Welcome to the Grapevine! This section of Smark Henry is where we round up all the important founded and unfounded rumors floating around the pro wrestling scene that you may have missed over the past few days. Remember to take everything with a grain of salt!
What we know about Christian Cage's AEW signing
WWE and Christian Cage did not come to any agreements following his appearance at this year's Royal Rumble, which is why he reached out to AEW President Tony Khan about a possible deal. People in WWE did not know about Cage signing with AEW, but did suspect something was amiss when he didn't appear on WWE programming after Royal Rumble. They also blame the company for not locking him down when they could have. Meanwhile, many people in AEW knew, managing to successfully keep the secret until Cage was revealed, though most of the wrestling community found out that he was a free agent a few days before Revolution. (Source: Fightful Select)
We say: We've got to commend the entire AEW team for staying so loyal to Tony Khan's vision enough to keep the secret well-protected. It shows how much the roster believes in him and their product (while leaks in WWE also say much about morale). Now you know why there aren't as many AEW rumors on the Grapevine. In any case, we're really excited about where Christian Cage goes from here, and how he (possibly) ends his career with AEW!
Notes on Braun Strowman/Shane McMahon angle on RAW
This week's bizarre Braun Strowman and Shane McMahon segment on RAW was done to set up their eventual WrestleMania match, in which McMahon would apparently be the heel. McMahon's long, rambling promo in which he tried to insult Strowman was deliberately done that way to get people to dislike him, and there were no botches or flubbed lines. (Source: Fightful Select)
We say: Uh... okay, then. Why not just make Strowman more likable instead? Strowman being a little less dislikable than Shane isn't going to endear him to the people who should be cheering him.
: Details On Christian Cage's AEW Signing, Why Braun Strowman/Shane McMahon Segment Was Like That){kind=link}