Jim Ross believes that the additions of Christian Cage and Paul Wight to the AEW fold could prove to be invaluable in the long run.
Over the last several weeks, Paul Wight, the former Big Show in WWE, and Christian Cage have joined AEW. In the case of Wight, many believed that he would be with WWE for the rest of his tenure in the world of wrestling and Christian Cage had just returned after a seven-year absence from wrestling in the WWE Royal Rumble this past January.
Speaking on his podcast, Grillin’ JR, Jim Ross spoke about the positives that these two veterans will bring to the promotion and how, even though they still have matches left in them, these signings are a great opportunity for both men to build the resumes behind the scenes.
“Well, what we brought into the locker room is two veterans that should be able to help our young roster,” said Jim Ross. “I don't know how many matches Tony Khan plans on using Paul Wight for. He’s dropped a lot of weight, which is good for just his general health, but I think what we're looking for those guys [is] there’s some name identity there, there's a ‘tune in’ factor there, if nothing else, a curiosity aspect. I do believe that, and I've always believed in this, that's one of the reasons I was able to get Mick Foley signed [by WWE] way back in the day, was that we needed freshness in the locker room from positive examples... I could tell you that the minute Christian got on our compound, he was talking to talent. He was coaching up and he was offering guys great pointers that were very objective and beneficial. So I think that the additions of those guys are really positive. It's not only 'Oh, they're just taking WWE cast-offs.' That’s a defiant and easy way to put it but I just don't believe that to be true.
“These two guys are both mature guys, north of 40, that want to contribute and they know that they can develop that other skill-set that we've been talking about here in the locker room [as] positive role models and helping them. That’s [where] their great value’s going to come in over the long haul. Short-term, I think, especially Christian, he's ready to go. He can illustrate his teachings and his philosophy so much better if the talent is watching him work. I'm very happy we got both those guys on board and maybe not for the exact reasons that many of the fans are thinking, ‘how many great five-star matches can they have?’ I don't know. Nobody knows. I know that I’ve seen with my eyes that they can help the talents with her experience and their maturity, so I'm excited about that aspect of it, to say the least.”
Paul Wight has openly stated that even though he has been brought on as a broadcaster first and foremost, he is looking forward to getting in the ring with several names in AEW, including Darby Allin.
Christian Cage is hoping to prove his worth to the industry by having a superior work ethic. Learn more here.
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