay-per-view. There was a lot of interest in it, it generated a lot of interest, and he was interested in wrestling on a regular basis. And you know, he gave me a call and said, ‘I’d really like to come wrestle for you,’ and I said, ‘I’d really like to have you come and wrestle for me’.”

Additionally, Fightful also reports that WWE felt let down to see Captain Charisma sign with AEW, although this source admitted that it’s WWE’s fault for not tying Christian down to any sort of formal contract. One particular unnamed WWE talent said that so long as the Instant Classic is happy, so, too, are they.

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Senior Writer
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Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.