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411’s TNA Conference Call Report 10.25.07: Christian Cage on Jeff Jarrett, Samoa Joe, Chris Jericho, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, and More!
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The call begins at 2:04 PM EDT.
We begin with a review of the TNA DVDs that are currently available and soon to be released.
The Instant Classic: The Best of Christian Cage DVD is out now. The DVD contains seven matches including Christian’s first World Championship victory against Jeff Jarrett from Against All Odds 2006 as well as Christian’s classic Barbed Wire Six Sides of Steel Match against Rhino from the Impact special. The DVD also contains footage from Christian’s early days in the wrestling industry as well as special bonus features.
The History of TNA: Year 1 DVD will be available on November 20. TNAWrestling.com has a preview of the DVD available now.
TNA’s next pay-per-view, Genesis, is scheduled for November 11.
Christian Cage then joins the call from Canada where he is currently promoting his new film, Dark Rising.
Note: In an effort to provide a more concise, coherent report of the conference call, I’m going to arrange the questions and answers by subject instead of simply listing them in the order they were asked
On the growth of TNA:
411: During the past year we’ve seen TNA take a number of important steps in its continued growth. Impact has gone to two hours, there are more house shows, and pay-per-views are being held outside of Orlando. What’s the next milestone in TNA’s growth as a company?
Cage: I think the next milestone is to hold even more pay-per-views outside of Orlando. And I mean no offense to the Orlando fans. Those fans in the Impact Zone have been absolutely amazing to us. But running national pay-per-views is definitely an important step for a company.
Question: What are your thoughts on TNA leaving the NWA?
Cage: The NWA title is the most historic title in the industry. You look at the list of guys that have held the title, and it includes legends like Harley Race, Ric Flair, and Terry Funk. But I think TNA is at the stage now where we can justify having our own World Title. We don’t need the NWA name to legitimize our title anymore.
Question: How are the TNA talent and the TNA creative team handing the new two-hour format of Impact?
Cage: It’s an adjustment, and it’s going to be for a while now. I think the shows have been good so far, but I also think they’ll be better once we all get used to the new format. We have more time for everyone to grow into their characters and develop their storylines, and things will get even better once that happens.
Question: The ratings for Impact have been steady for quite some time in spite of having a number of big names on the show. What has to happen for the Impact ratings to actually begin to climb?
Cage: I think the second hour is definitely going to help. The two hour shows have been good, but they’re always going to get better. And with better shows come better ratings.
Question: TNA currently has a good mix of home-grown TNA stars and stars that have made their names in other promotions. How should TNA balance the use of these two groups of stars?
Cage: I think it’s important to have both. I think it’s important to have home-grown talent, but I think it’s important to have guys that have had exposure on a national level. When you have a Kurt Angle wrestling a Robert Roode or an Eric Young, then someone might flip through the channels and stop because they recognize Kurt Angle. They’ve seen him before, and they want to see what he’s doing now. But then they’ll see Robert Roode or Eric Young and realize how talented those guys are as well. And that’s how you begin to create new household names.
Question: Does TNA have a drug testing policy?
Cage: There is drug testing in place, and I think the proper steps are being taken to make sure that it does what it needs to do.
Question: Is the drug testing a new policy, or has it been in effect for some time now?
Cage: It’s been in existence. It’s a privately owned company, so it’s kept on the inside, but there is a policy in place, and they’re taking steps to make sure it’s where it needs to be.
Question: In an article on WWE.com, Steve Austin recently said that there were no real stars in TNA. How do you respond to those comments?
Cage: He works for WWE, so what do you expect? But hey, he’s one of, if not the, biggest draw in the history of the industry, so he’s entitled to his opinion. Of course, I disagree, but he’s entitled to his opinion.
Question: Does professional wrestling need a union similar to that in other professional sports?
Cage: You know it’s something that, to be honest, I really haven’t thought about. Maybe it’s something that we need to talk about. It would definitely be an interesting discussion.
On his first two years in TNA:
411: You’ve competed at TNA’s biggest show of the year, Bound for Glory, on two occasions, and you stole the show both times, first with Rhino, and then with Samoa Joe. You’re beginning to be TNA’s version of Shawn Michaels, who always brings his best on the big shows. How do you approach a match at the biggest show of the year?
Cage: I go out and try to steal the show every night. Anybody who doesn’t do that doesn’t deserve to be on the card in the first place. But I think the key is to have a straight ahead wrestling match. You can’t go wrong with a good, true wrestling match.
411: You’ve had some lengthy feuds with guys like Rhino and Joe. Going into a feud like that, how do you find a balance between having good matches at the beginning of the feud while always leaving the fans wanting more?
Cage: I never purposely try to hold back in the ring. I never think about something I could do and then save it for a match somewhere down the road. I go out and have the best match that I can that night. But then I go back and watch the tape and see all of the things that I could have done better, and I use that to make the next match better than the first.
Question: It’s been two years since your debut in TNA. Are you still as excited about TNA today as you were two years ago when you debuted?
Cage: Oh, sure. One of the things that excited me about TNA was that it seemed to be a growing company, and it’s continued to grow as I’ve been with the company. It’s still exciting because of all of the things that are happening and all of the things that are going to happen in the future.
Question: What makes you happy about being in TNA?
Cage: They allow me to be real hands on with my matches, and everyone is really open to discussion. It makes it easier when you don’t have to be scared to speak up. It’s been great to let my creative juices flow.
Question: Do you prefer working as a face or as a heel?
Cage: I think what you see right now is what I’m most comfortable with. It’s just me with the volume turned up.
Question: What have been a few of your favorite matches during the course of your first two years in TNA?
Cage: Some of my favorite matches are on the DVD. Winning my first World Championship against Jeff Jarrett was a great moment. Some of my matches against my long-time friend Rhino are really memorable, and then more recently my series of matches with Samoa Joe have turned out well.
Question: Do you prefer to call a match in the ring or work it our backstage beforehand?
Cage: It’s really hard to do that with a short television matches because of the time constraints involved, but I’m of the opinion that you need to go out and feel the crowd and work from there. I guess it really depends on what the performer is comfortable with. But crowds are different all over the place, so it’s good to be able to vary the match based on the crowd.
Question: Why do you click so well with Samoa Joe?
Cage: Sometimes you just find those guys. I had the same thing years ago with Shelton Benjamin and Chris Jericho. And in tag team matches I always worked well with 3D. But it terms of Joe, I think our styles just mix well. He’s more of a charge ahead, full attack sort of guy, and I tend to back up and bide my time. Those two styles work well together, and we can tell a good story that way.
Question: You had some great ladder matches back in WWE. Have you ever though about mixing it up in the X-Division and trying your hand at an Ultimate X Match?
Cage: I’m getting a little older, so I have to be a bit more careful about those kinds of matches. But it might be something would interest me. My goal has always to be a World Champion, but our X-Division is absolutely phenomenal. Those guys are flat our amazing.
On the Christian Coalition:
411: All of the great stables in wrestling history have had a strong leader, and now you’re in that position as the leader of the Christian Coalition. What stables and stable leaders have guided you I this new phase of your career?
Cage: You know, I’ve never really thought about it. I mean, we’re really not like the Horsemen or anyone. We’re just sort of doing our own thing. So I guess you kind of have me stumped there.
411: One of the most interesting aspects of wrestling stables is how they grow and evolve over time. If you could bring one TNA Knockout and one wrestler from outside of TNA into the Christian Coalition, who would they be?
Cage: As far as Knockouts go, I’d have to say Traci Brooks. She has this hot little evil side that I really like. She’d be great. I love that little evil side. And as far as someone from outside of TNA, I’d say maybe Giant Bernard from Japan. He works really well with Tomko, so that could be a natural pairing.
Question: Tomko is probably improved more than anyone else on the TNA roster during the past year. What lead to Tomko’s growth as a performer?
Cage: I’ll take all the credit for it. It was all because of me. But no, seriously, the thing that people don’t realize about Tomko is that he’s a real student of the game. He would sit at ringside and not just watch matches but really study them. When he left WWE he went to Japan, and when he came back he was a totally different performer. I may have opened the door for him a bit in TNA, but he kicked it down all by himself. He’s going to be a star.
Question: AJ Styles has always been amazing in the ring, but he has also improved his microphone work dramatically over the course of the past year. How much did you work with AJ on his speaking abilities?
Cage: You know, when I was first starting to talk, when you’re just starting out in the business, talking can be a tough thing. It’s really tough when you’re a singles wrestler and not really working with anyone. Then when I was working with Edge, we could bounce things off of each other. We came up with some great stuff that way. I think it might be the same with me and AJ. We goof around backstage, and some of that comes out on screen. Maybe it was just a side of himself that he didn’t know he had. And like you said, he’s second to none in the ring.
On his Instant Classic: The Best of Christian Cage DVD:
Question: The DVD uses a lot of older footage of you and Adam Copeland. Many wrestlers are hesitant to show older footage of themselves, because they may not have been as capable then as they are now. How did you feel about using the older footage?
Cage: That’s part of the reason I wanted it on the DVD. You get to see the progression of what it takes to actually become a success in the business. You can’t step in the ring and be at the top right away. I think one of the bonus features on the DVD is my very first interview, and it’s absolutely brutal. I watch it now and I just cringe. But it just goes to show that you have to keep finding a way to grow as a performer.
Question: How involved were you with the production of the DVD? Did you choose the matches, or were you told which matches were going to be included?
Cage: First they sent me a list of matches they’d like to see on the DVD, and I sent them a list back of what I’d like to see. The two lists were actually pretty similar. In the end there were a couple of matches we slid in, and couple of matches we slid out.
On his burgeoning film career:
Question: Is there anything you’d like to say regarding any of your current film projects?
Cage: Yeah, I’m actually up in Toronto right now, and we had a screening of a movie I did called Dark Rising. It’s fun and campy and doesn’t try to make itself anything that it isn’t.
Question: And are you interested in having more acting opportunities in the future?
Cage: Of course. TNA gives me more free time, and I always like to challenge myself. Acting is definitely a new challenge for me, and that’s part of the reason that I enjoy it so much.
On the upcoming TNA video game:
Question: Have you had a chance to play an advanced version of the upcoming TNA video game?
Cage: No, but I’ve seen screen shots, and it looks amazing. It’s going to be a cutting edge game, and I can’t wait to play it.
On a few other random subjects:
Question: WWE’s next pay-per-view is Cyber Sunday. Do the fans’ votes really count for anything, or does WWE just make all the decisions on their own regardless of how the fans actually vote?
Cage: I really have no idea. As far as I know, they let the fans vote.
Question: If RVD were to ever end up in TNA, do you think he’d be welcomed by everyone backstage?
Cage: Sure. Everybody in TNA is a fan of RVD, and I really like him myself. I’ve had some great matches with RVD including a great ladder match a few years ago. He’d be a great addition to the TNA roster.
Question: Have you spoken to Edge recently? How is he doing?
Cage: I have. He’s doing better in his rehabilitation, and he’s getting ready to come back in the next couple of months.
Question: What did you think of Junior Fatu’s promo where he buried the Fight for the Right tournament and repeatedly referred to Robert Roode as Rick Rude?
Cage: I actually haven’t seen that show. I haven’t been home in a while, but I know it’s on my Tivo.
Question: What do you think of Kanye West?
Cage: I think he’s a talented artist, and I have some of his songs in my Ipod, but other than that I really don’t know him.
Question: Are you still into sadomasochistic activity?
Cage: Sometimes. It depends on the mood. But you’d actually be surprised by how many people mention that.
The call ends at 2:39 PM EDT.
