TNA champ Christian headed to Bristol
By BRAD CARROLL, Bristol Press Sports Editor
03/21/2006

It isn’t every day that a professional athlete will use his day off to come hang out with their fans, but that is exactly what former WWE and current TNA star Christian Cage will do when he enters the gym as Bristol Central High School this Saturday night.

And he couldn’t be happier about it.

"It’s going to be a lot of fun," Jay "Christian" Reso said while filming a movie in Toronto, Canada. "I’m looking forward to coming to Bristol and meeting everybody."

Christian will be headlining Northeast Wrestling’s "Wrestlefest X," an event that will feature several wrestling stars, including Jerry "The King" Lawler, Simon Dean, Tommy Dreamer, Chris Sabin, Mikey Batts, Billy Kidman and Central graduate Kurt Adonis.

Northeast Wrestling is known for putting on family-friendly shows that gets the community involved as much as possible. There will be a special fan "Meet and Greet" beginning two hours before the 7:30 p.m. bell time. Fans willhave the chance to get autographs and pictures with Christian and all of the superstars.

"Northeast Wrestling puts on some really good shows," Christian said. "They get good crowds and they are always entertaining."

For the fans in Bristol, and its surrounding towns, they will also be part of history as Christian will be taking part in his first independent wrestling show. Since breaking into the sport, Christian has spent the majority of his 12-year career in the WWE, and now in the upstart TNA, so wrestling on this type of card is brand new to the Toronto native.

"It’s going to be different than what I’ve done for the last eight years," he said. "It’s going to be up close and personal with the fans; a more intimate setting."

The fact that the event is a fundraiser, with proceeds benefiting the Bristol Central High School Senior Graduation Party, made the choice an obvious one for Christian.

"It was an easy decision for me," he said. "With the promotion and the guys running it, it should be a great time. At this point in my career I’m lucky enough to pick and choose what I want to do, and this is it."

The road to the big time for Christian started like many other’s dreams.

He was a big wrestling fan growing up and when he learned there was a wrestling school a short drive from where he was attending college in Toronto, he had his start.

"I always had a passion for wrestling," Christian said

After training there, his big break came when he got to wrestle in a dark match (taking part in an untelevised match that works almost as a tryout) for the WWE in Cornwall, Ontario, Canada.

"A couple of people saw me wrestle and I made enough of an impression that they invited me to the WWE’s training camp," Christian said. "It never crossed my mind that I wouldn’t make it."

He made it in the WWE, winning tag team and singles championships and becoming one of the more popular superstars on the roster. Recently, Christian joined upstart promotion TNA, which is nationally-televised on Spike TV, and quickly won the NWA World Heavyweight Title, the biggest prize in the promotion.

"Leaving the WWE presented a new challenge," he said. "TNA is building, it’s fun, and it’s up and coming. It is really exciting."

In Bristol, Christian will be taking on former WWE star Billy Kidman in the main event. The two high-flyers should put on quite a show for the hometown crowd.

"It is going to be great wrestling Billy," Christian said. "I’ve wrestled him a couple of times in the past, and they were always great matchups. Billy has a lot of talent. It should be fun."

Wrestlefest, sponsored by Schaller Chevrolet, also marks the 10th anniversary of Northeast Wrestling and features one of the biggest cards in its history. Last year’s Wrestlefest in Bristol drew more than 1,300 fans. Tickets for Saturday’s card are still available and can be purchased at the door.

The Bristol Central High School Graduation Party Committee is an organization of parents and high school seniors who plan and finance an alcohol and drug free after-party the night of graduation for the entire senior class.

For Christian, he is just looking forward to putting on a good show for a good cause.

"It’s going to be nice to meet the fans," he said. "Meeting everyone is a great bonus."
BristolPress.com