AEW star Brian Cage spent years believing his career wasn’t complete without going back to WWE. These days, he’s made peace with the idea that it might just never happen and he’s fine either way.
Speaking on the Smooth Vega Podcast, Cage looked back on how much WWE once meant to him, recalling that he’d predicted as a teenager he’d sign with the company by age 24 and actually did.
After his release, he described feeling desperate to get back, and said several near-returns fell apart over the years. It included being briefly re-signed before it was rescinded, getting cast for Tough Enough before being removed, and later receiving word from a WWE executive that a return was being planned after WrestleMania.
I was so desperate after I got released, and that was a whole bunk story to get back to. I felt like my life was over. And after a lot of ups and downs, like I got re-signed, then I got rescinded, then I got cast for Tough Enough, then I got taken off that. Then I saw Johnny Ace in Fresno when I was living there, and he said, ‘Hey, we’re going to bring you back after Mania.’
That return never materialized. Cage said he was eventually told the company had changed its mind and given a blunt, dismissive assessment of his ability that he strongly disagreed with.
Then they said, ‘Oh, never mind.’ I’ve said this quote a lot of times, too. He texted me out of nowhere and he goes, ‘Never mind. We changed our mind. You’re average at best.’ I go, ‘Average at best? This mother?’
Rather than continuing to chase another opportunity, Cage said that rejection is ultimately what pushed him to stop measuring his career’s success by whether WWE wanted him back. He said letting go of that mindset led to real improvement in his professional, personal, and financial life.
I go, ‘Okay, let’s really face it. You and I both know I’m better than average, but thanks for getting back to me.’ But after that, that’s when I finally said, you know what? I don’t need to go back there. I’ll do what I need to do.
That said, Cage was careful to draw a distinction between not needing WWE and shutting the door on it entirely. He’s actually faced the choice again more recently and he’s previously said WWE showed renewed interest before he ultimately re-signed with AEW in 2023. Should WWE come calling again, though, Cage’s message is clear: he’s not saying no before it even happens.
Now, doesn’t mean I’m saying like, ‘Oh, I’ll never go back there.’ It was just like, you know what? If I don’t go back there, it’s okay.
