Brian Cage Reveals He Was Going to Turn Heel Had He Stayed in Impact Wrestling

– In an interview with Dynamite Download (via Fightful), Brian Cage spoke about his time in Impact Wrestling, noting that he expected to turn heel if he stayed in the company and turn on Tessa Blanchard. Here are some highlights:

Brian Cage on likely turning heel had he stayed in Impact Wrestling: “I enjoy being a face more. If I had stayed with IMPACT instead of going to AEW, I was going to turn heel and that would have been my perfect heel character because I was going to come out and celebrate with Tessa, and then I was going to take her head off. That was going to be a feud with Tessa, I would get my win back and the title from her. I’ve never been able to be this heel. Every time I’ve been a heel, it’s always to be the strong, silent, meathead, high school bully kind of heel, which I can’t stand. I fit the role, obviously, but it’s so stereotypical and vanilla to me. There aren’t different things you can do with it. I enjoy being a face because I like the excitement, intensity, and I can do more of my flashy moves. I’m not one who always buys into, ‘You can’t do that move because you’re heel.'”

On how he would’ve worked as a heel: “Just because you’re a bad guy, doesn’t mean you’re not an athlete. I feel like we’ve evolved from ‘you can’t do cool moves if you’re a heel.’ If I can get over being myself as a face, just like IMPACT, and then turn heel but it’s just myself as a heel version, that is the version I would love that I haven’t gotten to do. I would love to get over, be myself, and transition that into a heel. Actually getting over, being a face, and being myself, would actually let my natural personality show up more so I can be a natural heel as I would normally be instead of just being grumpy all the time. Even when I’m a babyface, I hate when I’m always like perpetually pissed off. I don’t have to be Road Rage Cage the whole time. I can have an athletic competition.”

Cage would later go on to sign with AEW last year, and he made his debut at Double or Nothing 2020.