Christian Cage
William Jason Reso is a Canadian professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling, where he performs under the ring name Christian Cage.
Reso made his debut in 1995. He wrestled in Canadian independent promotions early in his career, where he competed in singles and tag team competition with his best friend Edge. In 1998, he signed a developmental contract with the then-World Wrestling Federation and made his debut the same year as Christian, immediately capturing his first championship in the company, the WWF Light Heavyweight Championship, in his debut match. Edge and Christian formed a tag team and gained notoriety for their participation in Tables, Ladders, and Chairs matches. They won the promotion's World Tag Team Championship on seven occasions. They are considered one of the major teams that revived tag team wrestling during the Attitude Era. The team parted ways in 2001, after which, Christian held various singles titles in WWE, including the European, Hardcore, and Intercontinental Championships.
In 2005, Reso departed WWE and signed with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under his Christian Cage ring name, after which, he won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship twice. He left TNA in late 2008 and re-signed with WWE in 2009, where he won the ECW Championship and the World Heavyweight Championship twice each until retiring in 2014 due to concussion issues. He was the 23rd Triple Crown Champion and 11th Grand Slam Champion in WWE history.
In March 2021, Cage made his debut for AEW, again reverting to his Christian Cage moniker, and officially resuming his in-ring wrestling career. Following this, he won the Impact World Championship on the first episode of AEW Rampage in 2021, and in 2023, he won his first title under the AEW banner in the AEW TNT Championship, which he has held twice. Additionally, he is a former one-time AEW World Trios Champion. In total, between WWE, AEW, and TNA, Cage has won 26 championships, including seven world championships and nine tag team titles and is regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time. He has headlined multiple pay-per-view events between WWE, TNA and AEW, and was one of WWE's most prolific pay-per-view performers.
Early life
William Jason "Jay" Reso was born in Kitchener, Ontario, on November 30, 1973, the son of Canadian mother Carol and American father Randy Reso. He played ice hockey and was a wrestling fan as a child. He lived in Huntsville and East Luther-Grand Valley before moving to Orangeville, where he met Adam "Edge" Copeland, who became his best friend and tag team partner. They attended Orangeville District Secondary School together, from which they both graduated.Professional wrestling career
Early career (1994–1998)
In September 1994, Reso enrolled in a wrestling school run by Ron Hutchison at Sully's Gym. One of his early ring names was Christian Cage, a combination of the names of actors Christian Slater and Nicolas Cage. Cage's wrestling career began in June 1995 in a match against Zakk Wyld, which resulted in a draw. In 1997, he was a part of Thug Life, a stable that included Joe E. Legend, Zakk Wyld, Rhino Richards, and Copeland. As a tag team on the Canadian independent circuit, Reso and Copeland were known as High Impact and later The Suicide Blondes. The duo held titles in numerous promotions and competed in the United States and Japan. Reso won the East Coast Wrestling Association Heavyweight Championship on July 18, 1998, which he held until October 15, 1999. When Copeland received a tryout match with the World Wrestling Federation, Reso went with him and they faced off in a non-televised tryout match, which Copeland was booked to win. After the tryout, once Copeland was promoted from his developmental status to touring with the WWF, he put in a good word for Reso and got him invited to Dory Funk Jr.'s WWF-affiliated Funking Conservatory training camp in 1998. After completing his training at the conservatory, Reso signed a contract with the WWF to become a full-time performer.World Wrestling Federation/World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) (1998–2005)
The Brood (1998–1999)
When Reso came to the WWF, he shortened his ring name to Christian. Christian made his television debut as a heel at WWF's pay-per-view event Breakdown: In Your House on September 27, distracting Edge during his match against Owen Hart to reveal his allegiance to Gangrel. Christian won the WWF Light Heavyweight Championship in his debut match against Taka Michinoku at Judgment Day: In Your House on October 18. He lost the title to Gillberg a month later.Christian was given the character of a vampire and formed an alliance with Gangrel and Edge, who was finally persuaded to join what became known as The Brood. At Rock Bottom: In Your House on December 13, The Brood defeated The J.O.B. Squad in a six-man tag team match, then they briefly feuded with The Undertaker's Ministry of Darkness and later joining the team, but upon learning that Christian was beaten into telling Ken Shamrock the whereabouts of Stephanie McMahon, The Undertaker punished Christian by flogging him. More loyal to The Brood than to The Ministry, Edge and Gangrel betrayed The Undertaker and rescued Christian from sacrifice.
Tag Team prominence with Edge (1999–2001)
In 1999, Christian and Edge parted ways with Gangrel, who associated himself with The Hardy Boyz to form The New Brood. As a result, they began feuding with The Hardy Boyz and competed in a ladder match for the managerial services of Terri Runnels and $100,000 at No Mercy on October 17, which The Hardy Boyz won. At WrestleMania 2000 on April 2, Edge and Christian defeated The Hardy Boyz and The Dudley Boyz to win their first WWF Tag Team Championship in a triangle ladder match, which ultimately led to the creation of the Tables, Ladders and Chairs match. At Backlash on April 30, Edge and Christian defeated Road Dogg and X-Pac to retain titles. At Judgment Day on May 21, Christian, Edge and Kurt Angle lost a six-man tag team match to Rikishi and Too Cool, to whom they lost the titles soon after only to win them back in a four corners elimination match at King of the Ring on June 25. At Fully Loaded on July 23, Edge and Christian lost to The Acolytes Protection Agency by disqualification, but they retained the titles.File:Edge and Christian WWF - King of the Ring 2000.jpg|thumb|Edge and Christian at King of the Ring performing a five-second pose
Following their victory, Edge and Christian portrayed themselves as heels, shifting their in-ring personas from borderline goth to a comedic pair of "cool dudes". During this time, their trademark became the "five second pose", where they performed a pose in the ring for five seconds "for the benefit of those with flash photography" to mock, insult, or amuse the fans. At SummerSlam on August 27, the Edge and Christian successfully defended the tag team titles in the first ever TLC match against The Hardy Boyz and The Dudley Boyz. At Unforgiven on September 24, Edge and Christian lost the titles against The Hardy Boyz in a steel cage match and were not allowed another title shot. At No Mercy on October 22, Edge and Christian defeated The Hardys for the titles. The next night on Raw Is War, The Hardy Boyz dressed as the Los Conquistadores and defeated Edge in a handicap match after Christian was taken out backstage to regain the WWF Tag Team Championship. At Survivor Series on November 19, Edge and Christian teamed with Right to Censor's Bull Buchanan and The Goodfather in a four-on-four Survivor Series elimination match which they lost to The Dudleys and The Hardyz. At Armageddon on December 10, Edge and Christian regained the tag team titles in a fatal four-way match involving The Dudley Boyz, K-Kwik and Road Dogg and The Right to Censor, but they lost them eight days later to The Rock and The Undertaker only to win them back days later on SmackDown! thanks to special guest referee Kurt Angle. At the Royal Rumble on January 21, 2001, Edge and Christian lost the WWF Tag Team Championship to The Dudley Boyz. At No Way Out on February 25, Edge and Christian were unsuccessful in regaining the tag team titles, but they eventually recaptured them in the second ever TLC match at WrestleMania X-Seven on April 1.
On the April 19 episode of SmackDown!, Edge and Christian were defeated by The Brothers of Destruction for the WWF Tag Team Championship. At Backlash on April 29, Christian was part of the triple threat match for the WWF European Championship which was won by Matt Hardy. At Judgment Day on May 21, Edge and Christian competed in a tag team turmoil match which was won by Chris Benoit and Chris Jericho. On the May 24 episode of SmackDown!, Edge and Christian competed in a fatal four-way tag team TLC match for the WWF Tag Team Championship in which Benoit and Jericho retained the tag team titles.
After losing the tag team titles, friction arose within the team after Edge won the 2001 King of the Ring tournament on June 24. It was also during this time that Edge was becoming a face during The Invasion storyline. Christian briefly turned face to help feud with The Alliance. Christian turned heel shortly afterward, resulting in the two feuding for Edge's WWF Intercontinental Championship for several months.
The Un-Americans (2001–2002)
At Unforgiven on September 23, Christian defeated Edge to win his first Intercontinental Championship, but he lost it back to Edge in a ladder match at No Mercy on October 21. Christian won the WWF European Championship from Bradshaw on the November 1 episode of SmackDown!. At Rebellion on November 3, Christian faced Edge in a steel cage match for the Intercontinental Championship, but he failed to win the title. At Survivor Series on November 18, Christian defeated Al Snow to retain the European Championship. Christian lost the European Championship to Diamond Dallas Page on the January 31, 2002 episode of SmackDown!.After a series of defeats, Christian announced he would quit the WWF, but Page persuaded him to reconsider and adopted him as his protégé. Christian betrayed Page and faced off against him for the European Championship at WrestleMania X8 on March 17, but he lost. Christian began throwing tantrums in his gimmick at the time whenever things did not go his way and during the same event defeated Mighty Molly to win the WWF Hardcore Championship, but lost the title to Maven later that night.
On the March 25 episode of Raw, Christian was drafted to the SmackDown! brand as part of the 2002 WWF draft lottery. Christian formed an alliance with fellow Canadian wrestler Lance Storm on the June 20 episode of SmackDown!. On the June 27 episode of SmackDown!, Test, another Canadian, joined their team, now called The Un-Americans. Christian and Storm won the WWE Tag Team Championship at Vengeance on July 21 by defeating Edge and Hollywood Hulk Hogan. The trio then defected from SmackDown! to the Raw brand, appearing on the July 29 episode of Raw to attack The Undertaker. The Un-Americans teamed with Triple H, to defeat WWE Undisputed Champion The Rock, The Undertaker and Booker T and Goldust in an eight-man tag team match on the August 12 episode of Raw, after Test pinned The Undertaker. At SummerSlam on August 25, Christian and Storm retained the WWE Tag Team Championship against Booker T and Goldust, before interfering in Test's match with The Undertaker later in the night, only to be tossed out of the ring and for The Undertaker to defeat Test. On the August 26 episode of Raw, the Un-Americans attempted to burn the American flag, but were stopped by Booker T, Goldust and a returning Kane. On the September 2 episode of Raw, William Regal joined the team. Regal, an Englishman, was the only member of the team not of Canadian nationality. At Unforgiven on September 22, The Un-Americans lost to Bubba Ray Dudley, Kane and Booker T and Goldust. The Un-Americans lost the WWE Tag Team Championship the next night on Raw to the team of The Hurricane and Kane. On the September 30 episode of Raw, both Christian and Storm lost matches to Randy Orton, while Regal and Test lost to Rob Van Dam and Tommy Dreamer. This led to all four members attacking each other, thus disbanding the team.