Brian Cage has emerged as a relevant main event player for AEW with Taz at his side. AEW introduced Cage in the Casino Ladder Match at the recent Double or Nothing PPV. Cage made his surprise appearance to win the match and earn an AEW World Championship title shot against Jon Moxley scheduled for the major Fyter Fest event on Dynamite.
The career of Cage has been going for quite some time with many fascinating notes along the way. Many fans are watching the big man for the first time in his career, but there are quite a few interesting facts to learn about him. Find out more about “The Machine” with all the important things you need to know about Cage.
10 Chris Kanyon mentored him
Former WCW star Chris Kanyon discovered Brian Cage as a fan in the early 2000s when Cage had a sign showing his fandom of Kanyon at a live show. The two bonded afterwards with Kanyon providing encouragement for Cage during his wrestling training.
Kanyon became a mentor to Cage before his tragic passing at a young age. The Young Bucks also shared stories about Kanyon playing a huge role in their careers. Kanyon provided support for a few West Coast wrestlers that are now huge stars today.
9 Social media beef with Lacey Evans
A fan on Twitter started a war of words between Lacey Evans and Brian Cage by claiming Cage ripped off her moonsault. Cage replied with a snarky comment stating he "was doing it before she knew WWF was WWE now” referencing the length of his career compared to hers.
Evans took some shots at Cage for it by stating she’s doing better than he ever did. The two had more tweets to continue the drama until it ended, and fans forgot about it. This may have been the pettiest social media beef between a WWE star and AEW star so far.
8 Was a top Lucha Underground star
Lucha Underground introduced many future stars to the wrestling scene for the first time. Names like Rey Fenix, Pentagon Jr., Ricochet and Jeff Cobb received big breaks, but Brian Cage stood out as a game-changer for the company.
Fans loved the intensity and strength of Cage that helped him stand out. Most of the stars were smaller and high-flying which just added to the appeal of Cage’s power. The company even put the Gift of the Gods Championship on Cage before he traded it in for a Lucha Underground Championship match.
7 Won prestigious AAA tournament with Chavo Guerrero and John Morrison
AAA started to experiment with new concepts to showcase important events in the 2010s. One idea was the Lucha Libre World Cup of trio teams taking part in a tournament to win the trophy at the end of it all.
Brian Cage teamed with Chavo Guerrero and John Morrison to represent Lucha Underground in 2016 and won the World Cup together. The impressive work of Cage saw him continuing to find success in AAA moving forward.
6 Was part of TNA's Gut Check project
TNA’s Gut Check concept was meant to place reality television into their show with a mix of a scripted match with a real aftermath. Two wrestlers would have a match on Impact with the judges deciding if they deserved a contract.
Brian Cage faced off with Jay Bradley in a Gut Check match, but it was booked to make Bradley look like a bigger star. TNA offered Bradley a contract with Cage getting a few more small opportunities in the following months.
5 Former TNA World Champion and X-Division Champion
Things went full circle for Brian Cage when he returned to TNA about six years after the Gut Check loss. Cage had more momentum and credibility after his successful runs in Lucha Underground and a few other indie promotions.
Impact booked Cage as one of the faces of the company with a strong X-Division Championship run. Cage used that to get a TNA World Championship match and won the biggest prize in the company. Impact and Cage each benefited immensely from the recent run that made him a decorated champion.
4 Teamed with Michael Elgin in PWG
PWG was the main home of Brian Cage for a few years as he started to gain momentum. Cage was a rising indie star on the West Coast with PWG’s California shows providing the biggest opportunities for that area.
The tag team of Cage and Michael Elgin saw the two powerful wrestlers utilizing their strength as The Unbreakable F’N Machines. Both guys had similar in-ring styles to team up and win the PWG Tag Team Championship for a short title reign.
3 Lost his hair in a match vs Alberto Del Rio
Alberto Del Rio entered a noteworthy feud with Brian Cage in AAA during their time working together. The Mexican promotion has utilized the match stipulation of wrestlers putting their hair on the line to often add importance to a feud.
Del Rio won out by scoring a huge victory in the culmination of the rivalry. Cage taking the loss meant he had to get his head shaved. The new look was already desired by Cage and AAA made the most of it by making it part of the story.
2 Teamed with Justin Gabriel in WWE developmental
One of the most overlooked details of Brian Cage’s career was that he spent time in WWE’s developmental system FCW. The run only lasted from 2008 to 2009 and he mostly worked in a tag team with Justin Gabriel.
Cage worked under the name of Kris Logan where he and Gabriel won the FCW Tag Team Championship together. Management eventually ended the tag team and released Cage a few months later after not seeing enough improvement from him.
1 Married to Melissa Santos
The relationship between Brian Cage and Melissa Santos started in Lucha Underground when they worked together for the first time. Santos was the ring announcer for LU and became an important part of the show.
Cage and Santos worked together in Impact Wrestling with their relationship becoming part of the show. Impact ran a segment of their wedding with Sami Callihan getting involved and making things more personal with Cage. The two are now in different promotions with Cage in AEW and Santos sticking it out with Impact.