An entire column dedicated to fan Q&A. Wrestling, video games, Edge, and more.

What’s up everyone? Peep This is a little late this month because….well because I’m pretty much computer illiterate. I actually had the column done then I somehow corrupted the file when I was saving it, so I had to rewrite the whole f#&@!*g thing. Not exactly fun stuff, but fear not–I aim to please my loyal readers, so I did what I had to do (paid someone else to write it…kidding). Anyway, I was all set to review a new game when the higher-ups at GameTap called and said they wanted me to do a Q&A this month. My response was, “Sweet, let’s do it!” I really want to hear what fans, gamers, or just casual readers have to say–so without further ado, let’s get to it.

Dear Christian,

I just read your Peep This article on GameTap, and at the bottom you mentioned if anyone had questions about anything, to go ahead and send them into you. So here goes. I’ve been kinda working on my own for the better part of five years to become a professional wrestler, and I wanted to know if you had any tips or advice for someone who is passionate about the business and wants to make it, but doesn’t have the resources to attend a formal school for wrestling. Thanks for taking time to read my question, and keep up the awesome work over in TNA!

Jon P.

Jon,

Thanks for the compliment, it’s very much appreciated. In your question you said, “I’ve been kinda working on my own.” I have to be straight with you: There is no way to make it in wrestling learning on your own. In my eyes only bad things can happen. Wrestling is an art–a dangerous art at that–and if you are trying to teach yourself, you run a big risk of seriously injuring yourself. Not the ideal way to start your career. My advice is to find PROPER training, and I say “PROPER” because there are a lot of frauds out there. Some “trainers” have no business teaching others to wrestle because they’ve haven’t been properly trained themselves; others will promise you the world when all they really want to do is take your money, so be careful. When I was breaking in, my trainer looked me right in the face, and the first things he said were “There are no guarantees” and “Chances are you won’t even make it, do you still want to be a wrestler?” Brutally honest, but I respected that, and of course my answer was, “Yes, I do want to be a wrestler, and I am going to make it!” I was in the same boat as you; I had very few resources to work with–namely lack of money and a car–so I took a portion of a student loan I had from college and paid for my wrestling training with that. I worked out a plan where I would put a certain amount down and make monthly payments after that until my fee was paid in full. Now I’m not condoning or saying you should take the same steps I did; what I’m saying is you may have to get creative, get a job…get two jobs if you have to just get PROPER training. Look up schools in your area, go in and meet the trainer and see if you can sit in on some sessions, don’t be afraid to ask questions like “What are your credentials?” and “Who have you trained?” And ask about a payment plan. I’ve always believed that nothing worth having in life is ever handed to you, so sometimes people like you and I have to earn things the old fashioned way… by busting our asses! It’s not going to be easy but if you are as passionate as you say and you put the effort in, you will find a way–trust me. Good luck.

Hi Christian,

Hope you’re well. At last, a column for the Peeps! I’m ecstatic! I’m not a huge gamer, but I’m certainly a huge Christian fan–you’ve been my favorite wrestler ever since you ran around with Gangrel in those pretty frilly shirts! So it’s really great to finally hear something from you. I have a question that I was gonna ask when I met you one time in the U.K., but even though you were so lovely to me, I just didn’t have the nerve to ask it. As I said, I’m a huge fan–so much so that I have the ‘C’ logo from your ring attire tattooed on my lower back. (I hope that’s not too creepy for you. It’s just that I have a very deep level of respect and admiration for you, and have expressed it by, erm…permanently scarring myself…? Ahem…anyway!) I always thought your tattoo of the bulldog holding the rose was really cool and cute–but what do you think of it now? Still like it? Regret it? Wanna do what Edge did and cover it over? Any plans for other tattoos? Hope that’s not too big a question. Once again, it’s so great that you’re doing the column–can’t wait to read the next one! And thanks for being so cool and awesome, and just generally being the greatest wrestler on the planet ever. Thanks so much for your time, and see you on Impact!

Jen

PS: Dark Rising is brilliant!!!

Jen,

You are right, I am cool and awesome (just kidding…OK, I’m not). If you ever meet me in person again, please don’t hesitate to ask me anything. I like it when people ask me things that aren’t typical, it keeps things interesting. To ease your mind, I don’t think it’s creepy that you have a tattoo of my “C” logo–I’m actually flattered by it. As far as permanently scarring yourself goes, it’s just a “C”–it’s not like you had Lance Storm’s face tattooed on your back. Now that’s scarring!!! The bulldog tattoo that you speak of on my upper left shoulder is something I did on my last day of high school with friends, and I don’t regret it at all I would like to get one more tat on the outside of my forearm, though I just haven’t decided what I want to get. Any suggestions?

Hey Christian,

I am a huge fan, and I was wondering, what is your favorite wrestling game to date?

Carlos Lopes

Carlos,

To be honest, I’ve never really been that big on wrestling games, but from what I hear the T.N.A. Impact game from Midway may change my mind. Apparently the game is off-the-charts good, and the gameplay is unlike that of any wrestling game before it. When the game hits the stands, I will play it and review it unbiased.

Hello Christian,

Like all wrestlers, you are a constant subject of discussion on the Internet (most of it is praise, by the way). During one discussion, there was talk that your personality and character in TNA now is just a shell of what it once was back in WWE. One person even went on to say you were being wasted in TNA because you are not the “funny” Christian that you were back when you worked for Vince. So my question is this: How do you feel about your character now in TNA as opposed to WWE, and where do you want to be in the future with your character? Do you want to become the clowning-around CLB again and put that part of the character back into your personality? Or do you feel you’ve moved on and that you’re better off the way you are now?

Take care,

Dave

Dave,

Say it ain’t so! You mean somebody said something bad about me on the Internet? Whether it’s wrestling or any other form of entertainment, you learn pretty fast to grow a thick skin. When you put yourself out there in the public eye, there are going to be just as many people that hate you as there are that like you. Right or wrong, everyone has an opinion and that’s never going to change, so why worry? All I can do is go out every week and do my job to the best of my ability, and hopefully more people like it than hate it. As for my character, I feel good about it, I’m always 100 percent confident in what I’m doing. Remember, wrestling on TV is original programming 52 weeks a year; the last thing I want is to become stale, so I constantly think of things I can say, do, and wear to stay current. Do I want to be the clowning-around CLB? Sure, that was and is me, and when the time is right, that guy comes out. To put it simply, I’m at a different point in my career than I was three or four years ago, so I need to pick my spots more carefully as far as when to be funny and entertaining and when to be serious. Good question–hope you got your answer.

Hey Christian!

I know you’re a big fan of sports games, but how about Super Smash Brothers Brawl? My brother and I got it the day it came out; it was crazy the number of people waiting in line, but it was well worth it! Have you played it? I also own a Christian Cage fansite–it’d be cool if you checked it out. Thanks!

Sara Amiri

Sara,

Thanks for the fan site–it’s always nice when fans go that extra step to show their appreciation for what you do, so I’ll be sure to check it out. No, I haven’t played Super Smash Brothers Brawl, but if you recommend it, maybe I should give it a try.

Dear Christian Cage,

Do you ever try to do some stunts you see in video games in wrestling?

PJ

Dear PJ,

HEEEEEEEELLLLLLLL NO!!!!!

Christian,

First of all… LOVE THE COLUMN! It’s great to hear that one of my favorite wrestlers of all time is into gaming as much as myself. I’ve been a TNA fan for a couple of years now (but I have followed it since the beginning), and I must say that I am a huge fan; even with my busy, hectic schedule I find time to catch TNA Impact every week. I had a couple questions for you on your next column, but first, how do I subscribe to said column? I heard about it days later from the dirt sheets. Just wondering if you ever thought about putting your gamertag up on your column. Now I realize that probably won’t be the smartest thing ever in the world, but just picture all of your gaming peeps playing along with you online. Talk about getting in touch with your fans, right? Eh, well, just a thought. Second, you talked about in your column that you have put some thought into the first-person shooter genre–well, I can think of no better game right now than Halo 3. You should check it out! Hey thanks for listening…big fan and looking forward to future columns on GameTap!

Thanks,

Ryan from Wichita

Ryan,

Good news, my friend–you don’t have to subscribe to read Peep This, all you have to do is go to GameTap.com, look for the column, click, and enjoy. Seriously, no hidden fees, no fine print, just a healthy dose of the Instant Classic. (There are hundreds upon hundreds of games you can subscribe to play on the site, though.) Have I thought about putting my gamertag out? Sure, I’ve thought about it, and I’m positive it would be fun, but for right now I kinda like playing anonymously. As far as Halo goes, just like with Gears of War I’ve heard so much hype (all good), I will definitely give it a try a some point.

Hi Christian,

I didn’t want to take up too much of your time, so here’s a quick question: Do you still talk to Edge these days, even though you two are working different federations?

From one of your peeps to you,

Compra

Compra,

If I had a dime for every time someone asked me that question…I’d have like $17.36–not enough to retire on, but good for half a tank of gas! Seriously though, Edge and I are still friends; we talk all the time and when our schedules allow us, we get together for dinner or a movie…or both, or neither–it depends on what movie is playing, or what restaurant is close by…maybe we’re not hungry, just thirsty, so then we may go get a coffee or a beer depending on the weather; if it’s cold, we’ll probably get the latter and sit inside to stay warm, but we remind ourselves that we are Canadian so we go back out to the cold and start talking about old times and how the cold never bothered us when we were kids, and then we end up talking so long that we get hungry and end up going to eat anyway, and if we have nothing to do after that maybe we’ll just go to the movies.

Christian,

To beat 20 seconds on the obstacle course on COD4, you have you know when the right time is to pull your flashbangs. If you are coming up to position three and are running down the stairs to get to it, you must pull the flashbang while you are running down the stairs. The same goes with the second flash. Pull it before you get there so it doesn’t take three seconds to throw a flash. Also, your accuracy is key. You can get a three-second bonus from not missing a shot. So in a way, your accuracy could make the time to beat 23 seconds. For a wrestling question, how did you like working for Ring of Honor? And if TNA got you this gig and you can’t have ROH in the article, I understand. You should hit up the multiplayer with me on COD. I’m top 45,000 in the world right now. My gamertag is Donkey Fong

Donkey….or should I call you Mr. Fong?,

Thanks for the heads-up on the obstacle course–it makes sense, and I’m pissed I didn’t think of it. I’ll go back and try it out, and if it doesn’t work I’m gonna come looking for you! As for your question, the last time I checked the initials R.O.H. weren’t forbidden by T.N.A., so I have no problem answering. I wrestled for R.O.H. on two separate occasions and had fun both times; they have a passionate fan base and that always makes for a great atmosphere to perform. Thanks for the questions, and when I’m ready to play multiplayer on Call Of Duty 4, I’ll be sure to look you up.

Dear Christian,

What type of music do you like to turn up with your windows down while you’re driving from one event to another?

And, as big fans of your longer hair, we were wondering what on earth do you keep changing it for? We think you should grow some back–with even just a little bit of length, you look very good.

Thanks!

Carley and Krista

Carley and Krista,

What music I listen to depends on what I’m doing or what kind of mood I’m in. For example, if I’m working out, I like to listen to something a little heavier–I just added some good ol’ Canadian bands I Mother Earth and The Tea Party to my iPod. But if it’s late at night and I’m driving from one town to the next, I’ll usually listen to something mellow like The Police or Coldplay. As far as the hair goes, I’m sorry to disappoint but it will never be long again–it was too much of a hassle, and it’s much easier to maintain being short. The only downside is that I have to get it cut more often. Why do I keep changing, you ask? Well if you notice, every time I change my hair, a week or so later David Beckham does the exact same thing, so the answer is simple: I have to stay one step ahead of him since he keeps trying to bite my style.

Hey Christian,

Just wanted to drop you a quick email to tell you how much I enjoyed your review of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. I’m amazed at the similar interests we share–I’m a huge wrestling fan, avid video gamer, and hockey fan (although the similarities end with me being a huge Habs fan, I’m sure). So yeah, I too am a self-proclaimed geek. I also usually play mostly sports video games (Madden, EA NHL, Tiger Woods being my faves) but did play COD4, which was also my first first-person shooter. I loved it too and finished it in a few days, when I was stuck at home recovering from knee surgery. May I strongly recommend you try Rock Band. This is also something that is outside of my usual interests, but my wife and I just can’t get enough (and it’s a good way to get her playing, since she’s not too big into video games). Big tangent: I hope someday you will write a biography when you decide to walk away, as I have always appreciated your sense of humour. I think I can see a book similar to Jericho’s, which I really liked. Looking forward to reading your next column.

Karl Bélanger, P. Eng, Ing.

Karl,

Even though you’re a Canadians fan, I’ll try not to hold it against you. Our interests do seem to be similar. I play a lot of Guitar Hero, and it’s funny you said you play with your wife because Guitar Hero is actually the only game my wife likes to play. The other week I came home, went into the game room, and busted her playing by herself…HILARIOUS! I’ve had my eye on Rock Band for a while now, so maybe it’s time the wife and I took our musical talent to the big stage. Hope your knee heals up, and go Leafs go! (Maybe next year.)

What’s up, Christian?

I enjoyed your review of COD4–it is a great game, and I will definitely PEEP IT to all my friends. The story about Samoa Joe was HILARIOUS–he probably hasn’t played Fight Night again since that day. Since you do so much traveling, what would be the one or two video games you always travel with?

Take care,

Brandon

Brandon,

Samoa Joe saw the article–needless to say he wasn’t happy and has since challenged me to a rematch; I will keep you all posted as to when it goes down. I used to travel with a GameCube; because of the size of the system, I could easily put it in the corner of my bag and it wouldn’t take up much room. The two games I never left home without were EA’s NHL and of course Madden. One year I went home for Christmas and my brother got me into Hitman; when Hitman: Contracts came out, it wasn’t available on GameCube, so I went out and bought a PS2 (luckily it’s when the thin version came out) specifically so I could play that game. But since the introduction of the PSP, that’s pretty much all I travel with now; currently I’m hooked on MLB 08 The Show. Maybe I should review that?

Hey Christian,

I wanted to start off saying that you’ve been a huge inspiration to me. I’m currently about six months into my training for professional wrestling and was wondering how you stay “ring ready” while on the road so often? What do your diet (besides salad w/ Newman’s Own) and work-out routines look like?

Tony Serio

Tony,

Thanks for saying that–it means a lot. You’re wondering how I stay ring ready? I’ve been wrestling for 14 years, with 10 of those being on a full-time schedule, so when I have a day off I’m not going anywhere near a ring, that’s for sure. Fortunately, with the number of days I wrestle, I’m physically ring ready at all times. However, you also have to factor in bumps and bruises; when I’m on the road or at home, I try to have regular massage and recently have been working with a muscle activation therapist in order to avoid injury–and knock on wood it seems to be working. When I was six months into training like yourself, it was a different story; you practically had to drag me out of the ring during training. That’s how bad I wanted to learn, and if I wasn’t in the ring, I was at home studying tapes. In fact I still do–being ring ready is just as much mental as it is physical. For my diet, I try to eat clean, consuming mostly protein (chicken, steak, fish) with some carbs (brown rice, yams). The only thing I really monitor is my sugar intake, and one day a week I’ll have a cheat meal, maybe two, and of course that’s the day I look forward to the most. As for my workout routine lately, I have been circuit training with medium weight, meaning I hit every body part in one session. I really like the workout, and it’s been great for my conditioning. Good luck.

Dear Christian,

Have you played NHL 2008 for the 360, and did you like it? Who’s your favorite team? And have you won the Stanley Cup yet in the game? Thank you, and I hope I’m in your column next month.

Jesse from Alberta Canada

Jesse,

Congratulations, you made the cut. Right now I’m playing a dynasty with my favorite team, the Toronto Maple Leafs, and as of right now, I haven’t made it to the playoffs but I will and I’m sure I’ll lead my team to the Holy Grail. To answer your question, I think the gameplay and graphics are great, and they seem to get better every year. If I had one complaint to make, it would be that my game freezes all the time, especially when I’m playing online. I’ll be in the middle of a game when a sidebar will pop up and say “Please clean disc with a soft cloth,” and then it freezes. Annoying! I’ve returned the game to the store on three occasions and it kept happening, so I called EA’s 1-800 number and they weren’t any help at all; first they said they hadn’t heard of any problems, then they had me try a bunch of things I had already tried myself, and then they said it was probably from a bad batch (must have been a big batch since I had returned it three times). Finally they said they would send me a new game directly and when I received the new game I should send the damaged one back to them. It never came. Pretty disappointing since I play EA games religiously. Hopefully they’ll get it right in 09.

Hey Christian,

I’ve been a peep for a long time now, and I was lucky enough to see you wrestle Booker T in the WWE about five years back on a U.K. tour. You totally kicked his butt, obviously! Now, the point is that some friends and I have tickets for TNA in Brentwood, Essex, this June, and coming with me will be the only person I know who is a bigger peep than me–and he has never managed to see you wrestle in the flesh. We’ve seen a list of some wrestlers who are confirmed as appearing at that show (as far as these things can ever be confirmed so far in advance), but (gasp in horror!) your name wasn’t on it! So, what I want to know is, do you plan on being at that show? If you do, get ready for some cheers from the premium seating section!

Martin Marshall

Martin,

I remember kicking Booker T’s butt in the U.K.–it always makes an overseas trip worthwhile. What do you mean your friend hasn’t managed to see me live yet? What the hell has he been doing with his time? Playing snooker? Sitting at home watching reruns of Coronation Street? Tell your friend that from what I’m told, you haven’t lived until you’ve seen the Instant Classic live and in person, baby! Seriously though, I haven’t heard if I’ll be on T.N.A.’s debut in the U.K. The fans are unbelievable, and it’s always a treat to get to perform there, so hopefully I will see you and your friends there and get a chance to say hello.

Thanks to everyone that sent in their questions; I had a lot of fun reading and responding. I also want to apologize to those whose questions didn’t make it through GameTap’s crack screening process (aka Jon Robinson, aka J-Rob). And I’m definitely looking forward to getting more feedback–good, bad, or indifferent. Be sure to check out TNA Impact! every Thursday, 9 p.m. EDT on Spike TV.

If you don’t know…now you know!

courtesy of: gametap.com