WWE

WWE’s Edge on Christian’s Decision to Sign With AEW

Edge and Christian had a surprise in-ring reunion during this year’s Men’s Royal Rumble when […]

Edge and Christian had a surprise in-ring reunion during this year’s Men’s Royal Rumble when “Captain Charisma” competed in his first official match seven years after being forced to retire due to injuries. But much to the shock of WWE fans, the former World Heavyweight Champion didn’t stick around. He arrived in All Elite Wrestling weeks later at the Revolution pay-per-view, signing a multi-year contract.

In an interview on the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast this week, Edge gave his reaction to his best friend’s decision to wrestle elsewhere.

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“I’m not bummed,” Edge said. “I want him to be happy, and I want him to get the respect that he deserves. Because I’d like for him to get the on-air respect that the locker room shows him. Because if you ask anyone within our industry, he’s one of the names that people go, ‘Man, that dude.’ Like if you watched the latest ‘Broken Skull Sessions’ with Randy Orton and watch Steve [Austin] and Randy talk about [Christian] and what he brings to the table. I just want him to be wherever he’s going to get that respect. Because whatever the initials are he’s my best friend. I just want him to be happy and I want him to do hopefully what I get to do, which is go out on your own terms and see this thing through properly.”

Christian told Renee Paquette on an episode of Oral Sessions earlier this month that Jon Moxley convinced him to consider AEW as a viable option, leading to negotiations with Tony Khan.

“Anytime there is a life-altering decision, there is a lot of thought,” he said. “I didn’t have a lot of time to think about this but what I really needed was the best platform for me โ€” I got a second lease on life here to showcase (myself) but also help. Where could I help the next generation? That’s what I felt at AEW. In my initial talks with Tony, the first conversation we had, we talked for two hours. From that initial conversation I was like, ‘Man, I didn’t think it would go that well.’ It came together pretty quickly after that. We hit it off, we had the same feeling as far as where he saw me and what I could bring to the table and how I could help the roster and the show. That was intriguing to me and I like a challenge. It wasn’t an easy decision, but it also wasn’t a hard decision. There was something intriguing about being able to be hands-on with everything and having that challenge. It felt like the right situation. There’s nothing wrong with WWE and how they do things.”

Christian will make his in-ring debut on tonight’s episode of Dynamite, facing Frankie Kazarian.