Welcome to the latest Roundtable discussion here at iFight365.com where this week, we’re asking the question: Should Christian Cage sign a new contract with TNA or return to the WWE?

Phil Lowe: He should absolutely return to the WWE. When he left WWE at the back end of 2005, I could understand his reasons for wanting to move to TNA. At the time, WWE fans were well and truly behind Christian and he should have been pushed as a main eventer. But some in the company (read: Vince) obviously didn’t have the same confidence in him and he never really broke out of the midcard.

Put yourself in his position back then. You have a chance to go to TNA where the main event push you wanted was about to be given to you. You get to work for reasonable money in a job you love, but without the huge amounts of travel as you live close to where TV is taped each week. Cage absolutely did the right thing back then.

But after an impressive couple of years with a run at the top or very close to the top throughout, Christian finds himself in the same place as he was towards the end of his first WWE run. In fact, I think comparing the two, his current position in TNA isn’t anywhere near prominent his place in WWE before he left.

Re-signing with TNA would likely give him a ready-made short-term push near the top with the angle that saw the Main Event Mafia take him out. But after going from TNA (then NWA) champion down to an upper-midcard act at best in recent times, Christian would be stupid not to return to WWE. In TNA, unless they have a change in direction, he’s in a lose-lose situation. Based on the current MEM vs. TNA Originals storyline, Christian is, in my opinion, either going to have to be one of the heel stable, or not involved in the storyline at all. You can’t get away with claiming he’s a TNA Original. If its the former, then he’ll play a minor role behind Angle, Nash and Sting. If he’s not involved in the storyline at all, then as long as the storyline continues, he’s stuck in a midcard role.

But if Christian returns to WWE, he’s got a ton of possibilities. Providing Vinny Mac and others get behind him, that is. Edge is pushing for him to return to Smackdown, which is the obvious storyline to bring him back with. There’s also the option of putting Christian on Raw and involving him with Chris Jericho and/or John Cena given that there’s history there.

The only negative I can see for Christian not wanting to return (other than the return to full-time travelling) is whether Vince is ready to push him. He’s been away from the company for three years and although he’s been on television each week, that doesn’t mean WWE fans will instantly accept him again. If that was to happen and Vince decides the fan reaction isn’t great then Christian could find himself stuck in a midcard rut yet again.

But for me, given that Edge is well and truly the number one heel in the business right now, putting him and Christian together can only be a good thing. WWE have in recent weeks showed a renewed interest in re-hiring Tomko, who I believe TNA dropped a massive bollock in not pushing towards the main event when the time was right. Tomko back in WWE as well? Yes please. His work has improved dramatically since last time around.

It’ll also be interesting to see if a return to the WWE leads to others following in the months to come. If Christian heads back to New York and gets a good push, the likes of Rhino (who I believe is out of contract early in 2009) could be tempted to return for a bigger payday as well.

Mark Bright: I understand that there are a couple of ways to look at this.

The advantage for him staying in TNA is that there seems to be more of a chance for him to be a main eventer in that company. That seems to be the consensus opinion anyway, but I’m not sure I agree with that. He’s had main event runs as both a babyface and a heel and it’s not really worked because he jsut doesn’t have the star quality it takes to carry a company, nor can he deliver in the ring at the level of most main event wrestlers in North America right now. I know that sounds like bullshit given that he has a good reputation despite being solid and nothing better forever, but honestly John Cena, Chris Jericho, Shawn Michaels, Randy Orton, Triple H, The Undertaker, Edge, Kurt Angle, Samoa Joe, Nigel McGuiness and Bryan Danielson are all streets ahead of Christian as in-ring workers and most of them are way ahead of him in terms of promos and star quality too.

TNA also has a lighter schedule, but given that they are increasing their house show output that’s not nearly the plus point it was three years ago. Espeically if moves are made to move the weekly TV away from the Impact Zone, the travel schedule will be comparable to WWE.

In WWE, Christian left before because he felt like he woudn’t get a chance to be a main eventer. He’s had that chance in TNA and failed. Now he’s at an age where he might be thinking to himself that he needs to make as much money as possible before his body breaks down on him and he’s not in a situation where he can capitalise on his fame any more. Raw head writer Brian Gerwirtz is a big fan of his, as is SmackDown writer Michael PS Hayes, not to mention the guy that show is built around when he’s there, Edge.

When Christian left the WWE in 2005, Edge was an over upper-midcarder, now he’s a major main event star in the biggest wrestling company in the world, and has become so good that when he’s not on TV, SmackDown is honestly about 10% as watchable as it was before he took time off. So he has some high up political allies and given the chance to pair up with Edge again, while it would define him down as Edge’s sidekick in all likelihood, he may see travelling the world with one of his best friends in a major main event angle as the perfect way to spend the last couple of years of his career.

To me it’s an easy choice, and he should go back to the WWE.

James Mustoe: At this stage in his career I would have thought that Christian is more about getting that last big bit of exposure that will really put him on the map from a historical perspective. With this in mind, I think Christian should return to the ‘big’ stage of WWE and attempt to have that main event run that he’s managed to prelude in TNA.

While Cage was always really portrayed as a midcarder in WWE, he crucially did have that groundswell of fan support that is what all real stars have when being elevated to the next level. For instance I witnessed an overwhelming show of fan support for the supposedly heel Christian against normal super-face Batista on a WWE RAW taping in 2005; the reaction was so loud that the WWE had to use extensive editing to ‘sweeten’ the audio.

Christian has an extensive history with the WWE and has always been thought of a home grown talent. With elevation of storyline brother Edge to true main eventer status, this could also potentially provide Cage with a ready made stepping stone to the next level. He could certainly do better than staying in TNA, where he has been neglected in recent months for the ex-WCW stars who were already stale when Christian first ‘broke out’ nearly ten years ago!

Martin Smith: Its the flip of a coin choice. Personally, if I was Cage, I’d go back to the WWE.

He’s been booked in TNA rather stupidly since the middle of 2007. He will always be second to Kurt Angle in the heel department and he should never be a face. So where does he fit in TNA? Well, a feud with Samoa Joe or AJ Styles has already become stale and boring. The Styles thing, in particular, was ruined over and over and over again. So who else can he face? He’s faced Rhino before and there lays your problem: He’ss faced everyone worth fighting.

A move to the WWE would give him the chance to face new stars like CM Punk and it would allow him to feud with stars who have drastically improved since he left the WWE. The likes of Jeff Hardy, Edge and John Cena come to mind. Christian just has to look at what a return to the WWE did for Chris Jericho. A World Heavyweight Title. How Christian would love to get his hands on it. Let’s face it, he has a better chance now than ever. Go to WWE, become a legend and cement your place in the Hall of Fame. That would mean a whole lot more than a five minute fling at the top in TNA.

Michael Campbell: Tough question. And for me, it’s a cop-out answer – it all depends on him. What does he want? The increased security, status and wealth that comes with signing for Vince? Or the relaxed schedule and lesser punishment on his body that he currently benefits from being with Jarrett?

Christian turns 35 next week, so if he’s looking to get another run in the big league, he’d be best served heading back to Stamford. He’s a smart, articulate dude, with his hands in err, many pies, as they say, so I’m sure he would hope, within the next ten years, to complete his transition to movies and give up pro wrestling before his body begins to really groan. It’s my belief that’ll he want to enter that phase of his life with the highest possible visibility and that means working for Vince. If he leaves It too long, his body might not be up to it. Plus, the main issue with his leaving in the first place was his staleness. There was no personal reward, much like Rob Van Dam, for him in constantly going through the motions in the same spot on the card. Vince didn’t see him as valuable enough to be pushed higher, but fans weren’t impressed with him stuck in the role he had fell into.

Since leaving in late 2005, he’s developed – especially as a heel – and his absence from the WWE would ensure he would return fresh and re-invigorated. It’s possible that he’d be concerned about getting stuck in a rut once more, so it could be a rather short term-contract at first, maybe just for a couple of years to test the waters. But I would be more positive.

To come in as a Babyface on Raw could lead to some great verbal sparring with Jericho or JBL and possibly some great bouts with Orton and Priceless. As a heel, there’s mileage in a CM Punk feud, or against Mysterio, Michaels and of course John Cena, with whom he has great chemistry. On Smackdown, he could certainly battle with Jeff Hardy and take either side of the angels against Edge or even Triple H.

However, maybe he’s happy to sacrifice these benefits in order for the increased comfort and more laid-back lifestyle that he currently employs. But in TNA, what else is there for Christian to do? Win the title? Done. Feud with Angle? Done. Form a tag-team? Done. Break-up? Done. Face the new generation of talent, such as Joe, and Styles? Done. Be considered a “legend”? Done.

The possibilities of success and a range of great feuds, plus the opportunity to return to where he surely considers “home” are very maybe too good to pass up. I would like to think we’ll see him reignite Raw or Smackdown soon.