Brian Cage Admits Steroid Use: "Have I Taken PEDs? Absolutely!" (AEW News)

During a recent podcast appearance, AEW's Brian Cage has openly talked about his use of steroids and general performance-enhancing drugs.

Speaking on The @smoothvega Podcast (via Fightful), Cage said:

"I'll even just throw in this, too, because I know people will all say this; I don't care, I wanna be more open about this. Everybody goes, 'Oh, you just take steroids!' If you just did a one-shot cycle, like I call it, like Captain America, guess what? Gyms wouldn't exist and everyone would be on steroids. Do steroids work? Absolutely. Have I taken PEDs? Absolutely. I've never said I haven't. People try to judge me. I feel like that's a thing, too. People try to call you out as if you would keep it a secret. [Have] PEDs go me to where I am? Absolutely not, and when people say, 'Oh, I'm so gassed up...' Even my return. I've only on TRT (testosterone replacement therapy) forever now. I'm 42 years old. TRT, too, has been phenomenal, has been a game-changer for so many people, as far as, not in the athletic realm, but just in day-to-day practice. Why everyone looks better, moves better, feels better, everything, and that's why they lower the classication."

The former AEW FTW Champion continued:

"I feel like there's a very taboo things with PEDs, where it's cheating and people act like it gives you all these magical abilities just overnight, without doing anything, and I feel like they're just looked at very wrong and definitely misrepresented. And then, also, people act like they're so horrible for you, which, again, there's definitely health risks involved. I mean, there's health risks with everything you do and take, but it's funny how, 'Oh, if you take a steroid you're gonna die. Oh, your heart's gonna explode at 40.' Or this, that, whatever the case. You ask somebody, 'How many people do you personally know have ever died from any steroid?' They probably aren't gonna know anybody. 'How many people do you know have died from alcohol? From cocaine? From this drug, from that drug, from this, from that? From freaking fast food?' Copious amount. But, again, since that's 'normal', that's not looked at as bad as steroids."

As for his own steroid use, Cage said that, despite what people thought, he never used steroids on the independent scene, and the first time he used them was for his first bodybuilding event.

"I didn't even take my first shot until after my very first bodybuilding show. It's actually after the show that I did it, to post-show rebound, because my coach was like, 'Oh, you should it, you should do it', and I go, 'Man, I don't know, I don't know'. And I had a really bad temper in high school and stuff when I was younger, and that was one of the reasons, too, why I never wanted to do it, because of roid rage, which, also, sorry to tell you, it's kind of bulls**t. I've never had any sort of... if anything, I'd have more rage prepping for a show and just being hungry. Now, I think more with that, just like how some people could be fun drunks or asshole drunks or whatever else, I think they just let their guard down. You become more of an asshole when you're drunk because you are just an asshole and you go, 'Oh'. You justify being drunk to be able to be a full asshole, so I think it's the same thing."

Brian Cage returned to AEW action this past May following a torn quad injury suffered in April 2025. As well as returning to the ring, this June also saw Cage win the Men's Open Title at the Musclecontest International Mr. Nevada bodybuilding competition. He most recently wrestled for AEW on the September 5th episode of Collision, where he and Jake Doyle lost to the Young Bucks.