44-year-old star might never sign with AEW - Reports

AEW reportedly may never sign a 44-year-old star. This wrestler is controversial due to his past actions.

Nick Gage is widely regarded as the king of the deathmatch. He is known for slicing and dicing his opponents in the ring, making him one of the most feared men in professional wrestling. Due to the violent nature of his matches, Gage hasn't had much exposure to major wrestling promotions.

Despite his controversial past, Nick Gage competed against Chris Jericho on the July 28, 2021 episode of Dynamite. MJF set up the match as one of the Labors of Jericho where the former WWE star had to defeat five opponents to earn a match against him. One of the matches was a no-rules bout against Gage. The match turned controversial when Gage pulled out a pizza cutter and sliced Jericho's forehead. While this was routine for Nick Gage, AEW's sponsors weren't too happy.

Despite this, Nick Gage has been rumored to sign with AEW for a while now. Sean Ross Sapp reported on his Fightful Select Q&A podcast that AEW won't sign Nick Gage since he doesn't fit in well with the Jacksonville-based promotion.

“No, they won’t. He doesn’t fit in AEW, and also the pizza cutter spot cost them quite a few sponsors.” [H/T Ringside News]

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Jim Cornette slammed Nick Gage's match against Chris Jericho on AEW Dynamite

As expected, Chris Jericho's match against Nick Gage was a brutal affair. Both men tried their best to shred their opponent to pieces. They used everything from light tubes to pizza cutters to get the better of each other. This match was not for the faint of heart and is one of the most controversial matches in the promotion's history.

Speaking on his podcast, Jim Cornette criticized the match involving Jericho and Gage. He called it an embarrassment for the locker room and the wrestling business. He even said that the fan who tried to storm a show the previous week looked more dangerous than Gage.

"I guess, the Painmaker Chris Jericho faced the 'bank robber' on national television and, I had alternating emotions as I felt sad for Chris, I was embarrassed for the wrestling business," said Cornette. "I even at some points felt bad for some of the people in their locker room, even though they brought this on themselves, AEW. Some of the guys back there had to be going ‘Oh, come on. What the f**k?’ It’s just, it’s embarrassing. The guy that tried to get in the ring the other week on live TV looked like more of a threat to Jericho than this guy," said Cornette. (H/T - Inside The Ropes)

It will be interesting to see if Nick Gage will ever compete again in an All Elite Wrestling ring.