“You’re all cooked now”- Former AEW champion points warning amid extended absence

A former AEW champion who has been absent from the Jacksonville-based promotion for a long time has shared a bold warning ahead of an in-ring return.

The star in question is none other than Brian Cage. Cage, who joined All Elite Wrestling in 2020, became a prominent face on AEW programming in the years that followed. The Machine was even set for a major push in 2025, but in April of that year, the 42-year-old tore his quadriceps while competing on an independent wrestling show. The injury set him back for over a year, and the star remains absent from Tony Khan’s promotion. That said, the former one-time AEW FTW champion (title now defunct) has finally recovered and is set for an in-ring return on Warriors Wrestling on May 15. He will also make his debut on Awesome Championship Wrestling (ACW) at their Reckoning event, scheduled for May 16 this year.

Ahead of his return to the squared circle, the Machine took to his Instagram stories and posted a clip flexing his ripped physique. The clip included a bold message in which Cage stated that everyone (his competition) is cooked now that he’s not hurt anymore.

“Y’all had a chance while I was hurt. You’re all cooked now,” wrote Cage

Check out his IG story below:

AEW star Brian Cage says he’s been “cleared for a while”

Brian Cage spent most of 2025 on the mend from a quadriceps injury. Recently, he gave fans a full update on his health ahead of his in-ring return. Speaking on Rob Van Dam’s One of a Kind podcast, the star revealed that he’s been cleared to compete for a while now, but noted that he may not be 100% ready to reach the performance heights he can achieve in training and in the ring.

“I feel great. I’ve been cleared for a while. I’m not 100% as far as performance-based. I’m not lifting as much weight on my leg lifts and I’m not jumping just as high just yet, but I can do everything I’ve done in the ring several times. I’m doing different dynamic jumping stuff on my off days. I’m feeling good and excited. I’ve been waiting to come back,” said Cage [H/T: Fightful]

It will be interesting to see what Tony Khan has planned for Brian Cage when he finally returns to AEW.