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AEW promised a major "hall of fame" worthy mystery signing that would be announced during the AEW Revolution pay-per-view. The promotion certainly delivered when it was revealed that WWE legend Christian Cage was the mystery AEW signing.
This past week on TNT, Christian Cage made his AEW Dynamite debut by confronting the current AEW World Champion Kenny Omega. Fresh off The Cleaner's World Championship defense against Jon Moxley at Revolution, it appear's Omega is ready for a new contender to his AEW gold.
After some brief physicality between The Instant Classic and The Cleaner, Christian Cage ended the segment by holding up Kenny Omega's AEW World Championship belt. So, is it being hinted that Christian Cage is next to challenge Kenny Omega for the AEW World Championship?
Let's take a closer look at 5 reasons why Christian Cage should challenge for Kenny Omega's AEW World Championship.
#5 Christian Cage vs Kenny Omega in AEW is a dream match
If you had asked a professional wrestling fan 12 months ago if we could ever see Christian Cage vs Kenny Omega, the answer would have been a firm 'no.'
Christian retired from in-ring competition in 2014 due to concussion-related injuries. Captain Charisma confirmed in several interviews that he didn't see himself returning to the ring as he was unable to be medically cleared by WWE. Therefore, the concept of Christian Cage facing off against Kenny Omega inside an AEW ring, a rival competitor to WWE no less, was an even further impossibility.
That is the true definition of a dream match. A match that is impossible for a variety of reasons: Wrestlers that are in rival promotions, competitors from different generations or time periods and when one of the wrestlers is no longer able to compete. Matches that can only take place in one’s imagination, hence being a dream match.
For a long time, Kenny Omega vs Christian Cage fell into that category. Due to Christian Cage's miraculous return to the ring, the dream match once thought impossibile is now a reality. AEW would be foolish not to capitalize on what could be an all-time classic match.
#4 Christian Cage has a point to prove in AEW
Some have questioned why Christian Cage decided to sign with AEW rather than re-sign with WWE. Christian is a WWE legend and a 2-time WWE World Heavyweight Champion. Furthermore, Christian recently appeared in the Men's 2021 Royal Rumble match, reuniting with his best friend and former tag team partner Edge before lasting until the final 4 competitors in the match. It felt inevitable that Captain Charisma would re-sign with WWE.
However, if you dive deeper, it becomes more and more apparent why Christian decided to become "All Elite" instead.
Christian Cage knows his level in WWE in the eyes of major officials such as Vince McMahon and Bruce Prichard. Despite being a 2-time World Heavyweight Champion, Christian was always limited to the mid-card and had an absence of major pay-per-view main events during his career.
Even his World Title reigns left a lot to be desired. His first World Championship reign lasted 5 days before he lost the title to Randy Orton on SmackDown in 2011. His second World Title reign lasted a little longer at 28 days. However, Christian won his second world title by disqualification instead of a proper victory. He dropped the belt at the next pay-per-view to Randy Orton once again.
Christian was never seen as a "main event guy" in WWE. After his 7-year absence from the ring, the Instant Classic has a point to prove. In what is likely to be his final run as an in-ring wrestler, Christian Cage wants to show the world, and the WWE, that he is a bonifide main event level star, capable of selling out arenas and headlining major pay-per-view events. In AEW, he can do just that.
Therefore, a motivated Christian Cage, with a point to prove in AEW, will produce an incredible performance should he challenge Kenny Omega for the AEW World Championship.
#3 Defeating Christian Cage gives Kenny Omega extra credibility as AEW World Champion
Kenny Omega is quickly establishing a historic AEW World Championship reign. Despite only being the third World Champion in the promotion's history, The Cleaner has already done so much during his inaugural title reign.
As the AEW World Champion, Kenny Omega has made regular appearances in IMPACT Wrestling, wrestling a match at the Hard To Kill pay-per-view event in January. Omega has also completed successful title defenses against AEW stars such as Rey Fenix and Jon Moxley, including the barbaric Barbed Wire Exploding Deathmatch at AEW Revolution.
However, the most historic World Championship reigns throughout professional wrestling history are judged by the quality of the challengers that the champion defeats during the title reign.
Should Christian Cage challenge Kenny Omega for the AEW World Championship in the future, it would certainly give The Cleaner a huge, "hall of fame worthy" name to overcome.
If AEW's intention is to establish Kenny Omega as the most dominant AEW World Champion in the promotion's history, title defenses against legendary names such as Christian Cage will be crucial.
Therefore, Christian Cage should be the next challenger to Kenny Omega's AEW throne. A victory for Kenny Omega during this dream match showdown would no doubt cement The Cleaner's title reign as one for the record books.
#2 Christian Cage vs Kenny Omega makes AEW Double or Nothing must see
Now that AEW Revolution has come and gone, the next major pay-per-view event for All Elite Wrestling is AEW Double or Nothing on May 30, 2021.
Despite the promotion's short history, Double or Nothing has established itself, along with All Out, as a major landmark AEW pay-per-view attraction. As one of AEW's biggest events of the year, Double or Nothing requires an extraordinary main event. Kenny Omega vs Christian Cage for the AEW World Championship would certainly fit the bill.
In an age where the traditional pay-per-view model isn't what it used to be, a dream match between Kenny Omega and Christian Cage for the AEW World Championship would make Double or Nothing a "must see" event.
During his recent "paid advertisement" on IMPACT Wrestling television, President and CEO Tony Khan bragged about the "huge buy-rate" that AEW Revolution brought in recently. An event headlined by a bout between The Cleaner and Captain Charisma is without a doubt likely to deliver another strong buy-rate number for All Elite Wrestling.
Therefore, Christian Cage should challenge Kenny Omega for the World Championship at Double or Nothing because it's a smart business for Tony Khan and AEW, making their may pay-per-view event a can't-miss spectacle.
#1 Christian Cage's comback story is too good of a storyline for AEW to pass on
Christian Cage's AEW story will likely always be compared to Edge's WWE story. Their careers have paralled one another in a variety of ways over the years.
Both men broke into the WWE together in the late 1990s as members of The Brood. They eventually became multiple time tag team champions together, including winning several revolutionary Ladder and TLC matches. The long-time friends also won multiple World Championships during their singles careers in WWE too.
Another parallel between Edge and Christian is their respective medically forced retirements and subsequent miraculous returns to the ring.
After being forced to retire in 2011 due to a serious neck injury, Edge returned to in-ring action during the 2020 Men's Royal Rumble match. The following year it was Christian's turn as he returned during the 2021 Men's Royal Rumble match after a seven year retirement.
While some criticized Edge winning the 2021 Men's Royal Rumble match, others pointed out that the story of Edge's miraculous return to the main event was too good to pass up. The same can be said of Christian Cage challenging for the AEW World Championship in AEW.
Christian Cage's return to the ring is a remarkable story filled with emotion that fans can invest in and get hooked on. The drama of Christian's improbable return, not only to in-ring competition, but to the main event of a major pay-per-view by challenging for a World Championship would be phenomenal storytelling.
Sometimes reality gives you stories that you could never script as it would come across as too unbelievable. Christian Cage returning to in-ring action and capturing the AEW World Championship is a perfect example of this. For the incredible story that could be told, Christian Cage has to challenge Kenny Omega for the AEW World Championship.
One of Samoa Joe's colleagues had harsh words for him HERE
