Brian Cage made his AEW debut at Double or Nothing, but he's been with the company since January.
Tony Khan revealed during the AEW Double or Nothing media scrum that Cage was signed back in January following his departure from IMPACT Wrestling, but Cage had suffered a torn bicep that needed surgery.
"Brian signed and he was injured when he signed," said Khan. "There were people who were like, 'you paid him the whole time he was hurt and he didn't get hurt in your company.' But I really like Brian and I really believed in him. I wanted this with Brian and Taz all along and there was a method to it, but he wasn't going to be ready to go until around Double or Nothing. But I always knew Brian was going to factor into Double or Nothing. He was always expected to be cleared in May. So, we signed him, he rehabbed and got ready."
So Cal Uncensored originally reported that Cage had signed a multi-year deal with AEW, but Cage's wife Melissa Santos denied the news. The report came out shortly after Cage had lost to Rob Van Dam at IMPACT Hard To Kill in a match that was cut short due to Cage's torn bicep.
Khan did not offer details on Cage's contract during the scrum.
Perhaps the most surprising part of Cage's debut was his alliance with Taz, which Khan detailed during the scrum. Khan noted that he "kayfabed" Cage in what he would be doing, but they "strapped the rocket to him."
Cage made an immediate impact in AEW, winning the Casino Ladder Match, which sets him up for a title shot against Jon Moxley at AEW Fyter Fest.
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