Now That Christian Cage Is A Heel, He Needs A Major Push In AEW
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After months of subtle teases and increasingly high anticipation from the AEW fans, Christian Cage finally turned heel at AEW Dynamite Road Rager, attacking Jungle Boy after he and Luchasaurus lost the AEW World Tag Team Championship. Destroying Jungle Boy after the title match, delivering a Killswitch followed by a conchairto, Cage's ruthless side came out during the closing moments of the show. Since his arrival in AEW, fans have often wondered when Christian would turn heel, with his alliance with Jurassic Express highlighting itself as the perfect segue into a new direction for the legendary Canadian wrestler. With AEW's roster reaching a tipping point when it comes to who can be featured and who is left on the sidelines, with as long as Cage's turn has been built to, receiving and sustaining a push is a must for a new top heel.
He Can (Finally) Outwork Everyone
As soon as Christian Cage made his shocking arrival in AEW in the Spring of 2021, he adopted a new moniker of "Outwork Everyone". While Cage is a fantastic in-ring talent, bragging about being better than everyone is undeniably more of a heel trait than a babyface one. With Christian's attack on Jungle Boy likely writing off 1/4th of the AEW Pillars from TV for some time, the master of the Killswitch can finally get to work with proving his catchphrase to be true.
Putting a newly-turned Cage against some of AEW's most promising young babyfaces like Dante Martin, Lee Moriarty, and Wheeler Yuta would do wonders for all sides, with Cage getting some great matches from new faces, young stars getting to work with a legend, and furthering Christian as a veteran heel beating down rookies.
Time Is Not On His Side, Strike While The Iron Is Hot
At 48 years old, Christian's in-ring career is undeniably in the later stages of its life. While that may be the case, the future Hall of Famer has shined in every single one of his major singles matches since coming to AEW, with standout performances against Adam Cole, Kenny Omega, and Frankie Kazarian. Cage even did some great work in Impact Wrestling while he was their world champion in late 2021, with great bouts against Ace Austin and Josh Alexander.
While some fans may say that Christian is too old and is taking a spot from someone else, he has proven time after time that he is still electric in the ring, and with a new coat of paint, Christian Cage could be one of the hottest heels in all of pro wrestling.
If Done Right, Jungle Boy Could Be Elevated To A Main Eventer
Should AEW really want to make this angle feel special, Jungle Boy should likely be out of action for an extended period, rather than just coming back a week or two after being demolished by Christian. Upon his return, it will be expected that the match with Cage will take place, but why not make the fans wait? AEW's greatest success in terms of storytelling in its 3-year existence was the Hangman Page vs Kenny Omega program that took place over the span of two years. While Jungle Boy and Christian Cage's program does not need to be that length, setting this up as one of the next long-term stories for All Elite Wrestling is certainly warranted.
Rather than having Jungle Boy immediately fight Christian, his former mentor should use his knowledge and expertise to break down Jack Perry, bringing out a side of the young star that fans have yet to see. Regardless of if AEW stretches out the story or moves with it quickly, this likely is not going to be finished with just one match. Should Christian win their first encounter, either through out-wrestling Jungle Boy or through nefarious means, it would set the stage for a greater comeback down the line with Jungle Boy eventually besting Cage and putting him in the rearview mirror. At the end of the day, Christian Cage's heel turn is likely going to bring about some great matches, but there needs to be an end goal in sight, and the most obvious choice is to elevate Jungle Boy when all is said and done.
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