AEW wrestler Brian Cage talked about a wide range of topics while doing a live signing for Whatnot, including his relationship with CM Punk, working alongside Prince Nana, and more.
You can check out some highlights from the signing below:
On CM Punk: “CM Punk wasn’t bad to me, wasn’t always good to me, wasn’t bad to me which is kind of whatever and I think too because he knows I was a west coast guy so I’m kind of team Young Buck. But, I remember it took a while too for us to actually talk and properly introduce and it was fine, we squashed it and I had his last match on TV. I took the last G.T.S. on AEW and I think, I’m just gonna go ahead and assume, the way we talked and structuring the match, I know he didn’t think he could give me the G.T.S. and I think he felt like I was gonna be — no heat or shade towards Ryback but I think he thought I was gonna be a jacked up — whatever. Obviously, he’s having flashbacks with his heat with Ryback. So I’m like, ‘Bro, no, don’t worry. I got you out there’ and after we had the match, he actually was a super fan of mine, was big on me, super high on me and I felt good. I was like, maybe I’ll get a little political rub backstage now, cool, and then he had to go into business for himself and get fired so, didn’t work out so well for me.”
On Prince Nana: “I walked into the pay-per-view and they handed me the (Tully Blanchard Enterprises) shirt, they handed me the shirt right away… And like an hour later, they came and told us that Tully wasn’t gonna be there… that T.B.E. was no longer gonna be a thing and that Prince Nana was on his way and we would be switching to The Embassy. He was gonna buy it out. I’m like, ‘Oh! What!?’ And then we heard that (Jonathan) Gresham was having issues and they decided to part ways to put it politely I guess. So, I thought it was funny that literally an hour after I had gotten this shirt. I don’t even know if they had gone on-sale yet or not but, they had already lost two members and then it became The Embassy which obviously turned out pretty well in the long run, in the long scheme of things. Then we became The Mogul Embassy so… I don’t even know if they ever sold these shirts or not… Tully was great too and obviously, I’m really good friends with his daughter, and I know Tully’s a big fan of mine and he actually was gonna walk away and he said he’d only stay if he was gonna be brought in with somebody else with a purpose and they brought up the idea of bringing me back with him and he was onboard with that so, there was that aspect where he was looking forward to working with us. But, I don’t know. I don’t think he was checked out, but I know he had his own thing, business he was doing as well and he still loved performing and I don’t think that he wanted to leave, but, I don’t know if he had 100 percent. Maybe I’m wrong here. But, I don’t know if he was 100 percent in and he got stuck too at his other job and I won’t go into his personal stuff so it doesn’t matter but that’s why he also wasn’t able to make the pay-per-view and they knew it and then he got stuck in travel and wasn’t gonna be there so, yeah, it was kind of a long story but, I guess things happen for a reason, and I’m sure he’s doing fine, doing well and then meanwhile, Prince Nana came in and I’d never met Nana and I know a couple people were like, ‘Uh, uh, uh’ but then he became one of the coolest guys. I love Nana and we get along so great backstage and hang out and talk plenty. But I feel like everybody loves Nana. I used to just laugh at him because he’d get up and shake everybody’s hands. But Nana’s the coolest guy and everybody likes him because he learns everyone’s names from every single production person, backstage person, catering person, every person.”
In a recent live signing for Whatnot, AEW wrestler Brian Cage opened up about various topics, shedding light on his relationship with CM Punk, working alongside Prince Nana, and more. Let’s delve into some of the highlights from his conversation.
Regarding CM Punk, Cage mentioned that their relationship had its ups and downs. While Punk wasn’t always good to him, he wasn’t necessarily bad either. Cage attributed this to the fact that he was a west coast guy and aligned himself with the Young Bucks, which may have created some initial tension. However, they eventually talked and properly introduced themselves, squashing any issues between them. Cage even had the opportunity to take the last G.T.S. (Go To Sleep) move from Punk on AEW television. He believes that Punk may have been hesitant to perform the move on him, fearing that Cage would be similar to Ryback in terms of physicality. However, after their match, Punk became a fan of Cage and held him in high regard. Unfortunately, Punk’s departure from AEW affected Cage’s prospects of gaining backstage political support.
Moving on to Prince Nana, Cage shared an interesting anecdote about their collaboration. Initially, Cage was handed a Tully Blanchard Enterprises (T.B.E.) shirt at a pay-per-view event. However, an hour later, he was informed that Tully Blanchard wouldn’t be present and that Prince Nana would be taking over, transforming the group into The Embassy. Additionally, it was revealed that Jonathan Gresham had parted ways with the company due to issues. Despite the sudden change, The Embassy turned out to be successful in the long run. Cage also expressed his admiration for Tully Blanchard and his friendship with Tessa Blanchard. Tully had considered leaving but decided to stay if he was brought in with a purpose. The idea of pairing him with Cage was proposed, but circumstances prevented it from materializing. Cage also praised Prince Nana, stating that he initially had reservations about him but eventually found him to be one of the coolest guys backstage. Nana’s habit of learning everyone’s names and showing respect to every production and catering staff member earned him the respect and admiration of everyone.
These insights from Brian Cage provide a glimpse into the behind-the-scenes dynamics of AEW and shed light on his experiences with CM Punk and Prince Nana. It’s always fascinating to hear wrestlers’ perspectives on their relationships and interactions within the industry. As fans, we can appreciate the complexities and nuances that exist beyond what we see in the ring.