An ex-WWE star finally made his impending return to AEW after being sidelined for over a year. Following his return, the star was handed an intriguing new duo’s name.
We are, of course, talking about the one and only Brian Cage. The Machine was on a developmental contract with WWE from 2008 to 2009 but never made it to the main roster. That said, Cage found major success in AEW as part of the Don Callis Family in late 2024. The former FTW champion was on an upward trajectory when a major injury in March 2025 sidelined him. After 14 months on the mend, the Machine finally returned this week on Dynamite, emerging to accept Kevin Knight’s open challenge for the TNT title. Despite a strong performance, Cage ultimately came up short against the Jet. Shortly after his in-ring comeback, his Don Callis Family teammate, Lance Archer, gave him a surprising new duo name.
On Instagram, Archer posted an image of Cage’s entrance on Dynamite with Archer in the background and captioned it “Murder Machines,” presumably announcing that he and Cage will form a new duo within the DCF and go by that moniker.
“M U R D 3 R M A C H I N E S! @briancage @aew,” wrote Archer
Check out his Instagram post below:
AEW star Brian Cage had a strong message for his competitors ahead of in-ring return
Brian Cage’s return to the squared circle is a story of perseverance, given the complications he faced while recovering from his torn quadriceps injury. In the final weeks of his recovery, the Machine was very active on social media, sharing clips and images of himself working out and looking absolutely jacked, ready for a return. In one such post on Instagram stories, the former FTW champion took shots at his competition with a message that implied that no one stands a chance against him now that he is injury-free.
“Y’all had a chance while I was hurt. You’re all cooked now,” wrote Cage
It will be interesting to see what Tony Khan has planned for Brian Cage now that he’s finally back in All Elite Wrestling.
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Edited by Karan Raj