"It didn’t make any sense"- Tony Khan finally breaks silence on top AEW star's lengthy absence
AEW President Tony Khan recently opened up about Brian Cage's lengthy and unexplained absence from television.
The Machine last wrestled in a televised match on the October 8 edition of AEW Rampage last year. That night, he unsuccessfully challenged Ricky Starks for the FTW Championship in a Philadelphia street fight.
While Cage is still yet to make a return to AEW programming, he surprisingly made his debut on the recent ROH: Supercard of Honor XV. The 38-year-old was introduced as the newest addition to Tully Blanchard Enterprises. The former IMPACT World Champion defeated Ninja Mack in a one-sided affair.
During the post-show media scrum, Tony Khan stated that he couldn't tell Brian Cage about his potential return plans due to ROH's deal confidentiality. Mr. Khan further explained that he didn't feel like bringing Cage back on television after the latter's rivalry with Team Taz concluded:
“I really like Brian Cage, I’ve always really liked Brian Cage,” Khan said. “It was funny because when I first started thinking this might be a possibility [purchasing ROH], I hadn’t worked Brian Cage back into my plans yet. I couldn’t tell Brian Cage [about ROH], especially when it’s confidential. Based on where we were going with him I thought Team Taz are in a really strong position right now and with Swerve and Keith Lee coming in, it didn’t make any sense having Brian fighting with Ricky and Will." [Wrestling Inc]
Tony Khan added that Tully Blanchard's fallout with FTR opened up about the possibility of pairing the veteran with Brian Cage:
"I also thought him and Tully here could be a good situation, especially when FTR and Tully were done," Khan added.
They're gonna be the Second Most Dominant Monster Heel Faction IN @AEW And @ringofhonor
#TullyBlanchardEnterPrises
@briancagegmsi @ToaLiona @thekaun 😈🔥🔥🔥 https://t.co/aMvgQ39aMY
Aside from Cage, Tully Blanchard Enterprises will feature Kaun and Toa Liona, who defeated the Shinobi Shadow Squad at the ROH Supercard of Honor.
Brian Cage's AEW return is still uncertain
The Machine Brian Cage has returned and is the third member of Tully Blanchard Enterprises.
#ROH #SupercardOfHonor https://t.co/ziJJ088M0P
It's no secret that fans have been delighted to see The Machine getting repackaged on television.
Under Tully Blanchard's mentorship, Cage could once again gain some prominence that he lost while being made to sit on the sidelines for months.
Whether or not the former FTW Champion returns to AEW television remains to be seen, but he is expected to be a regular in ROH.
What do you make of Tony Khan's statement? Sound off in the comments section below.