The recent news of Christian Cage signing with AEW allowed the company to introduce him as a legend. Christian has a strong reputation in the wrestling industry, but he never hit his full potential in WWE. There was always something holding back his push, with rumors of Vince McMahon not believing in him for years.
Cage has missed quite a few moments where he could have been a far bigger star. WWE benefited from having Christian on the roster for many years, since he was good enough to thrive in every role, from working the opening match to the main event. Find out what could have been different if the company didn’t make mistakes along the way. Each of the following moments showed WWE failing Christian.
10 Losing his First World Championship To Randy Orton After A Few Days
The moment of Christian winning the World Championship in WWE for the first time was special. Edge’s 2011 injury saw the belt vacated, and Christian winning it by defeating Alberto Del Rio in a great Ladder match.
Fans felt connected with Christian’s story, as the moment of him grabbing the belt was beautiful. WWE ruined it a few days later by having Randy Orton defeat Christian for the title on Smackdown. The two would have an intense rivalry, but the waste of Christian’s reign is still brutal looking back.
9 Not Going Further With The Trish Stratus Romance
WWE had a promising plan for Christian when entering an on-screen relationship with Trish Stratus. The huge moment played out at WrestleMania XX, when Trish turned on Chris Jericho to align with Christian, playing out their love triangle.
Christian suffering an injury would see him off television for a few months. Tyson Tomko ended up getting more screen-time with Stratus as Christian’s enforcer. Unfortunately, WWE didn’t put much effort into having storylines for them when Christian returned. Trish suffered an injury shortly after and the relationship was written off without an explanation.
8 The Un-Americans Ending
The start of the brand split era for WWE in 2002 featured more opportunities opening for many wrestlers on the roster. Christian, Lance Storm, Test and William Regal all received noteworthy pushes, playing the anti-American group known as the Un-Americans.
Rumors indicated that the wrestlers were wary of the legitimate heat from fans since patriotism was strong at the time following 9/11. WWE eventually split them up without much of an end game. Christian was the biggest name of the four and deserved to have a stronger write-off than the others.
7 Making Him Secondary To Edge After Their Breakup
The legendary tag team run of Edge and Christian is remembered fondly for dominating the Attitude Era. WWE split them up in 2001 during the Invasion storyline. Christian betrayed Edge and WWE out of jealousy to start the personal rivalry.
The feud started things off great for both wrestlers with a couple of strong matches. Christian struggled shortly after, when WWE seemingly lost interest in him. Edge was booked as a future top star while Christian received the whiny heel gimmick that provided limited opportunities for a few years.
6 Never Winning Money in the Bank
Christian is tied for the third most Money in the Bank ladder match appearances with six in his WWE career. The time frame between 2009 and 2012 saw four appearances for Christian as a wrestler with the best shot to win the briefcase..
WWE never picked him, since Vince McMahon always wanting to go with someone he viewed as having more potential. CM Punk, Jack Swagger, Kane and Dolph Ziggler all won the match over Christian at various points. Swagger and Kane’s weak cash-in title reigns would have been far better had Christian been in the role.
5 Never Having A Long World Title Run
The first World Championship reign of Christian ending after a few days had fans expecting him to get a longer run at some point in the future. Christian did eventually end Orton’s reign to win the title back in a match that saw DQ title changes.
WWE once again ended Christian’s reign shortly after just a few weeks. Christian would never get another world title match as names like Mark Henry, Big Show, Daniel Bryan and Sheamus entered the world title picture.
4 Not Inducting Him Into The Hall Of Fame Upon Retirement
Christian retired from the ring for a few years, when it seemed unlikely that he would be cleared to compete again. The concussion fears and other injuries saw Christian planning for life outside of the ring with a transition to broadcasting.
WWE did not opt to induct Christian into the Hall of Fame like a few others who retired that early into their careers. It became a running joke between Edge and Christian, since Edge was inducted his first year into retirement. Christian’s induction may be delayed even longer, now that he’s working in AEW.
3 Not Giving Him A Singles Title Match Vs. John Cena
Christian had strong momentum in 2005 when cutting entertaining promos against the top stars in the company. The promos calling out John Cena got over the strongest, since many fans were starting to side with Christian.
WWE moving Cena to the Raw brand seemed like the perfect timing to make the most of this. Cena would defend his WWE Championship against both Christian and Chris Jericho on PPV, before moving into a longer feud with Jericho. Christian was overlooked despite having more momentum than Jericho at the time.
2 Moving Him To Smackdown After The Draft
The aftermath of Christian losing his title shot to John Cena would see him drafted to Smackdown away from Cena. Christian moving to a new brand could have been the start of something special, but WWE did nothing different in booking him.
The new beginning featured the same old story, as Christian moved into a mid-card program, putting over Booker T. This was the point where Christian started to plan his next move of leaving for TNA when his contract was on the verge of expiring.
1 Big Return Coming On ECW
The time in TNA showed a new side of Christian Cage thriving as a main eventer. Christian helped TNA grow and was up there with Kurt Angle and Sting as the biggest signings in company history. WWE brought Christian back in 2009 when his contract expired, and he wanted to return.
The hope of getting a bigger push, with his TNA accomplishments proving he could thrive in a main event role ended right away. Christian returned on the third ECW brand, which was nowhere near Raw or Smackdown at the time. WWE could have brought him back in a major way, but they didn’t want him in a top spot.