Brian Cage‘s absence from AEW programming continues, and while he remains active on the independent scene, he won’t be able to cash in on the lucrative WrestleMania weekend that many wrestlers look forward to every year.
Cage hasn’t appeared on AEW TV since October, but he recently explained that he’s been told there’s a plan for his return. In the meantime, he’s enjoying himself by exploring the independent wrestling world.
In an interview with GV Wire, the former FTW Champion described how he’s glad he pushed to have a non-exclusive contract with AEW because he can take independent bookings and have the kind of matches he wants to have.
“Luckily for me, I fought for inexclusivity so I could do independents,” said Cage. “Not a lot of the guys at AEW do independents, not a lot of them, and I mainly do because I love wrestling, I love wrestling more than anything else, and a lot of people are like, ‘Oh, why would you go do the independents?’ Like I get paid plenty fine from AEW, I don’t have to do any of the independent bookings, but I do them because I love it.
“And even when I was on TV every week, I don’t feel like I was getting to have the Brian Cage matches I would want to have. I wasn’t getting that fix, if you will. If it was a lot of squash matches or something to just build me up, hey that’s cool, but he’s like man. So when I get these awesome opportunities for these great matches, I still want to take them.”
Cage then noted that he was unable to take bookings for the WrestleMania weekend shows in the Dallas-Fort Worth area because AEW President Tony Khan doesn’t want the roster to be associated with these events. That being said, Cage compromised by taking a booking at a CBC card show in Fresno this weekend.
“Because of the AEW contract, we’re not, [Tony Khan] would rather us not do anything WrestleMania weekend because he wants AEW not to be affiliated,” said Cage. “Because basically everything happens WrestleMania weekend around WWE. He doesn’t anyone to look like AEW is beneath WWE. Technically I had a bunch of stuff I could have done out there, but I can’t do it.”
Former AEW World Champion Jon Moxley is set to compete at GCW Bloodsport and Joey Janela’s Spring Break 6, and other AEW stars are also booked to varying degrees for WrestleMania weekend, including WrestleCon signings.
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