Jason Reso
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

William Jason Reso (born November 30, 1973) is a Canadian
professional wrestler Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to real-life wrest ...
and actor. He is signed to
All Elite Wrestling All Elite Wrestling (AEW) is an American professional wrestling promotion headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida. It is owned and operated by Shahid Khan, Shahid and Tony Khan, with the latter serving as President (corporate title), president an ...
(AEW), where he performs under the
ring name A ring name is a type of stage name or nickname used by an athlete such as a professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, or boxer whose real name is considered unattractive, dull, difficult to pronounce or spell, amusing for the wrong reasons ...
Christian Cage and is the leader of The Patriarchy
stable A stable is a building in which working animals are kept, especially horses or oxen. The building is usually divided into stalls, and may include storage for equipment and feed. Styles There are many different types of stables in use tod ...
. He is widely known for his tenures with
WWE World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...
and
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (abbreviated as TNA Wrestling or TNA) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment, a Canadian media company owned by busines ...
(TNA). Reso made his debut in 1995. He wrestled in Canadian
independent promotion In professional wrestling, the independent circuit (often shortened to the indie circuit or the indies) is the collective name of independently owned promotions which are deemed to be smaller and more regionalized than major national promotions. ...
s early in his career, where he competed in singles and tag team competition with his best friend
Edge Edge or EDGE may refer to: Technology Computing * Edge computing, a network load-balancing system * Edge device, an entry point to a computer network * Adobe Edge, a graphical development application * Microsoft Edge, a web browser developed by ...
. In 1998, he signed a developmental contract with the then-World Wrestling Federation (WWF, renamed to WWE in 2002) and made his debut the same year, immediately capturing his first championship in the company, the
WWF Light Heavyweight Championship The WWF Light Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling championship in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) promotion. The title was challenged by light heavyweights at a maximum weight of 215 lbs (before deactivation ...
, in his debut match. Edge and Christian formed a tag team and gained notoriety for their participation in
Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match A tables, ladders, and chairs match, often abbreviated as TLC, is a type of professional wrestling match that originated within the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). The TLC match is a variation of a ladder match, which is modified to c ...
es. They won the promotion's
World Tag Team Championship In professional wrestling, a championship or title is a recognition promoted by professional wrestling organizations. Championship reigns are determined by professional wrestling matches, in which competitors are involved in predetermined rival ...
on seven occasions. They are considered one of the major teams that revived tag team wrestling during the
Attitude Era The Attitude Era was a major era of professional wrestling within the WWE, World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). The term "WWF Attitude" was used to describe its programming from November 9, 1997 to May 6, 2002. It began during the Monday Ni ...
. The team parted ways in 2001, after which, Christian held various singles titles in WWE, including the European, Hardcore, and Intercontinental Championships. In 2005, Reso departed WWE and signed with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) under his Christian Cage ring name, after which, he won the
NWA World Heavyweight Championship The NWA World's Heavyweight Championship is a men's professional wrestling Professional wrestling championship#World championships, world heavyweight championship owned and promoted by the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), an American professiona ...
twice. He left TNA in late 2008 and re-signed with WWE in 2009, where he won the ECW Championship and the World Heavyweight Championship twice each until retiring in 2014 due to concussion issues. He was the 23rd Triple Crown Champion and 11th Grand Slam Champion in WWE history. In March 2021, Cage made his debut for AEW, again reverting to his Christian Cage moniker, and officially resuming his in-ring wrestling career. Following this, he won the
Impact World Championship The TNA World Championship is a professional wrestling Professional wrestling championship#World championships, world championship created and promoted by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). It is the promotion's principal championship. Like mo ...
on the first episode of '' AEW Rampage'' in 2021 (as AEW and Impact had a partnership at the time), and in 2023, he won his first title under the AEW banner in the AEW TNT Championship, which he has held twice. Additionally, he is a former one-time AEW World Trios Champion. In total, between WWE, AEW, and TNA, Cage has won 26 championships, including seven world championships and nine tag team titles and is regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time. He has headlined multiple
pay-per-view Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast service that enables a viewer to pay to watch individual events via private telecast. Events can be purchased through a multichannel television platform using their electronic program ...
events between
WWE World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...
, TNA and AEW, and was one of WWE's most prolific pay-per-view performers.


Early life

William Jason "Jay" Reso was born in
Kitchener, Ontario Kitchener is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario, about west of Toronto. It is one of three cities that make up the Regional Municipality of Waterloo and is the regional Administrative centre, seat. Kitchener was known as Berlin until a ...
, on November 30, 1973, the son of Canadian mother Carol and American father Randy Reso. He played
ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...
and was a wrestling fan as a child. He lived in Huntsville and East Luther-Grand Valley before moving to Orangeville, where he met Adam "Edge" Copeland, who became his best friend and tag team partner. They attended Orangeville District Secondary School together, from which they both graduated.


Professional wrestling career


Early career (1994–1998)

In September 1994, Reso enrolled in a wrestling school run by Ron Hutchison at Sully's Gym. One of his early ring names was Christian Cage, a combination of the names of actors
Christian Slater Christian Michael Leonard Slater (born August 18, 1969) is an American actor. He made his film debut with a leading role in '' The Legend of Billie Jean'' (1985) and gained wider recognition for his breakout role as Jason "J.D." Dean, a sociopath ...
and
Nicolas Cage Nicolas Kim Coppola (born January 7, 1964), known professionally as Nicolas Cage, is an American actor and film producer. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Nicolas Cage, various accolades, including an Academy A ...
. Cage's wrestling career began in June 1995 in a match against Zakk Wyld, which resulted in a draw. In 1997, he was a part of Thug Life, a
stable A stable is a building in which working animals are kept, especially horses or oxen. The building is usually divided into stalls, and may include storage for equipment and feed. Styles There are many different types of stables in use tod ...
that included Joe E. Legend, Zakk Wyld, Rhino Richards, and Copeland (under the name Sexton Hardcastle). As a tag team on the Canadian
independent circuit In professional wrestling, the independent circuit (often shortened to the indie circuit or the indies) is the collective name of independently owned promotions which are deemed to be smaller and more regionalized than major national promotions. ...
, Reso and Copeland were known as High Impact and later The Suicide Blondes. The duo held titles in numerous promotions and competed in the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
and
Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
. Reso won the
East Coast Wrestling Association East Coast Wrestling Association (ECWA) is an American professional wrestling promotion, founded in 1967 by promoter Jim Kettner. It is home to the annual Super 8 Tournament, one of the longest-running independent wrestling tournaments in the co ...
(ECWA) Heavyweight Championship on July 18, 1998, which he held until October 15, 1999. When Copeland received a tryout match with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), Reso went with him and they faced off in a non-televised tryout match, which Copeland was booked to win. After the tryout, once Copeland was promoted from his developmental status to touring with the WWF, he put in a good word for Reso and got him invited to Dory Funk Jr.'s WWF-affiliated Funking Conservatory training camp in 1998. After completing his training at the conservatory, Reso signed a contract with the WWF to become a full-time performer.


World Wrestling Federation/World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) (1998–2005)


The Brood (1998–1999)

When Reso came to the WWF, he shortened his
ring name A ring name is a type of stage name or nickname used by an athlete such as a professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, or boxer whose real name is considered unattractive, dull, difficult to pronounce or spell, amusing for the wrong reasons ...
to Christian. Christian made his television debut as a
heel The heel is the prominence at the posterior end of the foot. It is based on the projection of one bone, the calcaneus or heel bone, behind the articulation of the bones of the lower leg. Structure To distribute the compressive forces exerted ...
at WWF's pay-per-view event Breakdown: In Your House on September 27, distracting
Edge Edge or EDGE may refer to: Technology Computing * Edge computing, a network load-balancing system * Edge device, an entry point to a computer network * Adobe Edge, a graphical development application * Microsoft Edge, a web browser developed by ...
during his match against
Owen Hart Owen James Hart (May 7, 1965 – May 23, 1999) was a Canadian-American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler who worked for several promotions including Stampede Wrestling, New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), World Championship Wrestling (W ...
to reveal his allegiance to Gangrel. Christian won the
WWF Light Heavyweight Championship The WWF Light Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling championship in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) promotion. The title was challenged by light heavyweights at a maximum weight of 215 lbs (before deactivation ...
in his debut match against Taka Michinoku at Judgment Day: In Your House on October 18. He lost the title to Gillberg a month later. Christian was given the character of a
vampire A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead humanoid creatures that often visited loved ones and c ...
and formed an alliance with Gangrel and Edge, who ( in storyline) was finally persuaded to join what became known as The Brood. At Rock Bottom: In Your House on December 13, The Brood defeated The J.O.B. Squad in a six-man tag team match, then they briefly feuded with
The Undertaker Mark William Calaway (born March 24, 1965), better known by his ring name the Undertaker, is an American retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, Calaway ...
's
Ministry of Darkness The Ministry of Darkness was a villainous professional wrestling stable in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) in 1998-1999 during the Attitude Era. Led by The Undertaker, the Ministry was a controversial group with pseudo-witchcra ...
and later joining the team, but upon learning that Christian was beaten into telling
Ken Shamrock Kenneth Wayne Shamrock ( né Kilpatrick; born February 11, 1964) is an American retired professional wrestler and mixed martial artist. He is currently signed to WWE under a Legends contract, under the ring name Ken Shamrock. He is best known ...
the whereabouts of
Stephanie McMahon Stephanie Marie McMahon Levesque ( ; ; born September 24, 1976) is an American businesswoman and retired professional wrestler. She is known for her various roles within WWE between 1998 and 2023. The daughter of Vince McMahon, Vince and Lind ...
, The Undertaker punished Christian by
flogging Flagellation (Latin , 'whip'), flogging or whipping is the act of beating the human body with special implements such as whips, rods, switches, the cat o' nine tails, the sjambok, the knout, etc. Typically, flogging has been imposed ...
him. More loyal to The Brood than to The Ministry, Edge and Gangrel betrayed The Undertaker and rescued Christian from sacrifice.


Tag Team prominence with Edge (1999–2001)

In 1999, Christian and Edge parted ways with Gangrel, who associated himself with
The Hardy Boyz The Hardy Boyz are an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of brothers Jeff Hardy, Jeff and Matt Hardy. They are both signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where they are former three time TNA Tag Team Championship, TNA ...
(
Jeff Jeff is a masculine name, often a short form (hypocorism) of the English given name Jefferson or Jeffrey, which comes from a medieval variant of Geoffrey. Music * DJ Jazzy Jeff, American DJ/turntablist record producer Jeffrey Allen Townes ...
and
Matt Hardy Matthew Moore Hardy (born September 23, 1974) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where he a former List of TNA World Tag Team Champions, three time TNA Wor ...
) to form The New Brood. As a result, they began feuding with The Hardy Boyz and competed in a
ladder match A ladder match is a type of match in professional wrestling, most commonly one in which an item (usually a title belt) is hung above the ring, and the winner is the contestant who climbs a ladder and retrieves the item. The ladder itself become ...
for the managerial services of Terri Runnels and $100,000 at No Mercy on October 17, which The Hardy Boyz won. At WrestleMania 2000 on April 2, Edge and Christian defeated The Hardy Boyz and
The Dudley Boyz The Dudley Boyz (also known as Team 3D) are an American professional wrestling tag team who consisted of kayfabe half-brothers Bubba Ray Dudley and D-Von Dudley. The team was also joined by various Dudley Brothers, Dudley family members, notably ...
(
Bubba Ray Dudley Mark LoMonaco (born July 14, 1971), known by his ring name Bubba Ray Dudley (also spelled Buh-Buh Ray Dudley), is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE under a legends contract. He is best known for being ...
and
D-Von Dudley Devon Hughes ( ; born August 1, 1972) is an American retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, under a legends contract. He is best known for performing in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) from 1995 to 1999 a ...
) to win their first WWF Tag Team Championship in a
triangle A triangle is a polygon with three corners and three sides, one of the basic shapes in geometry. The corners, also called ''vertices'', are zero-dimensional points while the sides connecting them, also called ''edges'', are one-dimension ...
ladder match A ladder match is a type of match in professional wrestling, most commonly one in which an item (usually a title belt) is hung above the ring, and the winner is the contestant who climbs a ladder and retrieves the item. The ladder itself become ...
, which ultimately led to the creation of the Tables, Ladders and Chairs (TLC) match. At
Backlash Backlash may refer to: Literature * '' Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women'', a 1991 book by Susan Faludi * ''Backlash'' (Star Wars novel), a 2010 novel by Aaron Allston * Backlash (Marc Slayton), a comic book character from ...
on April 30, Edge and Christian defeated
Road Dogg Brian Girard James (born May 20, 1969) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he serves as the Senior Vice President of Live Events. James was best known for his initial tenure with World Wrestling Federation (WWF, n ...
and X-Pac to retain titles. At
Judgment Day The Last Judgment is a concept found across the Abrahamic religions and the '' Frashokereti'' of Zoroastrianism. Christianity considers the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to entail the final judgment by God of all people who have ever lived, res ...
on May 21, Christian, Edge and Kurt Angle lost a six-man tag team match to
Rikishi A , or, more colloquially, , is a sumo wrestler. Although used to define all wrestlers participating in sumo wrestling matches, the term is more commonly used to refer to professional wrestlers, employed by the Japan Sumo Association, who par ...
and Too Cool, to whom they lost the titles soon after only to win them back in a four corners elimination match at King of the Ring on June 25. At Fully Loaded on July 23, Edge and Christian lost to The Acolytes Protection Agency ( Bradshaw and Faarooq) by disqualification, but they retained the titles. Following their victory, Edge and Christian portrayed themselves as heels, shifting their in-ring personas from borderline goth to a comedic pair of "cool dudes". During this time, their trademark became the "five second pose", where they performed a pose in the ring for five seconds "for the benefit of those with flash photography" to mock, insult, or amuse the fans. At
SummerSlam SummerSlam is a professional wrestling event, produced annually since 1988 by the world's largest professional wrestling promotion, WWE. Dubbed "The Biggest Party of the Summer", it is considered WWE's second biggest event of the year behind th ...
on August 27, the Edge and Christian successfully defended the tag team titles in the first ever TLC match against The Hardy Boyz and The Dudley Boyz. At
Unforgiven ''Unforgiven'' is a 1992 American revisionist Western film produced and directed by Clint Eastwood from a screenplay by David Webb Peoples. It stars Eastwood as William Munny, an aging outlaw and killer who takes on one more job years after ...
on September 24, Edge and Christian lost the titles against The Hardy Boyz in a
steel cage match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Gimmick, gimmick matches" in the Glossary of professional wrestling terms, jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick m ...
and were not allowed another title shot. At No Mercy on October 22, Edge and Christian (disguised as
Los Conquistadores Los Conquistadores were a heel jobber professional wrestling tag team in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), consisting of two masked wrestlers known as ''One'' (or Spanish ''Uno'' for "one") and ''Two'' (or Spanish ''Dos'' for "two"). The o ...
) defeated The Hardys for the titles. The next night on '' Raw Is War'', The Hardy Boyz dressed as the Los Conquistadores and defeated Edge in a handicap match after Christian was taken out backstage to regain the WWF Tag Team Championship. At
Survivor Series Survivor Series, branded as Survivor Series: WarGames since 2022, is a professional wrestling event produced annually since 1987 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Held in November generally the week of Thanksgiving ( ...
on November 19, Edge and Christian teamed with Right to Censor's Bull Buchanan and The Goodfather in a four-on-four Survivor Series elimination match which they lost to The Dudleys and The Hardyz. At
Armageddon Armageddon ( ; ; ; from ) is the prophesied gathering of armies for a battle during the end times, according to the Book of Revelation in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. Armageddon is variously interpreted as either a literal or a ...
on December 10, Edge and Christian regained the tag team titles in a fatal four-way match involving The Dudley Boyz, K-Kwik and Road Dogg and The Right to Censor, but they lost them eight days later to The Rock and
The Undertaker Mark William Calaway (born March 24, 1965), better known by his ring name the Undertaker, is an American retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, Calaway ...
only to win them back days later on ''
SmackDown! ''WWE SmackDown'', also known as ''Friday Night SmackDown'' or simply ''SmackDown'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE. It airs live every Friday at 8 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on USA Network in the United ...
'' thanks to special guest referee Kurt Angle. At the
Royal Rumble The Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. It is named after, and centered on, the Royal Rumble match, a modified Battle royal (professional wre ...
on January 21, 2001, Edge and Christian lost the WWF Tag Team Championship to The Dudley Boyz. At No Way Out on February 25, Edge and Christian were unsuccessful in regaining the tag team titles, but they eventually recaptured them in the second ever TLC match at WrestleMania X-Seven on April 1. On the April 19 episode of ''SmackDown!'', Edge and Christian were defeated by The Brothers of Destruction ( Kane and The Undertaker) for the WWF Tag Team Championship. At
Backlash Backlash may refer to: Literature * '' Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women'', a 1991 book by Susan Faludi * ''Backlash'' (Star Wars novel), a 2010 novel by Aaron Allston * Backlash (Marc Slayton), a comic book character from ...
on April 29, Christian was part of the triple threat match for the WWF European Championship which was won by Matt Hardy. At
Judgment Day The Last Judgment is a concept found across the Abrahamic religions and the '' Frashokereti'' of Zoroastrianism. Christianity considers the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to entail the final judgment by God of all people who have ever lived, res ...
on May 21, Edge and Christian competed in a tag team turmoil match which was won by
Chris Benoit Christopher Michael Benoit ( ; May 21, 1967 – June 24, 2007) was a Canadian Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He worked for various pro-wrestling promotions during his 22-year career, but is notorious for Chris Benoit double-murd ...
and
Chris Jericho Christopher Keith Irvine (born November 9, 1970), better known by the ring name Chris Jericho, is an American-Canadian professional wrestler, rock musician, and actor. As a wrestler, he has been signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) , where he ...
. On the May 24 episode of ''SmackDown!'', Edge and Christian competed in a fatal four-way tag team TLC match for the WWF Tag Team Championship in which Benoit and Jericho retained the tag team titles. After losing the tag team titles, friction arose within the team after Edge won the 2001 King of the Ring tournament on June 24. It was also during this time that Edge was becoming a
face The face is the front of the head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may affect th ...
during The Invasion storyline. Christian briefly turned face to help feud with The Alliance. Christian turned heel shortly afterward, resulting in the two feuding for Edge's WWF Intercontinental Championship for several months.


The Un-Americans (2001–2002)

At
Unforgiven ''Unforgiven'' is a 1992 American revisionist Western film produced and directed by Clint Eastwood from a screenplay by David Webb Peoples. It stars Eastwood as William Munny, an aging outlaw and killer who takes on one more job years after ...
on September 23, Christian defeated Edge to win his first Intercontinental Championship, but he lost it back to Edge in a ladder match at No Mercy on October 21. Christian won the WWF European Championship from Bradshaw on the November 1 episode of ''SmackDown!''. At
Rebellion Rebellion is an uprising that resists and is organized against one's government. A rebel is a person who engages in a rebellion. A rebel group is a consciously coordinated group that seeks to gain political control over an entire state or a ...
on November 3, Christian faced Edge in a steel cage match for the Intercontinental Championship, but he failed to win the title. At
Survivor Series Survivor Series, branded as Survivor Series: WarGames since 2022, is a professional wrestling event produced annually since 1987 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Held in November generally the week of Thanksgiving ( ...
on November 18, Christian defeated Al Snow to retain the European Championship. Christian lost the European Championship to
Diamond Dallas Page } Dallas Page (born Page Joseph Falkinburg Jr., April 5, 1956), is an American fitness instructor, actor, and retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE under a Legends contract, under the ring name Di ...
on the January 31, 2002 episode of ''SmackDown!''. After a series of defeats, Christian announced he would quit the WWF, but Page persuaded him to reconsider and adopted him as his protégé. Christian betrayed Page and faced off against him for the European Championship at WrestleMania X8 on March 17, but he lost. Christian began throwing tantrums in his gimmick at the time whenever things did not go his way and during the same event defeated Mighty Molly to win the WWF Hardcore Championship, but lost the title to
Maven MAVEN is a NASA spacecraft orbiting Mars to study the loss of that planet's atmospheric gases to space, providing insight into the history of the planet's climate and water. The name is an acronym for "Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution" w ...
later that night. On the March 25 episode of ''Raw'', Christian was drafted to the
SmackDown! ''WWE SmackDown'', also known as ''Friday Night SmackDown'' or simply ''SmackDown'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE. It airs live every Friday at 8 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on USA Network in the United ...
brand as part of the 2002 WWF draft lottery. Christian formed an alliance with fellow Canadian wrestler
Lance Storm Lance Timothy Evers (; born April 3, 1969), known professionally by his ring name Lance Storm, is a Canadians, Canadian retired professional wrestler. He is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he works as a producer. He is best known ...
on the June 20 episode of ''SmackDown!''. On the June 27 episode of ''SmackDown!'', Test, another Canadian, joined their team, now called The Un-Americans. Christian and Storm won the WWE Tag Team Championship at Vengeance on July 21 by defeating Edge and Hollywood Hulk Hogan. The trio then defected from SmackDown! to the Raw brand, appearing on the July 29 episode of ''Raw'' to attack
The Undertaker Mark William Calaway (born March 24, 1965), better known by his ring name the Undertaker, is an American retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, Calaway ...
. The Un-Americans teamed with
Triple H Paul Michael Levesque (; born July 27, 1969), also known by the ring name Triple H, is an American business executive and former professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he serves as its chief content officer. Levesque began his wres ...
, to defeat WWE Undisputed Champion The Rock, The Undertaker and
Booker T Booker T or Booker T. may refer to * Booker T. Washington (1856–1915), African American political leader at the turn of the 20th century ** List of things named after Booker T. Washington, some nicknamed "Booker T." * Booker T. Jones (born 194 ...
and Goldust in an eight-man tag team match on the August 12 episode of ''Raw'', after Test pinned The Undertaker. At
SummerSlam SummerSlam is a professional wrestling event, produced annually since 1988 by the world's largest professional wrestling promotion, WWE. Dubbed "The Biggest Party of the Summer", it is considered WWE's second biggest event of the year behind th ...
on August 25, Christian and Storm retained the WWE Tag Team Championship against Booker T and Goldust, before interfering in Test's match with The Undertaker later in the night, only to be tossed out of the ring and for The Undertaker to defeat Test. On the August 26 episode of ''Raw'', the Un-Americans attempted to burn the American flag, but were stopped by Booker T, Goldust and a returning Kane. On the September 2 episode of ''Raw'',
William Regal Darren Kenneth Matthews (born 10 May 1968), better known by the ring name William Regal, is an English retired professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he serves as the vice-president of Global Talent Development. He is also known for ...
joined the team. Regal, an Englishman, was the only member of the team not of Canadian nationality. At
Unforgiven ''Unforgiven'' is a 1992 American revisionist Western film produced and directed by Clint Eastwood from a screenplay by David Webb Peoples. It stars Eastwood as William Munny, an aging outlaw and killer who takes on one more job years after ...
on September 22, The Un-Americans lost to Bubba Ray Dudley, Kane and Booker T and Goldust. The Un-Americans lost the WWE Tag Team Championship the next night on ''Raw'' to the team of The Hurricane and Kane. On the September 30 episode of ''Raw'', both Christian and Storm lost matches to
Randy Orton Randal Keith Orton (born April 1, 1980) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He has been signed to WWE since 2000, where he performs on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown brand. Orton is widely regarded as one of t ...
, while Regal and Test lost to
Rob Van Dam Robert Szatkowski (born December 18, 1970) better known by his ring name Rob Van Dam (frequently abbreviated to RVD) is an American professional wrestler. Known for his unique ring style—which includes his variety of kicks, acrobatic movemen ...
and
Tommy Dreamer Thomas James Laughlin (born February 13, 1971) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and professional wrestling promotion, promoter better known by the ring name Tommy Dreamer. He is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestli ...
. This led to all four members attacking each other, thus disbanding the team.


Teaming and feuding with Chris Jericho (2002–2004)

Christian formed a tag team with Chris Jericho and competed in a fatal four-way tag team TLC match for the World Tag Team Championship on the October 7 special episode of ''Raw Roulette'', involving Kane, Jeff Hardy and
Rob Van Dam Robert Szatkowski (born December 18, 1970) better known by his ring name Rob Van Dam (frequently abbreviated to RVD) is an American professional wrestler. Known for his unique ring style—which includes his variety of kicks, acrobatic movemen ...
and Bubba Ray and
Spike Dudley Matthew Jonathan Hyson (born August 13, 1970) is an American semi-retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler best known for his tenure in WWE, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) as Spike Dudley. Prior to WWE, Hyson began performing ...
. Despite Kane's partner the Hurricane being absent from the match, he still retained the title. Christian and Jericho won the titles the next week on the October 14 episode of ''Raw''. At
Armageddon Armageddon ( ; ; ; from ) is the prophesied gathering of armies for a battle during the end times, according to the Book of Revelation in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. Armageddon is variously interpreted as either a literal or a ...
on December 15, Christian and Jericho lost the World Tag Team Championship to Booker T and Goldust in a fatal four-way elimination match also involving the teams of The Dudley Boyz and Lance Storm and William Regal. On January 19, 2003, Christian entered the Royal Rumble match at the
Royal Rumble The Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. It is named after, and centered on, the Royal Rumble match, a modified Battle royal (professional wre ...
and was eliminated by Jericho. After a short absence, Christian returned on the April 7 episode of ''Raw'', self-proclaiming himself as the new "People's Champion" and began calling his fans "The Peeps" after receiving advice and endorsement from The Rock. On the May 5 episode of ''Raw'', Christian faced Goldberg, but the match ended in a no contest when 3-Minute Warning got involved which led to a rematch on the May 12 episode of ''Raw'', where Christian lost to Goldberg in a steel cage match. At
Judgment Day The Last Judgment is a concept found across the Abrahamic religions and the '' Frashokereti'' of Zoroastrianism. Christianity considers the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to entail the final judgment by God of all people who have ever lived, res ...
on May 18, Christian went on to win a nine-man over-the-top-rope
battle royal Battle royal (, also battle royale) traditionally refers to a fight involving many combatants, usually conducted under either boxing or wrestling rules, where the winner is the one who registers the most wins. In recent times, the term has been ...
for his second Intercontinental Championship. Christian lost the Intercontinental Championship to Booker T on the July 7 episode of ''Raw'', but he regained it after Booker T was legitimately injured at a
house show A house show (also commonly called a live event) is a professional wrestling event produced by a major Professional wrestling promotion, promotion that is not televised, though they can be recorded. Promotions use house shows mainly to cash in o ...
on August 10. At
Unforgiven ''Unforgiven'' is a 1992 American revisionist Western film produced and directed by Clint Eastwood from a screenplay by David Webb Peoples. It stars Eastwood as William Munny, an aging outlaw and killer who takes on one more job years after ...
on September 21, Christian defeated Chris Jericho and Rob Van Dam to retain the title in a triple threat match, but later lost the title to Van Dam in a ladder match on the September 29 episode of ''Raw''. At
Survivor Series Survivor Series, branded as Survivor Series: WarGames since 2022, is a professional wrestling event produced annually since 1987 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Held in November generally the week of Thanksgiving ( ...
on November 16, Christian was a part of Team Bischoff taking on Team Austin and during the match he eliminated Bubba Ray Dudley before he was eliminated by
Shawn Michaels Shawn Michaels (born Michael Shawn Hickenbottom on July 22, 1965) is an American retired professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he is the Senior Vice President of Talent Development, Creative, and oversees the creative aspects of th ...
, though in the end Team Bischoff eventually won the match. At
Armageddon Armageddon ( ; ; ; from ) is the prophesied gathering of armies for a battle during the end times, according to the Book of Revelation in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. Armageddon is variously interpreted as either a literal or a ...
on December 14, Christian and Jericho defeated Lita and Trish Stratus in an intergender tag team match billed as the "Battle of the Sexes." At WrestleMania XX on March 14, 2004, Christian faced Jericho in a singles match with Stratus on Jericho's side, but Stratus accidentally struck Jericho, allowing Christian to defeat Jericho. Stratus then joined forces with Christian, becoming his on-screen girlfriend in the process. As Christian feuded with Jericho, he introduced his own personal
bodyguard A bodyguard (or close protection officer/operative) is a type of security guard, government law enforcement officer, or servicemember who protects an very important person, important person or group of people, such as high-ranking public offic ...
, Tyson Tomko, which he dubbed his personal "problem solver". At
Backlash Backlash may refer to: Literature * '' Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women'', a 1991 book by Susan Faludi * ''Backlash'' (Star Wars novel), a 2010 novel by Aaron Allston * Backlash (Marc Slayton), a comic book character from ...
on April 18, Christian and Stratus faced Jericho in an intergender
handicap match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Gimmick, gimmick matches" in the Glossary of professional wrestling terms, jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick m ...
which they lost. During a steel cage match against Jericho on the May 10 episode of ''Raw'' which he lost, Christian suffered a severe back injury, causing him to miss almost four months of in-ring action. Christian returned on the August 30 episode of ''Raw'', attacking Jericho and thus resuming their feud. The two had a ladder match for the vacant Intercontinental Championship at
Unforgiven ''Unforgiven'' is a 1992 American revisionist Western film produced and directed by Clint Eastwood from a screenplay by David Webb Peoples. It stars Eastwood as William Munny, an aging outlaw and killer who takes on one more job years after ...
on September 12, which Christian lost, ending their feud.


Final storylines and departure (2004–2005)

At
Survivor Series Survivor Series, branded as Survivor Series: WarGames since 2022, is a professional wrestling event produced annually since 1987 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Held in November generally the week of Thanksgiving ( ...
on November 14, Christian failed to win the Intercontinental Championship from Shelton Benjamin. At
New Year's Revolution WWE New Year's Revolution is a professional wrestling event produced by WWE, a professional wrestling promotion based in Connecticut. The event was created in 2005 and its name is a play on the Western tradition of New Year's resolutions, being ...
on January 9, 2005, Christian and Tyson Tomko faced Eugene and William Regal for the World Tag Team Championship, but they failed to win the titles. At the
Royal Rumble The Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. It is named after, and centered on, the Royal Rumble match, a modified Battle royal (professional wre ...
on January 30, Christian competed in the Royal Rumble match, but he was eliminated by eventual winner
Batista Batista is a Spanish language, Spanish or Portuguese language, Portuguese surname. Notable persons with the name include: * Batista (footballer, born 1955), Brazilian football player João Batista da Silva * Dave Bautista, Batista (wrestler) (Dave ...
. Christian participated in the first-ever
Money in the Bank ladder match The Money in the Bank ladder match is a multi-person ladder match held by the professional wrestling promotion WWE. First performed at WWE's annual WrestleMania event beginning in 2005, a separate WWE Money in the Bank, Money in the Bank event w ...
at
WrestleMania 21 WrestleMania 21, also promoted as WrestleMania Goes Hollywood, was a 2005 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was the 21st annual WrestleMania and took place on April 3, 2005, at ...
on April 3, but he failed to win as the match was won by
Edge Edge or EDGE may refer to: Technology Computing * Edge computing, a network load-balancing system * Edge device, an entry point to a computer network * Adobe Edge, a graphical development application * Microsoft Edge, a web browser developed by ...
. Following this, Christian, who had an encounter with
SmackDown! ''WWE SmackDown'', also known as ''Friday Night SmackDown'' or simply ''SmackDown'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE. It airs live every Friday at 8 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on USA Network in the United ...
wrestler
John Cena John Felix Anthony Cena ( ; born April 23, 1977) is an American actor and professional wrestler. As a wrestler, he has been signed to WWE , where he is the current WWE Championship, Undisputed WWE Champion in his record 14th reign, which is ...
, began commenting on Cena, claiming he was a better rapper than Cena and denouncing him as " poseur" while being noticeably cheered during these segments. Soon after, then- WWE Champion Cena was drafted to the Raw brand on the June 6 episode of ''Raw'', where Cena successfully defended the WWE Championship in a triple threat match against Christian and Chris Jericho at Vengeance on June 26. On the June 30 episode of ''SmackDown!'', Christian was drafted to the SmackDown! brand in the 2005 WWE draft lottery and replaced
Big Show Paul Donald Wight II (born February 8, 1972) is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) under his real name of Paul Wight. He is best known for his tenure with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) f ...
(who was drafted to Raw) in a six-man elimination match for the newly created SmackDown! Championship, but he lost to John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL). Soon after, Christian was given his own interview segment on ''SmackDown!'' called ''The Peep Show''. At The Great American Bash on July 24, Christian faced
Booker T Booker T or Booker T. may refer to * Booker T. Washington (1856–1915), African American political leader at the turn of the 20th century ** List of things named after Booker T. Washington, some nicknamed "Booker T." * Booker T. Jones (born 194 ...
in a losing effort. At No Mercy on October 9, Christian competed in a fatal four-way match for the United States Championship which was won by Chris Benoit. On October 31, his contract with WWE expired. According to wrestling journalist
Dave Meltzer David Allen Meltzer (born October 24, 1959) is an American journalist, author, and historian who reports on professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. Since 1983, he has been the publisher and editor of the ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter' ...
, Reso was asked on the spot to sign a new contract, but he declined. According to Reso, during his feud with John Cena he noticed that, despite his popularity, the WWE didn't see him as a main eventer and needed to prove himself. His last match occurred during the tapings for the November 4 episode of ''SmackDown!'', where he and JBL lost to Rey Mysterio and
Matt Hardy Matthew Moore Hardy (born September 23, 1974) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where he a former List of TNA World Tag Team Champions, three time TNA Wor ...
. Despite his quitting, Christian appeared on the October 31 episode of ''Raw'' and at Taboo Tuesday on November 1. Before leaving WWE, Reso filed to trademark the nickname of "Captain Charisma", which allowed him to use it as Christian Cage in
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (abbreviated as TNA Wrestling or TNA) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment, a Canadian media company owned by busines ...
(TNA), but after WWE disputed the trademark claim by citing a provision in the terms of his old contract he stopped officially using it on TNA programming by the summer of 2006, calling himself "The Instant Classic" from early 2007 onwards although he still continued to be referred to as "Captain Charisma" in off-screen appearances and sometimes wore his "Captain Charisma" entrance jumpsuits to the ring at live events.


Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2005–2008, 2012)


NWA World Heavyweight Champion (2005–2007)

On November 13, 2005, Reso made his debut as a face in
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (abbreviated as TNA Wrestling or TNA) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment, a Canadian media company owned by busines ...
(TNA) at TNA's pay-per-view event
Genesis Genesis may refer to: Religion * Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of humankind * Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Bo ...
under his old ring name Christian Cage. He announced his intentions to win the
NWA World Heavyweight Championship The NWA World's Heavyweight Championship is a men's professional wrestling Professional wrestling championship#World championships, world heavyweight championship owned and promoted by the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), an American professiona ...
held by
Jeff Jarrett Jeffrey Leonard Jarrett (born July 14, 1967) is an American professional wrestler and professional wrestling promoter. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he both wrestles and serves as Director of Business Development. He is also ...
and rejected joining Scott D'Amore's faction, Team Canada. Cage would defeat
Monty Brown Montaque "Monty" Brown (born April 13, 1970) is an American retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and National Football League, NFL linebacker. In professional wrestling, he is best known for his time with Total Nonstop Action W ...
at Turning Point on December 11 to become number one contender to the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. At Final Resolution on January 15, 2006, Cage teamed with Sting to defeat the team of Monty Brown and Jeff Jarrett. and defeated Jarrett for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship at Against All Odds on February 12. Cage had his first title defence at Destination X on March 12, where he defeated Brown to retain the title. On the March 25 and April 1 respective ''Impact!'' episodes,
Abyss Abyss may refer to: Religion * Abyss (religion), a bottomless pit, or a passage to the underworld * Abyss (Thelema), a spiritual principle within the system of Thelema Film and television * ''The Abyss'' (1910 film), a Danish silent film s ...
, his manager Father James Mitchell and
Alex Shelley Patrick Kenneth Martin (born May 23, 1983), better known by the ring name Alex Shelley, is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown brand. He is widely known for his tenure ...
showed two pre-taped video packages that had been compiled in the weeks before the episodes, with first on March 25 depicting Mitchell stalking Cage's wife Denise, confronting her and even threatening that "they were coming". The second aired on April 1, with Abyss, accompanied by Mitchell and Shelley, who was taping the segment with a camcorder like the previous video package, attacking Cage at his home in
Tampa, Florida Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...
and nearly drowning Cage in his own pool. This storyline led to Cage facing Abyss at
Lockdown A lockdown () is a restriction policy for people, community or a country to stay where they are, usually due to specific risks that could possibly harm the people if they move and interact freely. The term is used for a prison protocol that us ...
on April 23 in a six sides of steel cage match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, with Cage winning and attempting after the match to attack Mitchell and gain revenge for all his recent evil deeds against Cage and his family, but Abyss stopped him, took a steel chain, wrapped it around Cage's neck and attempted to hang him with it until he passed out, after which Abyss and Mitchell stole the title belt and left the arena. The storyline between Abyss and Mitchell and Cage continued until
Sacrifice Sacrifice is an act or offering made to a deity. A sacrifice can serve as propitiation, or a sacrifice can be an offering of praise and thanksgiving. Evidence of ritual animal sacrifice has been seen at least since ancient Hebrews and Gree ...
on May 14, where Cage defeated Abyss to retain the NWA World Heavyweight Championship under Full Metal Mayhem rules. At Slammiversary on June 18, Cage lost the NWA World Heavyweight Championship to Jeff Jarrett in a King of the Mountain match, which also involved Abyss, Ron Killings and Sting.
Larry Zbyszko Lawrence Whistler (born December 5, 1951), better known by the ring name Larry Zbyszko, is an American retired professional wrestler. He is perhaps best known for his Feud (professional wrestling), feud with his mentor, Bruno Sammartino, during ...
and
referee A referee is an official, in a variety of sports and competition, responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport, including sportsmanship decisions such as ejection. The official tasked with this job may be known by a variety of other title ...
Earl Hebner Earl William Hebner (born May 17, 1949) is an American retired professional wrestling referee. He is best known for his time as senior referee for the World Wrestling Federation (now WWE) from 1988 to 2005. Hebner (along with his identical twi ...
intervened at the end of the match by helping Jarrett win. The title was declared vacant until TNA's main authority figure at the time, Management Director
Jim Cornette James Mark Cornette (born September 17, 1961) is an American author, sports historian, and podcaster who previously worked in the professional wrestling industry as an agent, booker, color commentator, manager, photographer, promoter, tra ...
, awarded the title belt back to Jarrett on the June 29 episode of ''Impact!'' on the condition that he defend it against the winner of a four-way match involving Cage,
Samoa Joe Nuufolau Joel Seanoa (born March 17, 1979), better known by the ring name Samoa Joe, is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of the Opps, and is one-third of the AEW Worl ...
,
Scott Steiner Scott Rechsteiner (born July 29, 1962), better known by the ring name Scott Steiner, is an American professional wrestler. Steiner is perhaps best known for his time in World Championship Wrestling (WCW), and has also wrestled for Jim Crockett ...
and Sting at Victory Road on July 16. Jarrett agreed to the condition and Sting became the new number one contender at Victory Road. After Victory Road, Cage befriended the new number one contender Sting on the July 27 episode of ''Impact!'' by asking for forgiveness for doubting Sting's agenda by coming to TNA in January of that year. Cage went on to say that he had asked Cornette the week before if he could be in Sting's corner in his match with Jarrett for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship at Hard Justice on August 13, but Cornette had told him he needed Sting's approval. Sting accepted Cage's offer, with interviewer and occasional
ring announcer A ring announcer is an in-ring (and sometimes on-camera) employee or contractor for a boxing, professional wrestling or mixed martial arts event or promotion, who introduces the competitors to the audience. In boxing and mixed martial arts bouts ...
Jeremy Borash Jeremy Borash (born July 19, 1974) is an American professional wrestling play-by-play commentator, announcer, ring announcer, booker, interviewer, and producer, working for WWE as Vice President of Content and Development. He is known for his ...
announcing Sting's decision in a backstage segment on the August 3 episode of ''Impact!''. At Hard Justice, Cage was in Sting's corner at Hard Justice as he faced Jarrett (with Scott Steiner in his corner) and during the contest interfered to help Sting win numerous times—as did Steiner for Jarrett—until Cage turned on Sting by taking Jarrett's signature guitar and bashing it over his head—
turning Turning is a machining process in which a cutting tool, typically a non-rotary tool bit, describes a helix toolpath by moving more or less linearly while the workpiece rotates. Usually the term "turning" is reserved for the generation of ...
heel in the process. Cage then allowed Jarrett to pin Sting and retain the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. After Hard Justice, Cage began a feud with
Rhino A rhinoceros ( ; ; ; : rhinoceros or rhinoceroses), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant taxon, extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates (perissodactyls) in the family (biology), famil ...
as Rhino questioned Cage on his actions at Hard Justice on the August 17 episode of ''Impact!'', but Cage replied saying he did it for the good of TNA. Cage went on to explain later in the episode during a sit-down interview with TNA commentator
Mike Tenay Michael William Tenay (born March 1, 1955) is an American podcast presenter and retired professional wrestling play-by-play announcer known for his time as an announcer for World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. T ...
that he attacked Sting because he felt Sting did not show enough passion during the encounter to "get the job done" and win the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. The following week on ''Impact!'', Cage came down to the ring where he addressed his attack on Sting further until he was interrupted by Rhino, who attacked after a small debate, starting a brawl between the two which came to an end after Cage laid Rhino's head on a steel chair, picked up another chair and bashed it over the outside of Rhino's head performing a one-man con-chair-to in the process. This led to a match against Rhino at No Surrender on September 24, which Cage won. A rematch was held at Bound for Glory on October 22, which Cage also won under 8 Mile Street Fight rules. They had their final bout on the November 16 episode of ''Impact!'', where Cage defeated Rhino in a barbed wire six sides of steel cage match. Cage's old WWE enforcer Tyson Tomko (now going simply by Tomko) made his TNA debut on the November 23 episode of ''Impact!'' helping Cage in a match against Sting. With Tomko at his side, Cage set his sights on the NWA World Heavyweight Championship now held by Abyss and at Turning Point on December 10 fought Abyss and Sting in a three-way match for the title, but he failed to win the match as Abyss won to retain the championship after pinning Sting. Cage fought for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship once again at Final Resolution on January 14, 2007 against Abyss and Sting, this time in a
three-way elimination match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called " gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a storyline. ...
that he won by pinning Sting after Abyss was already eliminated to win the championship. After Final Resolution, Cage prepared for his title defence against the new number one contender
Kurt Angle Kurt Steven Angle (born December 9, 1968) is an American retired professional wrestler and amateur wrestling, amateur wrestler. He first earned recognition for winning a Wrestling at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Men's freestyle 100 kg, gold me ...
, who had defeated Samoa Joe in a 30-minute Iron Man match at Final Resolution to gain the opportunity. Heading into their encounter at Against All Odds on February 11, Cage announced on the January 17 episode of ''Impact!'' that he had hired a special consultant to assist him in training for his bout with Angle. This consultant was revealed on the February 8 episode of ''Impact!'', who turned out to be
Scott Steiner Scott Rechsteiner (born July 29, 1962), better known by the ring name Scott Steiner, is an American professional wrestler. Steiner is perhaps best known for his time in World Championship Wrestling (WCW), and has also wrestled for Jim Crockett ...
after he attacked Angle following a match pitting the team of Angle and Joe against Cage and A.J. Styles. Cage went on to retain the NWA World Heavyweight Championship against Angle at Against All Odds with Joe as the unofficial special outside enforcer.


Christian's Coalition and departure (2007–2008)

On the March 8 episode of ''Impact!'', Cage proclaimed that he, Tomko and Scott Steiner were an "inseparable family", which he called Christian's Coalition. After a short feud with Samoa Joe, culminating in a victory for Cage at Destination X on March 11 for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, Cage was announced as a captain of a five-man team for the Lethal Lockdown match at
Lockdown A lockdown () is a restriction policy for people, community or a country to stay where they are, usually due to specific risks that could possibly harm the people if they move and interact freely. The term is used for a prison protocol that us ...
against Team Angle during the March 15, 2007 episode of ''Impact!''. At Lockdown on April 15, Team Cage (Cage, Tomko, Steiner, A.J. Styles and Abyss) went on to lose to Team Angle (Angle, Joe, Rhino, Sting and Jeff Jarrett). A stipulation was added that the wrestler who got the pinfall would become number one contender for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship and have their title shot at
Sacrifice Sacrifice is an act or offering made to a deity. A sacrifice can serve as propitiation, or a sacrifice can be an offering of praise and thanksgiving. Evidence of ritual animal sacrifice has been seen at least since ancient Hebrews and Gree ...
. Sting was the individual who gained the pinfall victory for Team Angle and became the new number one contender. Abyss was later kicked out of the group after he attacked Cage on the April 19 episode of ''Impact!''. Steiner was the next to leave the group after he was attacked by Tomko following their NWA World Tag Team Championship match at Sacrifice. Cage was set to defend the NWA World Heavyweight Championship against Sting at Sacrifice, but Angle was added to the match on the May 3, 2007 episode of ''Impact!'', making it a three-way match. At Sacrifice on May 13, the
National Wrestling Alliance The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) is an American professional wrestling professional wrestling promotion, promotion and governing body owned by Billy Corgan and operated by its parent company Lightning One, Inc. Founded in 1948, the NWA be ...
(NWA), the owners of the NWA World Heavyweight and the NWA World Tag Team Championships, stripped Cage and Team 3D of the titles. NWA Executive Director Robert K. Trobich stated the reason was that Cage refused to defend the NWA world title at NWA live events. Cage, still holding the physical NWA world title belt, defended what was billed as the World Heavyweight Championship against Sting and Angle, who was the victor of said contest by making Sting submit (who had "technically" just pinned Cage at the very same moment) and was announced as the new World Heavyweight Champion. On the following episode of ''Impact!'', Angle came to the ring with a new championship belt in-tow and announced he was the new TNA World Heavyweight Champion, a
championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this sys ...
that TNA had just introduced at Sacrifice. Afterwards, Cage and Sting came to the ring and the three began to argue over who was the new TNA World Heavyweight Champion, but due to the controversial finish to their match at Sacrifice the title was declared vacant by Cornette and a tournament was held for the title which culminated in a King of the Mountain match at Slammiversary on June 17. Cage won entry into the match on the June 14 episode of ''Impact!'' by defeating Abyss. At Slammiversary, Cage failed to defeat the four other men (Styles, Joe, Angle and Chris Harris) and win the title as Angle hung the title belt to become the new and undisputed TNA World Heavyweight Champion. After defeating Harris at Victory Road on July 17 and him, Tomko and Styles losing to the team of Andrew Martin, Sting and Abyss at Hard Justice on August 12 in a Doomsday Chamber of Blood match to become number one contender to the TNA World Heavyweight Championship, Cage restarted his feud with Samoa Joe and the two met at No Surrender on September 9, where he defeated Joe by disqualification when Joe refused to release his
rear naked choke The rear naked choke (RNC), also known as hadaka jime (裸絞) in Judo and "lion killer choke (Mata Leão)" in BJJ, is a chokehold in martial arts applied from an opponent's back. The word ''naked'' in this context suggests that, unlike other stra ...
submission hold he had applied. The two had a rematch with Matt Morgan as the special outside enforcer at Bound for Glory on October 14, where Cage lost to Joe and ended his 23-month-long undefeated streak by not officially being pinned nor made to submit. Cage and Joe fought one more time on the October 18 episode of ''Impact!'', with a spot in the 2007 Fight for the Right tournament to become number one contender to the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. Cage defeated Joe to gain entry. Cage made it all the way to the final round of the tournament, where he fought Kaz on the November 8 episode of ''Impact!'', defeating Kaz due to interference from Styles and Tomko on Cage's behalf, but the match was declared a no contest, with the finals being determined in a ladder match at
Genesis Genesis may refer to: Religion * Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of humankind * Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Bo ...
on November 11. He lost the tournament final the second time around at Genesis. Later in the night, Styles and Tomko helped Angle retain the TNA World Heavyweight Championship during the main event as Cage looked on from the ramp. Styles and Tomko were later announced as members of Angle's new group, The Angle Alliance, which led to a title match between the two at Final Resolution on January 6, 2008 and also turning Cage face in the process. On the January 3 episode of ''Impact!'', Tomko left both Christian's Coalition and The Angle Alliance. Cage failed to win the title at Final Resolution as a result of Styles' betraying and attacking him during the bout, ending Christian's Coalition. At Against All Odds on February 10, Cage got a rematch against Angle with Samoa Joe as the special outside enforcer, but he once again was defeated by Angle as this time Tomko interfered and cost Cage the match. Cage teamed with Joe and
Kevin Nash Kevin Scott Nash (born July 9, 1959) is an American actor, podcaster and retired professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE under a legends contract. He is also known for his tenures in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Total Nonstop Ac ...
(known as The Unlikely Alliance) at Destination X on March 9 to defeat The Angle Alliance (Angle, Styles and Tomko) in a six-man tag team match. On the March 13 episode of ''Impact!'', Cage and Tomko were announced as opposing team captains for a Lethal Lockdown match at
Lockdown A lockdown () is a restriction policy for people, community or a country to stay where they are, usually due to specific risks that could possibly harm the people if they move and interact freely. The term is used for a prison protocol that us ...
. At Lockdown on April 13, Team Cage (Cage, Rhino, Nash, Morgan and Sting) went on to defeat Team Tomko (Tomko, Styles, Brother Devon, Brother Ray and
James Storm James Allen Cox (born June 1, 1977) is an American professional wrestler better known by the ring name James Storm. He currently competes on the independent circuit. He is best known for his time in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). He sta ...
) at the event. Afterwards, Cage and Rhino began competition as a regular tag team, with the pair being involved in The Deuce's Wild Tag Team Tournament for the vacant
TNA World Tag Team Championship The TNA World Tag Team Championship is a men's professional wrestling #World Tag Team Championship, world tag team championship (professional wrestling), championship which is owned by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) professional wrestlin ...
, but they failed to win the tournament and the championship at
Sacrifice Sacrifice is an act or offering made to a deity. A sacrifice can serve as propitiation, or a sacrifice can be an offering of praise and thanksgiving. Evidence of ritual animal sacrifice has been seen at least since ancient Hebrews and Gree ...
on May 11. At Slammiversary on June 8, Cage and Rhino were involved as single competitors in a King of the Mountain match for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship, but they failed to win the match. Cage and Rhino went on to team with Styles (who had made amends with Cage and Rhino) in a losing effort against Angle, Brother Devon, and Brother Ray in a Full Metal Mayhem match at Victory Road on July 13. At Hard Justice on August 10, Cage and Rhino defeated Team 3D in a New Jersey Street Fight. Cage was involved in a three-way match for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship against the champion Samoa Joe and Kurt Angle at No Surrender on September 13, but he failed to win the title. Cage then went on to participate in another three-way match against Styles and Booker T at Bound for Glory IV on October 12, which Booker T won. Cage was defeated in his final TNA match by Booker T for the newly established TNA Legends Championship at Turning Point on November 9, with the stipulation that if Cage lost, he would have to join the newly formed
Main Event Mafia The Main Event Mafia was an American professional wrestling Professional wrestling stable, stable in the United States, American Professional wrestling promotion, promotion Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). Beginning in 2008, the group includ ...
. On the November 13 episode of ''Impact!'', Cage had his final appearance in TNA before his contract expired as during the telecast he was to be inducted into The Main Event Mafia, but Cage was attacked and "injured" by Angle, Booker T, Nash and Scott Steiner after Angle learned that he would go back to WWE when his contract expired.


One night return (2012)

In 2012, Reso made a one night return to TNA at Slammiversary 10 under his old ring name Christian Cage to announce the number one moment in TNA history as voted by the TNA fans (Sting's 2006 return in the aforementioned Final Resolution tag team main event). This was part of a deal which in return WWE were able to use
Ric Flair Richard Morgan Fliehr (born February 25, 1949), known professionally as Ric Flair, is an American retired professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, Flair's career spanned 50 years. He is ...
in programming and induct him into the
WWE Hall of Fame The WWE Hall of Fame is a List of halls and walks of fame, hall of fame which honors professional wrestlers and professional wrestling personalities maintained by WWE. Originally known as the "WWF Hall of Fame", it was created in 1993 when An ...
as a member of the Four Horsemen stable.


Independent circuit (2006)

In March 2006, Reso competed as Christian Cage three times in the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
for the
One Pro Wrestling One Pro Wrestling (abbreviated as 1PW) was a British professional wrestling Professional wrestling promotion, promotion. 1PW was founded in 2005 by Steven Gauntley. Originally run by the now defunct retail chain 1 Up Games, the company's headq ...
(1PW) promotion. His first appearance was on March 4 at their All or Nothing: Night 1 event, where he defeated Rhino. His second appearance was at 1PW's Know Your Enemy: Night 1 event on May 26, defeating Steve Corino. At Know Your Enemy: Night 2 event on May 27, 2006, Cage fought against the champion Abyss and Corino for the 1PW World Heavyweight Championship in a three-way dance, but failed to win as Corino gained the fall and the title. In May 2006, Reso made two appearances for the
Ring of Honor Ring of Honor (ROH) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Jacksonville, Florida. The promotion was founded by Rob Feinstein on February 23, 2002, and was operated by Cary Silkin from 2004 until 2011; the promotion was subs ...
(ROH) promotion as Christian Cage. His first appearance was on May 12 at ROH's How We Roll event in a tag match with Colt Cabana against
Bryan Danielson Bryan Lloyd Danielson (born May 22, 1981) is an American semi-retired professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs on a part time basis. He is also known for his tenure in WWE, where he performed under t ...
and
Christopher Daniels Christopher Daniel Covell (born March 24, 1970), better known by the ring name Christopher Daniels, is an American retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he works as the Head of Ta ...
, which Cage and Cabana won. His second appearance was a loss to Daniels at ROH's Generation Now event on July 29.


New Japan Pro-Wrestling (2008)

On January 4, 2008, Cage, while still under contract with TNA, made a one-time appearance for
New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) is a Puroresu, Japanese professional-wrestling Professional wrestling promotion, promotion founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, and based in Nakano, Tokyo. It is currently majority owned by card-game company Bushiroad, with TV As ...
(NJPW) at the Wrestle Kingdom II event, teaming with fellow TNA wrestlers A.J. Styles and Petey Williams to defeat RISE ( Milano Collection A. T., Minoru and Prince Devitt).


Return to WWE (2009–2021)


ECW Champion (2009–2010)

Reso returned to WWE on the February 10 episode of '' ECW'' under his old ring name Christian as a face, confronting then ECW Champion
Jack Swagger Donald Jacob Hager Jr. (born March 24, 1982) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and former Amateur wrestling, amateur wrestler and Mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist. He currently performs on the independent circ ...
. Later that night, Christian defeated Swagger in his first match back. On the February 24 episode of ''ECW'', Christian faced Swagger again for the ECW Championship in a losing effort. Christian won a tri-branded 15-man battle royal on the March 10 episode of ''ECW'', gaining entry into the
Money in the Bank ladder match The Money in the Bank ladder match is a multi-person ladder match held by the professional wrestling promotion WWE. First performed at WWE's annual WrestleMania event beginning in 2005, a separate WWE Money in the Bank, Money in the Bank event w ...
at WrestleMania 25 on April 5, which he failed to win. Christian won an elimination chase tournament to become the number one contender to the ECW Championship, gaining a title match at
Backlash Backlash may refer to: Literature * '' Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women'', a 1991 book by Susan Faludi * ''Backlash'' (Star Wars novel), a 2010 novel by Aaron Allston * Backlash (Marc Slayton), a comic book character from ...
. At Backlash on April 26, Christian defeated Swagger to win the ECW Championship. At
Judgment Day The Last Judgment is a concept found across the Abrahamic religions and the '' Frashokereti'' of Zoroastrianism. Christianity considers the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to entail the final judgment by God of all people who have ever lived, res ...
on May 17, Christian defeated Swagger in a rematch to retain the title. At Extreme Rules on June 7, Christian lost the ECW Championship to
Tommy Dreamer Thomas James Laughlin (born February 13, 1971) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and professional wrestling promotion, promoter better known by the ring name Tommy Dreamer. He is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestli ...
in a triple threat hardcore match also involving Swagger. On the June 15 episode of ''Raw'', Christian faced Dreamer for the ECW Championship in a losing effort. After unsuccessfully challenging for the ECW Championship in a Championship Scramble match that also included Swagger, Finlay and
Mark Henry Mark Jerrold Henry (born June 12, 1971) is an American former powerlifter, Olympic weightlifter, strongman, and retired professional wrestler currently signed to WWE under a Legends contract. Henry is a two-time Olympian (1992 and 19 ...
at The Bash on June 28, Christian regained the ECW Championship from Dreamer at Night of Champions on July 26. On the August 4 episode of ''ECW'', Christian retained the ECW Championship in an Extreme Rules match against Dreamer. Christian then began a rivalry with
William Regal Darren Kenneth Matthews (born 10 May 1968), better known by the ring name William Regal, is an English retired professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he serves as the vice-president of Global Talent Development. He is also known for ...
over the ECW Championship, retaining the title against him at
SummerSlam SummerSlam is a professional wrestling event, produced annually since 1988 by the world's largest professional wrestling promotion, WWE. Dubbed "The Biggest Party of the Summer", it is considered WWE's second biggest event of the year behind th ...
in eight seconds on August 23, and at Breaking Point on September 13. After a few months of defending the ECW Championship on ''ECW'' only, retaining the title against the likes of Zack Ryder and Yoshi Tatsu, Christian was part of Team Kingston in a Survivor Series elimination match at
Survivor Series Survivor Series, branded as Survivor Series: WarGames since 2022, is a professional wrestling event produced annually since 1987 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Held in November generally the week of Thanksgiving ( ...
on November 22, where he eliminated both Ted DiBiase and Cody Rhodes before being eliminated by Randy Orton. Team Kingston went on to win. At TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs on December 13, Christian successfully defended the ECW Championship against Shelton Benjamin in a ladder match. In late December 2009, Christian became the longest reigning WWE-era ECW Champion. At the
Royal Rumble The Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. It is named after, and centered on, the Royal Rumble match, a modified Battle royal (professional wre ...
on January 31, 2010, Christian successfully defended the ECW Championship against Ezekiel Jackson. On the February 16 episode of ''ECW'', Christian lost the ECW Championship in an Extreme Rules match to Jackson on the show's final episode. The ECW brand was deactivated shortly after.


World Heavyweight Champion (2010–2011)

On the February 22 episode of ''Raw'', Christian was announced to have re-signed with the Raw brand, defeating Carlito later that same night to gain entry into the Money in the Bank ladder match at
WrestleMania XXVI WrestleMania XXVI was a 2010 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) List of WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming supercards, event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was the 26th annual WrestleMania and took place on March 28, ...
on March 28, which he failed to win. Later, it was announced that he would be a Pro on '' NXT'', mentoring NXT Rookie
Heath Slater Heath Wallace Miller (born July 15, 1983) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure in WWE under the ring name Heath Slater. He also performed in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, Impact Wrestling ...
. Christian was drafted back to the SmackDown brand by the WWE draft. On the May 7 episode of ''SmackDown'', he was placed in an Intercontinental Championship tournament, defeating
Cody Rhodes Cody Garrett Runnels Rhodes (born June 30, 1985) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. As of April 2022, he is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown brand. He is also known for co-fou ...
to get to the finals, where he lost to
Kofi Kingston Kofi Nahaje Sarkodie-Mensah (born August 14, 1981) is a Ghanaian-born American professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw WWE brand extension, brand under the ring name Kofi ...
. On the July 2 episode of ''SmackDown'', it was announced that Christian would compete in the SmackDown Money in the Bank ladder match at Money in the Bank on July 18, which he lost. In September 2010, Christian tore his pectoral muscle and was expected to be sidelined for approximately six months. Following surgery, WWE released a statement that revealed he was expected to only be sidelined for four months. The injury was put into a storyline with Alberto Del Rio attacking Christian backstage on the September 24 episode of ''SmackDown''. Christian made his return from injury at
Elimination Chamber The Elimination Chamber is a professional wrestling elimination-based match held in the WWE. The match was created by Triple H, and introduced by Eric Bischoff in November 2002. It features a large chain-linked circular steel structure which ...
on February 20, 2011, saving Edge from an attack by Del Rio. On the March 4 episode of ''SmackDown'', Christian saved Edge from another attack by Del Rio. On the March 7 episode of ''Raw'', Christian made his in-ring return from injury against Del Rio's bodyguard Brodus Clay, picking up the victory. On the March 11 episode of ''SmackDown'', Christian reunited with Edge and defeated Del Rio and Clay in a tag team match. On the March 18 episode of ''SmackDown'', Christian defeated Del Rio in a steel cage match, but was afterwards attacked by both Del Rio and Clay. Christian was in the corner of Edge when he retained the World Heavyweight Championship against Del Rio at
WrestleMania XXVII WrestleMania XXVII was a 2011 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) List of WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming supercards, event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was the 27th annual WrestleMania and took place on April 3, 20 ...
on April 3. On the April 8 episode of ''SmackDown'', Christian lost to Del Rio in a number one contender's match for the World Heavyweight Championship after a distraction from Brodus Clay. After Edge's sudden retirement from wrestling on the April 15 episode of ''SmackDown'', Christian won a 20-man battle royal to face Del Rio for the vacant World Heavyweight Championship at Extreme Rules on May 1, where Christian defeated Del Rio in a ladder match to win the World Heavyweight Championship for the first time. On the May 6 episode of ''SmackDown'', Christian lost the World Heavyweight Championship to
Randy Orton Randal Keith Orton (born April 1, 1980) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He has been signed to WWE since 2000, where he performs on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown brand. Orton is widely regarded as one of t ...
ending his reign at 2 days (5 recognized by WWE due to tape delay). At Over the Limit on May 22, Christian failed to regain the World Heavyweight Championship from Orton. On the June 3 episode of ''SmackDown'', Christian was the special referee for a World Heavyweight Championship defence by Orton against Sheamus, which Orton won only to be hit by Christian after the match with the title belt, turning heel in the process. At Capitol Punishment on June 19, Christian faced Orton for the World Heavyweight Championship once again, but he failed to capture the title as the referee missed his foot under the bottom rope. At Money in the Bank on July 17, Christian won the World Heavyweight Championship for the second and final time after Orton was disqualified for kicking him in the groin (the stipulation was if Orton was disqualified or the referee made a bad call, he would lose the title). At
SummerSlam SummerSlam is a professional wrestling event, produced annually since 1988 by the world's largest professional wrestling promotion, WWE. Dubbed "The Biggest Party of the Summer", it is considered WWE's second biggest event of the year behind th ...
on August 14, Christian lost the World Heavyweight Championship back to Orton in a No Holds Barred match. On the August 26 episode of ''SmackDown'', special guest General Manager
Bret Hart Bret Sergeant Hart (born July 2, 1957) is a Canadian retired professional wrestler. A member of the Hart wrestling family and a second-generation wrestler, he has an amateur wrestling background at Ernest Manning High School and Mount Royal U ...
announced that Christian would face Orton in a
steel cage match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Gimmick, gimmick matches" in the Glossary of professional wrestling terms, jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick m ...
on the August 30 episode of ''SmackDown'' for the title, which Christian lost to end their feud. Christian then began feuding with Sheamus, leading to two matches between the two at the
Hell in a Cell Hell in a Cell is a professional wrestling steel cage-based match which originated in 1997 in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It features a large cell structure, a four-sided cuboid made from open-weave steel mesh chain-link f ...
on October 2 and Vengeance on October 23, both of which Christian lost. On the November 4 episode of ''SmackDown'',
Big Show Paul Donald Wight II (born February 8, 1972) is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) under his real name of Paul Wight. He is best known for his tenure with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) f ...
performed a chokeslam on Christian and Christian received a storyline neck injury, preventing him from competing that night and starting to wear a neck brace. On November 9 during the WWE European Tour, Christian injured his ankle and was pulled from a traditional Survivor Series elimination tag team match at
Survivor Series Survivor Series, branded as Survivor Series: WarGames since 2022, is a professional wrestling event produced annually since 1987 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Held in November generally the week of Thanksgiving ( ...
on November 20. In December, Christian briefly appeared at the Slammy Awards and
Tribute to the Troops ''WWE Tribute to the Troops'' is a former annual American professional wrestling event that was held and produced by WWE and Armed Forces Entertainment. The show aired as a television special during the month of December (specifically during the ...
.


Championship pursuits and injuries (2012–2014)

At
Elimination Chamber The Elimination Chamber is a professional wrestling elimination-based match held in the WWE. The match was created by Triple H, and introduced by Eric Bischoff in November 2002. It features a large chain-linked circular steel structure which ...
on February 19, 2012, Christian returned from his injury to show support for
John Laurinaitis John Hodger Laurinaitis (born July 31, 1962), also known by his former ring name Johnny Ace, is an American retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and business executive. He has wrestled for such promotions as World Championship ...
. Christian appeared on the March 16 episode of ''SmackDown'', hosting an episode of ''The Peep Show'' and given a spot on Laurinaitis' team in a 12-man tag match at WrestleMania XXVIII on April 1. On the March 26 episode of ''Raw SuperShow'', Christian was injured once again after (kayfabe) re-aggravating his neck and shoulder in a match with
CM Punk Phillip Jack Brooks (born October 26, 1978), better known by his ring name CM Punk, is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw brand. Regarded as ...
. Despite the injury, Christian still appeared at the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony to induct long-time friend Edge. Christian made his return at Over the Limit on May 20, as a face, where he won a battle royal and defeated
Cody Rhodes Cody Garrett Runnels Rhodes (born June 30, 1985) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. As of April 2022, he is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown brand. He is also known for co-fou ...
later in the show to win his fourth Intercontinental Championship. At No Way Out on June 17, Christian retained the Intercontinental Championship against Rhodes in a rematch. At '' Raw 1000'' on July 23, Christian lost the Intercontinental Championship to
The Miz Michael Gregory Mizanin (born October 8, 1980) is an American professional wrestler, actor, and television personality. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name The Miz. Mizanin first gained fame a ...
ending his reign at 63 days and failed to regain it in a rematch the same week on ''SmackDown''. After a ten-month absence, Christian returned from injury on the June 17, 2013 episode of ''Raw'', defeating
Wade Barrett Stuart Alexander Bennett (born 10 August 1980) is an English acting, actor and former professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs under the ring name Wade Barrett as a color commentator on the ''WWE Sma ...
. At Money in the Bank on July 14, Christian competed in the WWE Championship Money in the Bank ladder match, but was unsuccessful as the match was won by Randy Orton. On the July 29 episode of ''Raw'', Christian defeated World Heavyweight Champion Alberto Del Rio in a non-title match. That same week on ''SmackDown'', Christian defeated Randy Orton and
Rob Van Dam Robert Szatkowski (born December 18, 1970) better known by his ring name Rob Van Dam (frequently abbreviated to RVD) is an American professional wrestler. Known for his unique ring style—which includes his variety of kicks, acrobatic movemen ...
in a triple threat match to become number one contender to the World Heavyweight Championship, after which he was attacked by Del Rio during a post-match interview. On the August 9 episode of ''SmackDown'', Christian again defeated Del Rio in a non-title match. At
SummerSlam SummerSlam is a professional wrestling event, produced annually since 1988 by the world's largest professional wrestling promotion, WWE. Dubbed "The Biggest Party of the Summer", it is considered WWE's second biggest event of the year behind th ...
on August 18, Christian failed in his title challenge against Del Rio. On the September 9 episode of ''Raw'', The Shield dragged out an assaulted Christian as a message to anyone that disrespected
Triple H Paul Michael Levesque (; born July 27, 1969), also known by the ring name Triple H, is an American business executive and former professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he serves as its chief content officer. Levesque began his wres ...
following Edge's opinion on Triple H's recent abuse of power. On that week's ''SmackDown'', Edge promised Christian would return soon and get his payback. Christian returned and appeared on the 2013 Slammy Awards, where he presented an award and appeared in a segment involving John Cena and Randy Orton. Christian returned on the January 31, 2014 episode of ''SmackDown'' to defeat Jack Swagger in a qualifying match for the Elimination Chamber match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. On the February 17 episode of ''Raw'', Christian attacked Daniel Bryan from behind and mocked Bryan during the match, turning heel. At
Elimination Chamber The Elimination Chamber is a professional wrestling elimination-based match held in the WWE. The match was created by Triple H, and introduced by Eric Bischoff in November 2002. It features a large chain-linked circular steel structure which ...
on February 23, Christian eliminated Sheamus before being eliminated by Daniel Bryan. On the March 24 episode of ''Raw'', Christian won a fatal four-way match including Alberto Del Rio, Dolph Ziggler and Sheamus to challenge Big E for the Intercontinental Championship, which did not come to fruition due to Christian suffering a concussion.


First retirement and sporadic appearances (2014–2019)

After suffering his concussion, Christian appeared as a face on pre-show discussion panels for WWE for events including
NXT TakeOver NXT TakeOver was a series of periodic professional wrestling events produced by the American professional wrestling promotion, promotion WWE for its NXT (WWE brand), NXT WWE brand extension, brand division. The first TakeOver was simply titled NX ...
, Money in the Bank and
Battleground A battlefield, battleground, or field of battle is the location of a present or historic battle involving ground warfare. It is commonly understood to be limited to the point of contact between opposing forces, though battles may involve troop ...
. He then went on to host ''The Peep Show'' program with
Chris Jericho Christopher Keith Irvine (born November 9, 1970), better known by the ring name Chris Jericho, is an American-Canadian professional wrestler, rock musician, and actor. As a wrestler, he has been signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) , where he ...
at Night of Champions in September, and with Dean Ambrose on the November 7 episode of ''SmackDown''. Edge and Christian were the guest hosts for the December 29 episode of ''Raw'', where WWE commentator
Jerry Lawler Jerry O'Neil Lawler (born November 29, 1949), better known as Jerry "the King" Lawler, is an American retired color commentator and professional wrestler signed to WWE under a Legends contract. Prior to joining the World Wrestling Federati ...
referred to Christian as "retired". ''Pro Wrestling Insider'' corroborated Lawler's statement, adding that because of multiple concussions and other injuries, the company considered Christian retired as an active wrestler. On the March 2, 2016 episode of ''
Talk Is Jericho Christopher Keith Irvine (born November 9, 1970), better known by the ring name Chris Jericho, is an American-Canadian professional wrestler, rock musician, and actor. As a wrestler, he has been signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) , where he ...
'', Christian said that while he has had no formal discussion with management regarding his retirement, he would be unlikely to wrestle again. He confirmed his status on the September 22, 2017 edition of ''E&C's Pod of Awesomeness'', saying: "I had to retire, like, right around 40... 'cause of the concussion stuff". Starting on February 21, 2016, Reso began appearing along with Edge in the WWE Network exclusive ''The Edge and Christian Show That Totally Reeks of Awesomeness'', but in July 2017 it was announced that the show was cancelled from the Network. In mid-May 2016, it became known that Reso had been released from his talent contract. On the June 22, ''Talk Is Jericho'' podcast focusing on the Chris Benoit tragedy, Jericho mentioned Christian as an example of modern wrestlers who had to retire as the WWE would no longer give them medical clearances due to concussion related injuries (this was largely as a consequence of the Benoit incident as well as better knowledge of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) and other concussion related risks). At the '' Raw 25 Years'' event on January 22, 2018, Christian hosted ''The Peep Show'' with special guests Jason Jordan and
Seth Rollins Colby Daniel Lopez (born May 28, 1986), better known by the ring name Seth Rollins, is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw WWE brand extension, brand and ...
, but it was later interrupted by The Bar ( Cesaro and Sheamus). On April 7, Christian appeared with Edge to induct the Dudley Boyz into the
WWE Hall of Fame The WWE Hall of Fame is a List of halls and walks of fame, hall of fame which honors professional wrestlers and professional wrestling personalities maintained by WWE. Originally known as the "WWF Hall of Fame", it was created in 1993 when An ...
. In October 2019, Christian started appearing as a regular contributor on '' WWE Backstage''.


In-ring return and departure (2020–2021)

On the June 8, 2020 episode of ''Raw'', Christian hosted ''The Peep Show'' with special guest Edge, who had returned to competition in January and was feuding with
Randy Orton Randal Keith Orton (born April 1, 1980) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He has been signed to WWE since 2000, where he performs on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown brand. Orton is widely regarded as one of t ...
. The following week on ''Raw'', Christian was challenged to an unsanctioned match by Orton. Christian, who had no offense in the match, quickly lost after a low blow from
Ric Flair Richard Morgan Fliehr (born February 25, 1949), known professionally as Ric Flair, is an American retired professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, Flair's career spanned 50 years. He is ...
, which was followed by a punt kick from Orton. At Clash of Champions, Christian got revenge on Orton by attacking him during his ambulance match against
Drew McIntyre Andrew McLean Galloway IV (born 6 June, 1985) is a Scottish Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown brand under the ring name Drew McIntyre. Galloway began ...
for the WWE Championship. He then appeared as a surprise entrant in the 2021 Royal Rumble match, entering at number 24 and lasting over 18 minutes before being eliminated by
Seth Rollins Colby Daniel Lopez (born May 28, 1986), better known by the ring name Seth Rollins, is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw WWE brand extension, brand and ...
. During the match, he briefly reunited with Edge, who would eventually win by last eliminating Orton. Following this, it was reported that Reso was no longer under contract with WWE.


All Elite Wrestling (2021–present)


Storyline with Jungle Boy (2021–2023)

Reso made his surprise debut for
All Elite Wrestling All Elite Wrestling (AEW) is an American professional wrestling promotion headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida. It is owned and operated by Shahid Khan, Shahid and Tony Khan, with the latter serving as President (corporate title), president an ...
(AEW) as Christian Cage and signed a multi-year contract at
Revolution In political science, a revolution (, 'a turn around') is a rapid, fundamental transformation of a society's class, state, ethnic or religious structures. According to sociologist Jack Goldstone, all revolutions contain "a common set of elements ...
on March 7, 2021. At Double or Nothing on May 30, Cage participated in the Casino Battle Royale, but he was the last competitor eliminated by the eventual winner Jungle Boy. Soon after, he would begin a partnership with Jungle Boy and become his mentor. Cage faced
Kenny Omega Tyson Smith (born October 16, 1983), better known by the ring name , is a Canadian-born professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is the current AEW International Champion in his first reign. He also works as an ...
, defeating him for the
Impact World Championship The TNA World Championship is a professional wrestling Professional wrestling championship#World championships, world championship created and promoted by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). It is the promotion's principal championship. Like mo ...
on the premiere episode of '' Rampage'' on August 13, but losing at All Out in a match for the AEW World Championship, marking Cage's first loss in AEW. At the
Revolution In political science, a revolution (, 'a turn around') is a rapid, fundamental transformation of a society's class, state, ethnic or religious structures. According to sociologist Jack Goldstone, all revolutions contain "a common set of elements ...
event on March 6, 2022, Cage competed in the Face of the Revolution ladder match for a future opportunity at the AEW TNT Championship, but the match was won by Wardlow. On the June 15 special episode of ''
Dynamite Dynamite is an explosive made of nitroglycerin, sorbents (such as powdered shells or clay), and Stabilizer (chemistry), stabilizers. It was invented by the Swedish people, Swedish chemist and engineer Alfred Nobel in Geesthacht, Northern German ...
'' titled Road Rager, Cage attacked Jungle Boy after he and Luchasaurus lost the AEW World Tag Team Championship to The Young Bucks in a ladder match, turning heel for the first time in AEW. Cage would initiate a rivalry with Jungle Boy, mocking him for the death of his father, famed actor Luke Perry. Cage and Jungle Boy would face in a match at the All Out event on September 4, where Cage defeated Jungle Boy in 20 seconds after Luchasaurus attacked him and allied himself with Cage. Following this, it was revealed that Cage had suffered a triceps injury, which would render him unable to compete for the next six to nine months. Cage returned from his injury on the February 15, 2023 episode of ''Dynamite'', attacking Jungle Boy. At
Revolution In political science, a revolution (, 'a turn around') is a rapid, fundamental transformation of a society's class, state, ethnic or religious structures. According to sociologist Jack Goldstone, all revolutions contain "a common set of elements ...
, he was defeated by Jungle Boy in a Final Burial match, ending their rivalry.


The Patriarchy (2023–present)

At Double or Nothing on May 28, Cage lost to Wardlow in a ladder match for the AEW TNT Championship. Wardlow then lost the title to Luchasaurus, with Cage's help, on the premiere episode of ''
Collision In physics, a collision is any event in which two or more bodies exert forces on each other in a relatively short time. Although the most common use of the word ''collision'' refers to incidents in which two or more objects collide with great for ...
'', on June 17. Cage then started a new storyline where he claimed to be the AEW TNT Champion and would carry the championship around with him, despite the actual champion being Luchasaurus. Cage's new character would receive acclaim from critics, audiences and other wrestlers; fellow AEW wrestler MJF opined that Cage was the "best he's been in his entire career". Cage and Luchasaurus would begin a feud with Darby Allin over the championship. On the August 23 edition of ''Dynamite'', Cage was added to the tag team coffin match at All In, following
AR Fox Thomas James Ballester (born September 5, 1987), better known by his ring name AR Fox, is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a former member of Mogul Embassy. He also ...
's removal from the Mogul Embassy, replacing Fox and teaming with Swerve Strickland to face Allin and Sting. On August 27 at All In, Cage and Strickland were defeated by Allin and Sting, who threw Strickland in the coffin to win the match. The following week at All Out on September 3, Cage helped Luchasaurus defeat Allin to retain the AEW TNT Championship. On the September 23 episode of ''Collision'', Cage pinned Luchasaurus in a triple threat match (also involving Allin) to become the new AEW TNT Champion. At WrestleDream on October 1, Cage defeated Allin in a
two out of three falls match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Gimmick, gimmick matches" in the Glossary of professional wrestling terms, jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick m ...
to retain the AEW TNT Championship. After the match, Cage, Luchasaurus, and Nick Wayne (who turned on Allin) assaulted Allin and Sting; they were interrupted by the debuting Adam Copeland, known as Edge in WWE, who ran out to confront Cage and save Allin. Cage's faction was later called The Patriarchy, with Cage being recognized as "The Patriarch" of the faction. At Full Gear on November 18, The Patriarchy lost to Copeland, Sting and Allin in a six-man tag team match. On the following episode of ''Dynamite'', Cage renamed Luchasaurus as Killswitch (after his finishing move) and Wayne as "The Prodigy" Nick Wayne. On the December 6 episode of ''Dynamite'', Cage successfully defended the AEW TNT Championship against Copeland, after Shayna Wayne (Wayne's mother) hit Copeland with the title belt in retaliation for taking out Nick. On the December 23 episode of ''Collision'', Cage accepted Copeland's challenge to a no disqualification match for the AEW TNT Championship at Worlds End on December 30, while announcing that Shayna Wayne had joined The Patriarchy as "The Matriarch" Mother Wayne. At Worlds End, Cage lost the title to Copeland, ending his reign at 98 days. Immediately after the match, Cage demanded and invoked Killswitch's AEW TNT Championship title shot (which Killswitch had won earlier that night) and defeated Copeland to win the AEW TNT Championship for the second time. On the March 20, 2024 episode of ''Dynamite'', Cage lost the AEW TNT Championship to Copeland in an I Quit match, ending his second reign at 81 days and ending their six-month feud. On the May 1 episode of ''Dynamite'', Cage returned from an almost two-month hiatus as the challenger for Swerve Strickland's AEW World Championship at Double or Nothing on May 26, where he failed to win the title from Strickland. On the June 15 episode of ''Collision'', Cage declared that he would challenge for the AEW World Championship again but would first challenge for the
AEW World Trios Championship The AEW World Trios Championship is a men's professional wrestling world tag team championship created and promoted by the United States, American professional wrestling promotion, promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW). It is a specialized tag team ...
with Killswitch and Wayne. On the July 21 episode of ''Collision'', The Patriarchy defeated the Bang Bang Gang ( Juice Robinson and The Gunns) for the vacant AEW World Trios Championship, after interference from Mother Wayne. This is Cage's first six-man tag team championship win of his career. On August 25 at All In, The Patriarchy lost the AEW World Trios Championship in a four-way London ladder match to
Pac Pac or PAC may refer to: Aviation * IATA code PAC Albrook "Marcos A. Gelabert" International Airport in Panama City, Panama * Pacific Aerospace Corporation, New Zealand, manufacturer of aircraft: ** PAC 750XL ** PAC Cresco ** PAC CT/4 ** PA ...
and
Blackpool Combat Club The Death Riders are a Heel (professional wrestling), villainous professional wrestling stable that performs in All Elite Wrestling (AEW), New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), and Ring of Honor (ROH). The stable consists of the leader Jon Moxley, Cla ...
( Claudio Castagnoli and Wheeler Yuta), ending their reign at 37 days. Later in the show, Cage won a Casino Gauntlet match to earn the right to challenge for the AEW World Championship whenever he wants. Two weeks later at All Out on September 7, Cage attempted to cash-in his AEW World Championship match contract on Bryan Danielson after Danielson successfully defended his title against Jack Perry but was blocked by the Blackpool Combat Club. On November 23 at Full Gear, Cage attempted to cash-in on champion
Jon Moxley Jonathan David Good (born December 7, 1985) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs under the ring name Jon Moxley and is the current AEW World Championship, AEW World Champion in his ...
but would be blocked again, this time by Jay White. At
Revolution In political science, a revolution (, 'a turn around') is a rapid, fundamental transformation of a society's class, state, ethnic or religious structures. According to sociologist Jack Goldstone, all revolutions contain "a common set of elements ...
on March 9, 2025, Cage cashed in his contract in the main event between Moxley and Cope making it a three-way match but failed to win the title when he was choked out by Moxley.


Return to Impact Wrestling (2021)

On August 13, 2021 on the premiere episode of '' Rampage'', Cage defeated
Kenny Omega Tyson Smith (born October 16, 1983), better known by the ring name , is a Canadian-born professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is the current AEW International Champion in his first reign. He also works as an ...
to win the
Impact World Championship The TNA World Championship is a professional wrestling Professional wrestling championship#World championships, world championship created and promoted by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). It is the promotion's principal championship. Like mo ...
. On the August 19, 2021 episode of '' Impact!'', as the new Impact World Champion, he made his first Impact appearance since 2012. The announcers recognized his previous two
NWA World Heavyweight Championship The NWA World's Heavyweight Championship is a men's professional wrestling Professional wrestling championship#World championships, world heavyweight championship owned and promoted by the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), an American professiona ...
reigns, though this recent reign was his first under the Impact World Championship lineage. Upon his return, he retired the
TNA World Heavyweight Championship The TNA World Championship is a professional wrestling world championship created and promoted by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). It is the promotion's principal championship. Like most professional wrestling championships, the title is won ...
and considered the Impact World Championship the sole world title belt in the promotion. He was then confronted by Brian Myers, his challenger at
Emergence In philosophy, systems theory, science, and art, emergence occurs when a complex entity has properties or behaviors that its parts do not have on their own, and emerge only when they interact in a wider whole. Emergence plays a central rol ...
, a match which Cage won. He then retained his title against Ace Austin at Victory Road. On the October 7 episode of Impact!, Cage and
Josh Alexander Joshua Lemay (born May 29, 1987), better known by his ring name Josh Alexander, is a Canadian Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of the Don Callis Family. He also makes a ...
defeated Ace Austin and Madman Fulton. At Bound for Glory on October 23, Cage lost the title to
Josh Alexander Joshua Lemay (born May 29, 1987), better known by his ring name Josh Alexander, is a Canadian Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of the Don Callis Family. He also makes a ...
.


Professional wrestling style and persona

Like many prominent wrestlers with lengthy careers, Christian's character has evolved considerably over the years. When he debuted on the national stage, he was a scowling goth figure who never spoke. Ironically, he later became known for both his interview skills and, when a babyface, his humorous, fun-loving, surfer-type persona. As a
villain A villain (also known as a " black hat", "bad guy" or "baddy"; The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p.126 "baddy (also baddie) noun (pl. -ies) ''informal'' a villain or criminal in a book, film, etc.". the feminine form is villai ...
, Christian is typically self-absorbed, vindictive and occasionally sadistic while still retaining quick wit. Christian began to build up a loyal fanbase around the spring of 2005, despite his placement as a villain; he referred to them as his "Peeps", "Peepulation" (a play on the word "population"), or the "Christian Coalition". He also hosted a talk show segment called ''The Peep Show'' which sometimes gets co-hosted by Edge called ''The Cutting Edge Peep Show''. As a finisher, Christian uses an inverted double underhook facebuster, called the Killswitch. He also utilized a
spear A spear is a polearm consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a pointed head. The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with Fire hardening, fire hardened spears, or it may be made of a more durable materia ...
as tribute to his best friend
Edge Edge or EDGE may refer to: Technology Computing * Edge computing, a network load-balancing system * Edge device, an entry point to a computer network * Adobe Edge, a graphical development application * Microsoft Edge, a web browser developed by ...
, as well as a frog splash in memory of
Eddie Guerrero Eduardo Gory Guerrero Llanes (October 9, 1967 – November 13, 2005) was an American professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He was best known for his tenures in WWE, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and World Championship Wrestling ...
.


Personal life

While on tour with WWE in England, Reso met German model Denise Hartmann; they were married on May 25, 2001. In December 2013, Reso announced the birth of his daughter during the time he had taken off due to recurring post-concussive symptoms. On May 2, 2019, Hartmann filed for divorce from Reso. The divorce was finalized in January 2020.


Other media

In 2007, TNA Home Video released a DVD titled ''The Instant Classic: Christian Cage'', covering his beginnings in the
independent circuit In professional wrestling, the independent circuit (often shortened to the indie circuit or the indies) is the collective name of independently owned promotions which are deemed to be smaller and more regionalized than major national promotions. ...
and other various subjects up to his second NWA World Heavyweight Championship reign. Reso is also the host of the DVD ''The Ladder Match 2: Crash and Burn''. In September 2015, Edge and Christian were guests on the ''Stone Cold Steve Austin Podcast'', which aired on the
WWE Network WWE Network is a subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and digital television network owned by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE, a division of TKO Group Holdings. The service relied on technology develo ...
. Edge and Christian were also the hosts and stars of a WWE Network
sketch comedy Sketch comedy comprises a series of short, amusing scenes or vignettes, called "sketches" or, "skits", commonly between one and ten minutes long, performed by a group of comic actors or comedians. While the form developed and became popular in ...
series titled ''The Edge and Christian Show That Totally Reeks of Awesomeness'', which had two seasons, the first of which aired from February to May 2016 with the second from November 2018 to February 2019. Christian has been a playable character in several professional wrestling video games. Most notably in a number of WWE's video games, including '' WWF Attitude'' (1999), '' WWF WrestleMania 2000'' (1999), ''
WWF SmackDown! ''WWE SmackDown'', also known as ''Friday Night SmackDown'' or simply ''SmackDown'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE. It airs live every Friday at 8 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on USA Network in the United ...
'' (2000), '' WWF No Mercy'' (2000), '' WWF SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role'' (2000), '' WWF/E With Authority!'' (2001), '' WWF Road to WrestleMania'' (2001), '' WWF SmackDown! Just Bring It'' (2001), '' WWF/E Raw'' (2002), '' WWE WrestleMania X8'' (2002), '' WWE Road to WrestleMania X8'' (2002), ''
WWE SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth ''WWE SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth'' (known as ''Exciting Pro Wrestling 4'' in Japan) is a 2002 professional wrestling video game released for the PlayStation 2 by THQ and developed by Yuke's. It is the fourth game in the '' WWE SmackDown!'' vid ...
'' (2002), '' WWE Crush Hour'' (2003), '' WWE WrestleMania XIX'' (2003), '' WWE Raw 2'' (2003), '' WWE SmackDown! Here Comes the Pain'' (2003), '' WWE Day of Reckoning'' (2004), '' WWE Survivor Series'' (2004), '' WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw'' (2004), '' WWE Day of Reckoning 2'' (2005), '' WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006'' (2005), '' WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2010'' (2009), '' WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2011'' (2010), '' WWE '12'' (2011), '' WWE WrestleFest'' (2012), '' WWE '13'' (2012), '' WWE 2K14'' (2013), '' WWE SuperCard'' (2014), ''
WWE 2K15 ''WWE 2K15'' is a professional wrestling video game developed by Yuke's and published by 2K (company), 2K for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One and Microsoft Windows. It is the sequel to ''WWE 2K14'', and was succeeded by ''WWE 2 ...
'' (2014), '' WWE 2K17'' (2016), ''WWE Champions'' (2017), ''
WWE 2K18 ''WWE 2K18'' is a professional wrestling video game developed by Yuke's and published by 2K (company), 2K. It is the nineteenth instalment in the WWE 2K, WWE game series (fifth under the ''WWE 2K'' banner) and a follow-up to ''WWE 2K17''. It wa ...
'' (2017), '' WWE 2K19'' (2018), '' WWE 2K20'' (2019), and '' WWE 2K Battlegrounds'' (2020). He was also playable in TNA's ''
TNA Impact! ''TNA Impact!'' (stylized as ''TNA iMPACT!'') is an American professional wrestling television program produced by the American promotion Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) that debuted on June 4, 2004. It also features wrestlers from WWE's ...
'' (2008) and AEW's '' AEW Fight Forever'' (2023). In March 2017, Reso has hosted a podcast with Copeland called ''E&C's Pod of Awesomeness'' with the show ending in late 2019.


Filmography


Film


Television


Championships and accomplishments

*
All Elite Wrestling All Elite Wrestling (AEW) is an American professional wrestling promotion headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida. It is owned and operated by Shahid Khan, Shahid and Tony Khan, with the latter serving as President (corporate title), president an ...
** AEW TNT Championship ( 2 times) **
AEW World Trios Championship The AEW World Trios Championship is a men's professional wrestling world tag team championship created and promoted by the United States, American professional wrestling promotion, promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW). It is a specialized tag team ...
( 1 time) – with Nick Wayne and Killswitch ** Casino Gauntlet (
2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...
) * Canadian Pro-Wrestling Hall of Fame ** Class of 2021 – ** Class of 2025 - Male Wrestler *
East Coast Wrestling Association East Coast Wrestling Association (ECWA) is an American professional wrestling promotion, founded in 1967 by promoter Jim Kettner. It is home to the annual Super 8 Tournament, one of the longest-running independent wrestling tournaments in the co ...
** ECWA Heavyweight Championship ( 1 time) * Insane Championship Wrestling ** ICW Street Fight Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Sexton Hardcastle * International Wrestling Alliance ** IWA Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Earl the Orderly * Pennsylvania Championship Wrestling ** PCW Heavyweight Championship (1 time) * ''
Pro Wrestling Illustrated ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publishing Group. The maga ...
'' ** Match of the Year (2000) with Edge vs.
The Dudley Boyz The Dudley Boyz (also known as Team 3D) are an American professional wrestling tag team who consisted of kayfabe half-brothers Bubba Ray Dudley and D-Von Dudley. The team was also joined by various Dudley Brothers, Dudley family members, notably ...
and
The Hardy Boyz The Hardy Boyz are an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of brothers Jeff Hardy, Jeff and Matt Hardy. They are both signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where they are former three time TNA Tag Team Championship, TNA ...
in a triangle ladder match at WrestleMania 2000
** Match of the Year (2001) with Edge vs. The Dudley Boyz and The Hardy Boyz in a Tables, Ladders and Chairs match at WrestleMania X-Seven ** Ranked No. 7 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the ''
PWI 500 ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publishing Group. The maga ...
'' in 2007 ** Ranked No. 454 of the top 500 greatest wrestlers in the ''PWI Years'' in 2003 * Total Nonstop Action/Impact Wrestling **
NWA World Heavyweight Championship The NWA World's Heavyweight Championship is a men's professional wrestling Professional wrestling championship#World championships, world heavyweight championship owned and promoted by the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), an American professiona ...
( 2 times) **
Impact World Championship The TNA World Championship is a professional wrestling Professional wrestling championship#World championships, world championship created and promoted by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). It is the promotion's principal championship. Like mo ...
( 1 time) ** Gauntlet for the Gold (
2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...
TNA World Heavyweight Championship The TNA World Championship is a professional wrestling world championship created and promoted by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). It is the promotion's principal championship. Like most professional wrestling championships, the title is won ...
) ** TNA Year End Awards (2 times) *** Memorable Moment of the Year (
2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...
) *** Who To Watch in 2006 (2005) * ''
Wrestling Observer Newsletter The ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' (''WON'') is a newsletter that covers professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. Founded in print in 1982 by Dave Meltzer, the ''Wrestling Observer'' website merged with Bryan Alvarez's ''Figure Four Wee ...
'' ** Tag Team of the Year (2000) ** Worst Worked Match of the Year (2006) * World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment / WWE ** World Heavyweight Championship ( 2 times) ** ECW Championship ( 2 times) ** WWF/E Intercontinental Championship ( 4 times) ** WWF European Championship ( 1 time) ** WWF Hardcore Championship ( 1 time) **
WWF Light Heavyweight Championship The WWF Light Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling championship in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) promotion. The title was challenged by light heavyweights at a maximum weight of 215 lbs (before deactivation ...
( 1 time) ** WWF/World Tag Team Championship ( 9 times) – with Edge (7),
Lance Storm Lance Timothy Evers (; born April 3, 1969), known professionally by his ring name Lance Storm, is a Canadians, Canadian retired professional wrestler. He is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he works as a producer. He is best known ...
(1) and
Chris Jericho Christopher Keith Irvine (born November 9, 1970), better known by the ring name Chris Jericho, is an American-Canadian professional wrestler, rock musician, and actor. As a wrestler, he has been signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) , where he ...
(1) ** 23rd Triple Crown Champion ** 11th Grand Slam Champion


Notes


References


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cage, Christian 1973 births 21st-century Canadian male actors AEW TNT Champions AEW World Trios Champions All Elite Wrestling personnel Canadian expatriate professional wrestlers in the United States Canadian male film actors Canadian male television actors Canadian male voice actors Canadian male professional wrestlers Canadian podcasters Canadian people of American descent Canadian people of German descent ECW Heavyweight Champions/ECW World Heavyweight Champions Expatriate professional wrestlers in Japan Living people Male actors from Ontario NWA World Heavyweight Champions Professional wrestlers from Ontario Professional wrestling podcasters Sportspeople from Kitchener, Ontario Professional wrestlers from Tampa, Florida TNA World Heavyweight/Impact World Champions World Heavyweight Champions (WWE) WWF European Champions WWF/WWE Intercontinental Champions WWF/WWE Hardcore Champions WWE Grand Slam champions 20th-century male professional wrestlers 20th-century Canadian professional wrestlers 21st-century male professional wrestlers 21st-century Canadian professional wrestlers World Tag Team Champions (WWE, 1971–2010) WWF Light Heavyweight Champions