Christian Cage Will Be At Slammiversary?

[klunderbunker]

Like most TNA stuff, I'll believe this when I see it.

That being said, Christian is the first member of the Hall of Fame? Seriously? I get him being in the Hall of Fame and I have no problem with that, but going in before Jarrett or Styles? That I have an issue with. Look at the first member of the WWE Hall of Fame: Andre The Giant. When you open one of these things, it should be with a bang. Christian is hardly a whimper, but as for being the first member of TNA's Hall of Fame? No.

As for Dixie announcing it, I could see either way on that. Again though, I'll believe it when I see it.

 

[ProWrestlingFan]

This probably won't happen but still :

Christian Cage appears at Slammiversary with the Intercontinental Championship and throws the Intercontinental Championship into a trash can and immediately jumps to TNA cutting a shoot promo on WWE.

[YOUTUBE]fZf4oykNsAA[/YOUTUBE]

 

[The Dragon Saga]

Announcing Christian, who a majority of TNA's fanbase still respect for making the jump from WWE to TNA, is actually a smart move, because not only will interest grow from TNA fans of old but some WWE fans who may not have watched TNA will hear of Christian's appearance and purchase the Pay-Per-View on a whim. Christian has a large fanbase, especially considering he has featured prominently in the two top North American wrestling promotions going; three if you count his three match run with Ring of Honor.

As for Christian being the inaugural inductee into the Hall of Fame, for one it is simply speculation, he may just be making an appearance seeing as he is currently the only huge wrestler from TNA's past not currently contracted to their organization. Second, if he is the first inductee, despite him not deserving it over Jeff Jarrett, Christian still deserves it for a number of reasons.

He was a two time NWA World Heavyweight Champion, which now credits him as a two time TNA World Heavyweight Champion. He was undefeated for over a year, unlike the appalling run of Crimson, Christian defeated top names during his run and reigned as the NWA World Heavyweight Champion. He Main Evented a total of nine Pay-Per-View's, was to an extent their biggest recognizable star and even post the debut of Kurt Angle, Christian was their top merchandise seller and possibly even their most over performer.

Several brilliant matches with the likes of Jeff Jarrett, Sting, Kurt Angle, Samoa Joe, Abyss etc, etc. Was the first person to have a DVD released on his tenure within TNA. Formed the popular Christian Coalition, has left the company and propelled himself to a platform many said he'd never reached; should I go on?

Christian was an outsider to gain the Hall of Fame spot. He does deserve it to an extent and considering TNA had WWE at their door for what could be the first time ever, they needed to capitalize early. They can induct Jarrett, AJ Styles, Kurt Angle and so afterwards, Christian makes a very dignified and respected candidate and choice for the inaugural induction, whether you like it or not.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

Like most TNA stuff, I'll believe this when I see it.

That being said, Christian is the first member of the Hall of Fame? Seriously? I get him being in the Hall of Fame and I have no problem with that, but going in before Jarrett or Styles? That I have an issue with. Look at the first member of the WWE Hall of Fame: Andre The Giant. When you open one of these things, it should be with a bang. Christian is hardly a whimper, but as for being the first member of TNA's Hall of Fame? No.

As for Dixie announcing it, I could see either way on that. Again though, I'll believe it when I see it.

Problem is, this logic is inherently flawed if you're going to compare Andre the Giant/WWE with whoever the first inductee would be for TNA, because there is a fuckin' chasm between the two. Jarrett, Styles, Sting, Tenay, Cage, West, whoever — doesn't matter. You put ANY of them up to that kind of comparison for what they meant to their respective companies and they will always pale in comparison, so what's the point?

Fact is, TNA needs to be picking their best option, and Cage is absolutely among them — right there next to Jarrett, Raven and others.

Daniels hit it on the head:

http://www.prowrestling.net/artman/publish/TNA/article10025582.shtml

"In all honesty, I don’t think any of the people that you’re going to see that are still wrestling in an Impact ring will be in the hall of fame for a while. I guess that’s one of the drawbacks for having a hall of fame for a company that’s only 10 years old. How do you celebrate the accomplishments of a wrestler if he’s still having accomplishments in the wrestling ring? That goes for myself, Bobby Roode, James Storm, A.J. Styles and guys that you could conceivably argue deserve to be in the hall of fame that TNA has. If we’re all still accomplishing stuff in the ring, how do you induct us right now?"

 

[klunderbunker]

Problem is, this logic is inherently flawed if you're going to compare Andre the Giant/WWE with whoever the first inductee would be for TNA, because there is a fuckin' chasm between the two. Jarrett, Styles, Sting, Tenay, Cage, West, whoever — doesn't matter. You put ANY of them up to that kind of comparison for what they meant to their respective companies and they will always pale in comparison, so what's the point?

Fact is, TNA needs to be picking their best option, and Cage is absolutely among them — right there next to Jarrett, Raven and others.

Daniels hit it on the head:

http://www.prowrestling.net/artman/publish/TNA/article10025582.shtml

The problem with that is Jarrett hasn't been in a TNA ring for months. He's barely what you would call active and he's meant more to TNA than anyone. He started the company, he's won more world titles than anyone, he was the top heel forever. Without him there is no TNA. Christian is very good and was great in TNA, but he's not Jeff Jarrett. Putting active people in the Hall of Fame is fine. I've never gotten why that's such an issue as people never really retire from wrestling.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

The problem with that is Jarrett hasn't been in a TNA ring for months. He's barely what you would call active and he's meant more to TNA than anyone. He started the company, he's won more world titles than anyone, he was the top heel forever. Without him there is no TNA. Christian is very good and was great in TNA, but he's not Jeff Jarrett. Putting active people in the Hall of Fame is fine. I've never gotten why that's such an issue as people never really retire from wrestling.

Well no, but they do retire from "active competition", which is usually seen as a bit of a requirement, as it's an indicator that their career has come to a close, or is rapidly approaching it. The whole purpose of a Hall-of-Fame is to acknowledge and pay tribute to the career of a performer, often as one last "thank you" for all that hard work, so it makes sense that most companies don't invite anyone still active to be inducted.

Jarrett would have been my entry as well, but I can understand wanting to capitalize on the name of Cage while he's still performing elsewhere, too. Fact is, while on paper Jarrett means more, in reality Cage is the bigger impact (no pun intended).

 

[J.D Lethal]

i read this and i can only say is Why?????? Christian doesnt remember what happened to the last WWE guy that came to a TNA event and was shown on camera...This isnt pay back for Ric Flair...i read somewhere that Christian should cut a promo for TNA over WWE if christian was to do that before the 1000th ep Christian will get a St.Louis Screw Job by a FCW Guy Dixie really is trying to hype up sunday as best as she could...She Should really focus on Calling Ken Shamrock and saying the Double J will be there.

 

[klunderbunker]

Well no, but they do retire from "active competition", which is usually seen as a bit of a requirement, as it's an indicator that their career has come to a close, or is rapidly approaching it. The whole purpose of a Hall-of-Fame is to acknowledge and pay tribute to the career of a performer, often as one last "thank you" for all that hard work, so it makes sense that most companies don't invite anyone still active to be inducted.

Jarrett would have been my entry as well, but I can understand wanting to capitalize on the name of Cage while he's still performing elsewhere, too. Fact is, while on paper Jarrett means more, in reality Cage is the bigger impact (no pun intended).

It wasn't for Michaels, Hogan, Flair, JR, Lawler and probably others that I'm forgetting.

I'm not sure how much of an impact Christian is going to make. He's not wrestling for TNA, he's not going there permanently, he's not going to trash WWE (which wouldn't mean anything anyway) and he's just going to be mentioned once in awhile as a Hall of Famer. I really don't see how this comes off as anything more than a publicity stunt, which isn't the point of a hall of fame.

 

[The Dragon Saga]

i read this and i can only say is Why?????? Christian doesnt remember what happened to the last WWE guy that came to a TNA event and was shown on camera...This isnt pay back for Ric Flair...i read somewhere that Christian should cut a promo for TNA over WWE if christian was to do that before the 1000th ep Christian will get a St.Louis Screw Job by a FCW Guy Dixie really is trying to hype up sunday as best as she could...She Should really focus on Calling Ken Shamrock and saying the Double J will be there.

...

What?

You mean Robbie McAllister? Yeah, that wasn't planned, it was Wrestlemania weekend and he was in the vicinity, this is totally different to that. He doesn't have to cut a promo "for TNA over WWE", all he has to do is show, speak and leave. Very simple, not much to it, I hate fantasy booking but this isn't exactly professional stuff here, this is a pretty easy situation.

I have no clue what an "St. Louis Screwjob" is, I have a feeling this is in relation to nothing, considering Christian is defending the WWE IC Championship against Cody Rhodes from New Jersey, at No Way Out. And although Jeff Jarrett should feature, why would Dixie call a guy who hasn't featured on TNA programming in eight years nor has been relevant in six? I like Ken Shamrock, but him over Christian? Lulz, go back to the drawing board kid.

 

[Rjw2688]

For everyone who thinks that wrestlers from WWE are going to wrestle on TNA and TNA wrestle on WWE shows... Thats NEVER going to happen... Are people also forgetting about the current lawsuit that TNA started. It's clearly a debt from a deal with Flair or Christian asked WWE if he could attend that night. Simple as that. Not going to see cross matches or anything. That is just beyond extremely unrealistic wishful thinking. However it would be interesting if he was the first member of the HOF. It would make sense on why they had a HOF so early, all because of the 4 Horsemen getting inducted

 

[It's Damn Real!]

It wasn't for Michaels, Hogan, Flair, JR, Lawler and probably others that I'm forgetting.

I'm not sure how much of an impact Christian is going to make. He's not wrestling for TNA, he's not going there permanently, he's not going to trash WWE (which wouldn't mean anything anyway) and he's just going to be mentioned once in awhile as a Hall of Famer. I really don't see how this comes off as anything more than a publicity stunt, which isn't the point of a hall of fame.

Of course there are exceptions to the rule. I'm not denying that, all I'm saying is that it's a general rule of thumb not to induct still active performers, because doing so opens a can of worms you can't control with regard to the whole "how young is too young?" debate.

This is one quarter publicity stunt, three quarters sincerity to me. Cage deserves a spot in the Hall. That, IMO, is undeniable. He was one of the most instrumental names in company history in being the first of many to "jump ship", and for that reason alone he deserves recognition. Add to that the multitude of championships and moments he's had in the company, and it stands to reason that despite his somewhat shortish reign (when compared to the magnitude of careers being taken into account for the WWE HOF, for example), he deserves the nod.

 

[subsouljah82]

Ok first and foremost i think christian was a great choice for an exchange not only was he the first name guy to jump from wwe to tna but he was also a guy tna made into a main event level talent that wwe wasnt doin anything with so he has that home grown feel to him as well as being a outside guy also they alwayqs say make the best of ur mic time so i say if christian does any kinda promo at the ppv id perfer it to be a shoot on wwe for never useing him right even once he came back as a main event talent elsewhere plus i think it be a great way for wwe to build him a good storyline and for them to also get something out of his appreance i credit tna for haveing the smarts to work this whole deal out and she had to make the announcement cause any buyrate boost they can get is much needed ill be sitting back seeing how this all unfolds and hopeing neither side drops the ball on a ground breaking chance at something rarely done in this buisness

 

[klunderbunker]

Of course there are exceptions to the rule. I'm not denying that, all I'm saying is that it's a general rule of thumb not to induct still active performers, because doing so opens a can of worms you can't control with regard to the whole "how young is too young?" debate.

This is one quarter publicity stunt, three quarters sincerity to me. Cage deserves a spot in the Hall. That, IMO, is undeniable. He was one of the most instrumental names in company history in being the first of many to "jump ship", and for that reason alone he deserves recognition. Add to that the multitude of championships and moments he's had in the company, and it stands to reason that despite his somewhat shortish reign (when compared to the magnitude of careers being taken into account for the WWE HOF, for example), he deserves the nod.

I've never said he doesn't deserve a spot, but the first spot? No. No way.

As for the exception to the rule, what rule? We've never heard anything about eligibility requirements or nominees or a selection process, so how can you have rules for something? A lot of the guys in the WWE Hall of Fame were still active, just not in WWE. How many of them pop up for a one off match on a special somewhere? Based on that (which is the only thing we can base it off of), being retired doesn't really seem to be of much importance at all.

 

[The Dragon Saga]

Ok first and foremost i think christian was a great choice for an exchange not only was he the first name guy to jump from wwe to tna but he was also a guy tna made into a main event level talent that wwe wasnt doin anything with so he has that home grown feel to him as well as being a outside guy also they alwayqs say make the best of ur mic time so i say if christian does any kinda promo at the ppv id perfer it to be a shoot on wwe for never useing him right even once he came back as a main event talent elsewhere plus i think it be a great way for wwe to build him a good storyline and for them to also get something out of his appreance i credit tna for haveing the smarts to work this whole deal out and she had to make the announcement cause any buyrate boost they can get is much needed ill be sitting back seeing how this all unfolds and hopeing neither side drops the ball on a ground breaking chance at something rarely done in this buisness

What is with you morons and shoots?

You are aware that most "shoots" are worked, right? CM Punk has a worked shoot. Paul Heyman had a worked shoot. Joey Styles had a worked shoot. The only shoots to ever hold any weight were ones conducted by Vince Russo, Roddy Piper, Scott Steiner and Ric Flair, after that you're dunking for non-existent apples.

Second, the chances of WWE recognizing a promo cut by a mid-card talent on another promotion's Pay-Per-View, that most WWE fans don't watch isn't happening. If that was the case WWE should have referenced all the "shoots" Matt Hardy made at Ring of Honor shows in 2006, alas they didn't and they won't this time.

Third, why would he have reason to shoot on WWE? You know, the company that brought him back, allowed him to carry a title and a brand for ten months, placed him in a couple top notch feuds until his injury, brought him back, placed him in the World Heavyweight Championship picture, gave him two World Heavyweight title reigns, sufficient time on RAW and Smackdown to cut promos. Brought him back, allowed him to win two matches in one night and has yet to lose since.

Christian hasn't got much to be aggrieved by, if anything he ought to be grateful.

 

[the_vipers_enigma]

Well this is going to be very interesting to see. Without any doubt Christian was the first big name to "jump ship" and in the time he was in TNA he was carrying that company. So for TNA to have him come as exchange to Flair is a very smart move. Plus I don't think Vince has anything against it cause Christian is the reigning IC champion and as it looks he is going to be at least for some time.
As for him being the first inductee I'm not against it although I think Jeff Jarret should be the one inducted.

 

[Indeed]

Excited to see Christian at Slammiversary, gonna order it Sunday and it should be a great card. Cool of WWE to let him attend. He won't be the HOF inductee, either. Pretty sure he has to be contracted for that.

 

[Honkey_Kong]

I see by WWE letting Christian go there, they're making a statement that TNA is like FCW to them. Just a minor league. I'm sure they're not worried that Christian is going to by one appearance make TNA #1. I mean he was there for a couple years and the ratings were garbage the whole time.

By the WWE allowing Christian to go to TNA it gives the atmosphere that A real star is actually there, a WWE guy.

Truth be told, I don't think Vince or anyone in WWE really wants TNA out of business anyways. It's a good place for talent that they don't currently have any use for to go. And the best part is they don't have to pay them either.

 

[MB1025]

I see by WWE letting Christian go there, they're making a statement that TNA is like FCW to them. Just a minor league. I'm sure they're not worried that Christian is going to by one appearance make TNA #1. I mean he was there for a couple years and the ratings were garbage the whole time.

By the WWE allowing Christian to go to TNA it gives the atmosphere that A real star is actually there, a WWE guy.

Truth be told, I don't think Vince or anyone in WWE really wants TNA out of business anyways. It's a good place for talent that they don't currently have any use for to go. And the best part is they don't have to pay them either.

Yeah it clearly has nothing to do with TNA letting Ric Flair be inducted itno their HOF or anything. I am sure this is them making a statement to the minor leagues known as TNA.

 

[Suq Madeeq]

I'm pretty sure Christian will not be involved in any type of match or confrontation. I also don't believe that he will be the first inductee in the TNA Hall of Fame. Christian will be there for the dvd segments, involving his TNA run and maybe, just maybe will walk out to the stage area and give the fans a wave. I don't figure he will speak, at all. He is still under contract with WWE and this will be a one-time appearance only. WWE would have completed their deal and will unlikely ever happen again.

 

[xavyer]

I think this is just a settlement for the lawsuit......

 

[FitFinlay4Life]

I believe that Christian will be involved in the TNA HoF but not as an inductee. This screams to me as being used to further the AJ / Dixie storyline - Christian will induct former Christian Coalition member AJ; Daniels and Kaz will argue that, 1: AJ isn't worthy of the first spot, 2: The amount of expense that Dixie has made (bringing in Cage) to spotlight her toyboy.

Christian doesn't make sense as the first inductee - what benefit would TNA garner from their first inductee never appearing on their product? There is little chance of him competing either, given that he has already suffered time lost due to injury and the WWe would be loathed for him to risk more for another company.

 

[kor420]

Well, we all KNOW the Dixie Carter thing is an angle, I personally find the whole tweeting in kayfabe thing to be incredibly lame.

Why did she announce it before and not make it a surprise? Because the goal in wrestling is to make money, PPV buys in this case, more people will be interested.

If he is the first inducted so what? I'm sure the people you mentioned will be inducted eventually so what's the issue?

The deal may of been that Christian couldn't appear on impact wrestling on spike, but he could appear at their PPV.

My wisful thinking: i hope he shows up to help further AJ/Dixie storyline and to get inducted into the HOF.

 

[rage72]

Jump? I highly doubt this is a "jump". Christian is WWE's Intercontinental Champion.

If he actually publicly appears on TNA cameras, then it's the agreed tradeoff for letting Ric Flair appear at the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony this year. And if that's true, take a minute to think about it. WWE knew they'd let Christian do this as early as late March, but let Christian pick up the IC title in mid May? It doesn't sound like they're too threatened by the idea of one of their reigning champions make a TNA appearance. Some people just want to try to make a whole bunch of something out of nothing.

Oh and Jeff Jarrett should definitely be the guy to be inducted AND, if Dixie is just blowing smoke about this topic, TNA will get a lot of heat if Christian Cage doesn't appear.

You can't have one of the owners be the very 1st inductee into the HOF othwewise it will look like even more of a joke and it already is. Imagine how fans would react if Vince inducted himself into his own HOF? They would call it a joke even though he has done more for this business then anyone.

Christian is the perfect 1st inductee since he was the 1st one to jump to TNA, he is known in both the WWE circles and TNA circles, he may mention the HOF on WWE TV or atleast the peeps will.

Besides you can't have an active TNA wrestler be the 1st inductee or even being inducted while they are still active.

 

[New Hot Fed]

Jump? I highly doubt this is a "jump". Christian is WWE's Intercontinental Champion.

If he actually publicly appears on TNA cameras, then it's the agreed tradeoff for letting Ric Flair appear at the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony this year. And if that's true, take a minute to think about it. WWE knew they'd let Christian do this as early as late March, but let Christian pick up the IC title in mid May? It doesn't sound like they're too threatened by the idea of one of their reigning champions make a TNA appearance. Some people just want to try to make a whole bunch of something out of nothing.

Oh and Jeff Jarrett should definitely be the guy to be inducted AND, if Dixie is just blowing smoke about this topic, TNA will get a lot of heat if Christian Cage doesn't appear.

I'm thinking maybe Christian left TNA because of Jeff Jarrett so him being introduced before JJ could be some sort form of retribution, sort of trying to please Christian by TNA. Maybe a way to lure him back. Not unlike what WWE did with Flair?

 

[New Hot Fed]

I believe that Christian will be involved in the TNA HoF but not as an inductee. This screams to me as being used to further the AJ / Dixie storyline - Christian will induct former Christian Coalition member AJ; Daniels and Kaz will argue that, 1: AJ isn't worthy of the first spot, 2: The amount of expense that Dixie has made (bringing in Cage) to spotlight her toyboy.

Christian doesn't make sense as the first inductee - what benefit would TNA garner from their first inductee never appearing on their product? There is little chance of him competing either, given that he has already suffered time lost due to injury and the WWe would be loathed for him to risk more for another company.

That's a good possibility that CC could induct AJ Styles. So that there's no harm done, CC is not wrestling a match but would be present for the show.