Christian Cage came to AEW with the motto "outwork everyone" and he's consistently lived up to that motto by appearing weekly on AEW television.
Christian was sidelined since 2014 with injury issues before making his return in 2021. CM Punk had been out of wrestling since 2014 as well, but has also returned in 2021 to join AEW.
Tony Khan hopes that AEW's treatment of Christian will give fans optimism when it comes to Punk.
"Christian Cage, I think is one of the best wrestlers of all time," said Khan on Busted Open Radio. "The way he's been featured in AEW and the way I've promoted him, it's obvious I feel that way. I believe Christian Cage, in this comeback, has done a lot and can do so much more. It's not a short-term deal. He's wrestled every week. He was out for many years. It also sets the stage and hopefully makes people optimistic for the future of CM Punk. When you see how Christian was out for seven years and you see that I featured him and got him in big matches and that AEW has given him a great platform to succeed, but also that this is not a short-term deal. This guy is going to be part of the roster and wrestle. He's back. When CM Punk says he's back, this isn't a BS comeback where the guy is going to do a pay-per-view match and then do six movies and come back every five years. This is the real deal. He's signed. It's similar, not in a mainstream story, but similar to us in the world of wrestling in terms of what he's going to do and how he's going to deliver and what we expect in terms of him being a super professional guy that we all respect, like with Christian."
Khan continued by saying, "Every time Christian gets in the ring with a new opponent, it's very exciting for me. It sets the stage for CM Punk's comeback. Look at the slate of opponents. He said it in his promo. We've delivered in the past and now we'll deliver to a new audience at a bigger level. CM Punk's comeback is the biggest thing we've ever done and there are so many huge opponents for this guy."
Christian has already shared the ring with young talent like Jungle Boy and Powerhouse Hobbs, veterans like Frankie Kazarian and Matt Hardy, and the AEW World Champion Kenny Omega.
In his return promos, Punk has mentioned wanting to work with the younger talent in AEW, starting off with Darby Allin at AEW All Out.
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