"I wouldn’t job you out" - Absent AEW star says Tony Khan is adamant about not bringing him back for fear of 'burying' on television

AEW star Brian Cage has disclosed Tony Khan's reasoning for keeping him away from AEW programming.

Brian Cage wrestled in his last AEW match in October 2021, while making sporadic ROH appearances in 2022. The Machine's in-ring absence left fans pondering a serious injury, which he recently dismissed.

Speaking with K & S WrestleFest during a virtual signing, Brian Cage disclosed what Tony Khan said about his TV return:

"He (Tony) obviously heard or people thought that I was going to (be on TV again) and he goes, ‘Yeah, people brought that up to me’ and he’s like, ‘No way, I wouldn’t job you out to Wardlow like that. You’re too big of a star to do that too’. So, I mean he paid me a compliment in that regard." (H/T: Post Wrestling)

The former IMPACT World Champion further mentioned that the fear of 'burying' has been influencing Mr. Khan's decision:

"That’s one thing I was talking to him about not being used. I’m like, ‘Dude, this sucks. What’s going on? I wanna wrestle’ and he was just like, ‘Well I could be bringing you on TV and just having you lose to everybody. That would really be burying you as opposed to using you.’ I guess so, and that’s when he brought up the Wardlow thing," he added.

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Brian Cage unravels on being disliked by certain people in Tony Khan's company

Brian Cage's wife Melissa Santos made headlines last year by posting a video tweet in support of her husband. She called out Tony Khan's management for not utilizing Swolverine's caliber.

During the aforementioned signing, Cage opened up about facing backstage heat from some people after his wife's tweet:

"It’s about certain people backstage in AEW who don’t like me there that pointed that (tweet) out and brought that heat to me intentionally. It wouldn’t have been a big deal but certain individuals there made it a big deal. There’s more to it, but I’m not going to say that. These certain individuals know who they are," said Cage.

The Machine is currently paired with Kaun, Toa Liona, and Prince Nana as a part of the reformed ‘Embassy’ in ROH. It will be interesting to see what Mr. Khan has in mind for The Swolverine.