Real Name - William Jason Reso Aliases - Captain Charisma Hometown - Kitchener, Ontario, Canada Debuted - June 1993 Titles Held - NWA World Heavyweight; WWE Intercontinental; WWE World Tag Team Other Accomplishments - attended Orangeville District Secondary School with Adam "Edge" Copeland; chose to leave WWE in October 2005 to jump to rival TNA; won WWF Light Heavyweight Title in his debut WWF match against Taka Michinoku in 1998
And they all said that he would be the Marty Jannetty of the pair.
For the past 15 years or so whenever a prominent tag team breaks up they are instantly compared to the Rockers. Which one will become Shawn Michaels? Which one will become Marty Jannetty? When the "suicide blondes" Edge and Christian went their separate ways instantly everyone decreed that Edge would be the superstar and Christian would be the after thought.
The man known as "Captain Charisma" and later "the Instant Classic" has definitely made his mark in the world of professional wrestling and proved the critics wrong.
He came up in the wrestling business in the mid '90s with other future stars like Rhyno, Don Callis and future "brother" Edge on the Canadian independent circuit working as Christian Cage, an apparent tribute name to actors Christian Slater and Nicholas Cage.
Cage's big break came in 1998 when he was signed to the World Wrestling Federation and was called up to the main roster in October. He debuted simply as "Christian" and won the now-defunct Light Heavyweight Championship in his "debut" match from Taka Michinoku at the Judgment Day PPV. He spent the rest of 1998 and most of 1999 working with Edge and Gangrel in the Brood and later in the Undertaker's Ministry of Darkness.
However, it was during the fall of 1999 when Christian and his partner Edge met Matt & Jeff Hardy that things really got good for our hero. The two teams redefined the ladder match and their careers skyrocketed because of it. When the combination of The Dudley Boyz was added to the mix in 2000, tag team wrestling was brought to a height it hadn't been it at in years, and Christian was right at the front of it.
In late 2001, Christian went solo, feuding with Edge as well as picking up Intercontinental, European and Hardcore Championship gold along the way. But it was in 2004 with his now trademark short hair, a deliciously evil-hot Trish Stratus by his side and top card run against Chris Jericho that he truly became a break-out star.
In the fall of 2005, Christian did "the unthinkable;" he left World Wrestling Entertainment when his contract was up, on his own terms. He, now going as his old name of "Christian Cage," showed up in Total Non-stop Action shortly thereafter and instantly made an "impact" (pardon the pun.) Within months he was the NWA World Heavyweight Champion and one of TNA's top draws. By the summer of 2006 was back to his old entertaining heel ways and started to amass a "Coalition," including his old WWE running buddy Tyson Tomko and AJ Styles. He also picked up a second NWA Heavyweight Championship reign this past spring.
Currently Christian Cage is still a top card draw for TNA Wrestling and is a threat to the TNA World Heavyweight Championship at any time.
as far as the "Marty Jannetty" comment goes, everything I ever read comparing Edge and Christian pretty much always ended up with Christian being considered the more talented of the pair. apparently people were even saying that back in their indy days.
easily my favorite of the last year. the most entertaining guy in TNA. really brought out AJ Styles heel persona, as well. I was hoping for a longer run for his Coalition, but it looks like it's not in the cards.
