Post by Scott Joyce on Jul 10, 2006 10:43:20 GMT -5
CYGY’S VIEW: CHRISTIAN CAGE MEETS THE CROSSROADS
By: Marcus Cygy – July 9, 2006
Is it just me, or has Christian Cage been a little standoffish as of late?
Christian Cage broke into TNA in November 2005 with a goal of becoming the NWA World Heavyweight Champion. In achieving that goal he made it clear that he was going to stick with the fans along his journey in TNA. Through thick and thin waters he would do the right thing in any situation. That’s at least the message I received from his debut speech at the “Genesis” Pay-Per-View.
February 12, 2006 – At “Against All Odds” Christian Cage became the new NWA World Heavyweight Champion, defeating Jeff Jarrett. It was a night of emotional celebration not only for Christian Cage, but also the fans. As the event concluded, the fans swarmed into the ring and hoisted Christian high into the air, with the everlasting image still stuck in my head of Christian pointing to the camera towards all of us at home – this wasn’t just his win, it was our win too. It was no longer how Christian Cage rolled; it was now how “we” rolled together.
Cage became a fighting champion, taking on all challenges. If it was Monty Brown wanting a shot, he got it. If it was James Mitchell requesting a shot for his monster Abyss, he got it. Cage devoted his life into the NWA World Heavyweight Title and was proving to be an elite champion upon retaining his title time after time.
Cage was on such a roll that he wanted to step into a whole new dimension as champion – the King of the Mountain match. No champion had ever retained his title in a King of the Mountain match and Cage wanted to be the first to do so. That’s when the pressure began to crack him.
His opponents at Slammiversary in the King of the Mountain match were Ron Killings, Abyss, Jeff Jarrett, and Sting. Going into the match, Sting made it very clear that it wasn’t about the title, but rather getting rid of Jeff Jarrett. When it came down to clutch time, Sting had the opportunity to win the prestigious title with no one stopping him. He climbed the ladder, only to be met by Cage. The two argued over the gold, leading to referee Earl Hebner and Larry Zbyszko costing them the match in the ultimate conspiracy. Minutes later, Jeff Jarrett was once again the champion.
The win for Jarrett was a black mark on TNA, as Sting has made very clear. Cage wanted the rematch, but Sting was still on his hunt to rid TNA of Jarrett – something Cage took exception to. The former champion wanted his rematch, and he thought Sting was trying to steal his thunder. Words were exchanged and bad feelings were shared by both. Even though Sting is trying to do the right thing, Cage sees it as Sting trying to take his spot.
In my opinion, Christian Cage is cracking under pressure and he’s beginning to second-guess people, and when you do that you become spiteful. One week later, Sting and Cage paired to take on Jarrett and Scott Steiner. Following the match, while Sting and Jarrett brawled on the outside and Samoa Joe and Steiner battled in the back, Cage couldn’t help himself from ignoring the chaos and focusing on the NWA World Heavyweight Title. Alone in the ring, he picked up the gold and admired it – oblivious to the war around him.
At “Victory Road” on July 16, Christian will have that opportunity at getting a shot at Jeff Jarrett, but he’s going to have to work for it. It will be a four-way match between Christian Cage, Sting, “Big Poppa Pump” Scott Steiner, and none other than “The Samoan Submission Machine” Samoa Joe. All are vying to get that shot, but what would happen if Cage did lose? What would his reaction be? We certainly saw how stubborn he became after losing the title and he obviously wants it back more than anything, but will missing an opportunity at regaining the title only worsen the situation? It will be a crossroads of sorts that Cage will have to solve if he wants to keep his pride and dignity strong.
For TNAwrestling.com, I’m Marcus Cygy.
By: Marcus Cygy – July 9, 2006
Is it just me, or has Christian Cage been a little standoffish as of late?
Christian Cage broke into TNA in November 2005 with a goal of becoming the NWA World Heavyweight Champion. In achieving that goal he made it clear that he was going to stick with the fans along his journey in TNA. Through thick and thin waters he would do the right thing in any situation. That’s at least the message I received from his debut speech at the “Genesis” Pay-Per-View.
February 12, 2006 – At “Against All Odds” Christian Cage became the new NWA World Heavyweight Champion, defeating Jeff Jarrett. It was a night of emotional celebration not only for Christian Cage, but also the fans. As the event concluded, the fans swarmed into the ring and hoisted Christian high into the air, with the everlasting image still stuck in my head of Christian pointing to the camera towards all of us at home – this wasn’t just his win, it was our win too. It was no longer how Christian Cage rolled; it was now how “we” rolled together.
Cage became a fighting champion, taking on all challenges. If it was Monty Brown wanting a shot, he got it. If it was James Mitchell requesting a shot for his monster Abyss, he got it. Cage devoted his life into the NWA World Heavyweight Title and was proving to be an elite champion upon retaining his title time after time.
Cage was on such a roll that he wanted to step into a whole new dimension as champion – the King of the Mountain match. No champion had ever retained his title in a King of the Mountain match and Cage wanted to be the first to do so. That’s when the pressure began to crack him.
His opponents at Slammiversary in the King of the Mountain match were Ron Killings, Abyss, Jeff Jarrett, and Sting. Going into the match, Sting made it very clear that it wasn’t about the title, but rather getting rid of Jeff Jarrett. When it came down to clutch time, Sting had the opportunity to win the prestigious title with no one stopping him. He climbed the ladder, only to be met by Cage. The two argued over the gold, leading to referee Earl Hebner and Larry Zbyszko costing them the match in the ultimate conspiracy. Minutes later, Jeff Jarrett was once again the champion.
The win for Jarrett was a black mark on TNA, as Sting has made very clear. Cage wanted the rematch, but Sting was still on his hunt to rid TNA of Jarrett – something Cage took exception to. The former champion wanted his rematch, and he thought Sting was trying to steal his thunder. Words were exchanged and bad feelings were shared by both. Even though Sting is trying to do the right thing, Cage sees it as Sting trying to take his spot.
In my opinion, Christian Cage is cracking under pressure and he’s beginning to second-guess people, and when you do that you become spiteful. One week later, Sting and Cage paired to take on Jarrett and Scott Steiner. Following the match, while Sting and Jarrett brawled on the outside and Samoa Joe and Steiner battled in the back, Cage couldn’t help himself from ignoring the chaos and focusing on the NWA World Heavyweight Title. Alone in the ring, he picked up the gold and admired it – oblivious to the war around him.
At “Victory Road” on July 16, Christian will have that opportunity at getting a shot at Jeff Jarrett, but he’s going to have to work for it. It will be a four-way match between Christian Cage, Sting, “Big Poppa Pump” Scott Steiner, and none other than “The Samoan Submission Machine” Samoa Joe. All are vying to get that shot, but what would happen if Cage did lose? What would his reaction be? We certainly saw how stubborn he became after losing the title and he obviously wants it back more than anything, but will missing an opportunity at regaining the title only worsen the situation? It will be a crossroads of sorts that Cage will have to solve if he wants to keep his pride and dignity strong.
For TNAwrestling.com, I’m Marcus Cygy.