Christian Cage

At the Raw 25 Years event in January 22, 2018, Christian hosted The Peep Show with special guests Jason Jordan and Seth Rollins, but it was later interrupted by The Bar (Cesaro and Sheamus). On April 7, Christian appeared with Edge to induct the Dudley Boyz into the WWE Hall of Fame. In October 2019 Christian started appearing as a regular contributor on WWE Backstage.

Since March 2017, Reso has hosted a podcast with Copeland called "E&C's Pod of Awesomeness".

Starting on February 21, 2016, Reso began appearing along with Edge in the WWE Network exclusive The Edge and Christian Show That Totally Reeks of Awesomeness, but in July 2017 it was announced that the show was canceled from the Network.

In mid-May 2016, it became known that Reso had been released from his talent contract. On the June 22, Talk Is Jericho podcast focusing on the Chris Benoit tragedy, Jericho mentioned Christian as an example of modern wrestlers who had to retire as the WWE would no longer give them medical clearances due to concussion related injuries (this was largely as a consequence of the Benoit incident as well as better knowledge of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) and other concussion related risks).

Edge and Christian were the guest hosts for the December 29 episode of Raw, where WWE commentator Jerry Lawler referred to Christian as "retired". Pro Wrestling Insider corroborated Lawler's statement, adding that because of multiple concussions and other injuries, the company considered Christian retired as an active wrestler. On October 27, 2015, Christian's profile was moved to the alumni section at WWE.com and noted that he had left active competition. On the March 2, 2016 episode of Talk Is Jericho, Christian said that while he has had no formal discussion with management regarding his retirement, he is unlikely to wrestle again. He confirmed his status on the September 22, 2017 edition of E&C's Pod of Awesomeness, saying: "I had to retire, like, right around 40... 'cause of the concussion stuff".

After Victory Road, Cage befriended the new number one contender Sting on the July 27 episode of Impact! by asking for forgiveness for doubting Sting's agenda by coming to TNA in January of that year. Cage went on to say that he had asked Cornette the week before if he could be in Sting's corner in his match with Jarrett for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship at Hard Justice, but Cornette had told him he needed Sting's approval. Sting accepted Cage's offer, with interviewer and occasional ring announcer Jeremy Borash announcing Sting's decision in a backstage segment on the August 3 episode of Impact!. On August 13, Cage was in Sting's corner at Hard Justice as he faced Jarrett (with Scott Steiner in his corner) and during the contest interfered to help Sting win numerous times—as did Steiner for Jarrett—until Cage turned on Sting by taking Jarrett's signature guitar and bashing it over his head—turning heel. Cage then allowed Jarrett to pin Sting and retain the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.

Christian made his return at Over the Limit on May 20, where he won a battle royal to receive a title match for either the Intercontinental or United States Championship and—despite originally selecting to face Santino Marella for the United States Championship—went on to defeat Cody Rhodes later in the show to win his fourth Intercontinental Championship, turning face once again. Christian later explained his turn as inducting Edge into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2012 made him realize that his career could end in an instant and wanted to end his career with the fans support, wanting to win multiple championships and leave having a Hall of Fame career, much like his best friend. At No Way Out on June 17, Christian retained the Intercontinental title against Rhodes in a rematch. On the June 29 episode of SmackDown, Christian and Marella defeated Rhodes and David Otunga to qualify for spots in the World Heavyweight Championship Money in the Bank ladder match. At Money in the Bank on July 15, Christian was unsuccessful as the match was won by Dolph Ziggler. At Raw 1000 on July 23, Christian lost the Intercontinental Championship to The Miz and failed to regain it in a rematch the following week on SmackDown.

Christian returned on the January 31, 2014 episode of SmackDown to defeat Jack Swagger in a qualifying match for the Elimination Chamber match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. On the February 17 episode of Raw, Christian attacked Daniel Bryan from behind and mocked Bryan during the match, turning heel. At Elimination Chamber on February 23, Christian eliminated Sheamus before being eliminated by Daniel Bryan. On the March 24 episode of Raw, Christian won a fatal four-way match including Alberto Del Rio, Dolph Ziggler and Sheamus to challenge Big E for the Intercontinental Championship, which did not come to fruition due to Christian suffering a concussion, in what would be his final match as a professional wrestler.

After suffering his concussion, Christian appeared as a face on pre-show discussion panels for WWE for events including NXT TakeOver, Money in the Bank and Battleground. In 2014, he went on to host The Peep Show program with Chris Jericho at Night of Champions in September with Dean Ambrose on the November 7 episode of SmackDown.

After a ten-month absence, Christian returned from injury on the June 17, 2013 episode of Raw, defeating Wade Barrett. Later that week on SmackDown, Christian was attacked by The Shield while delivering a promo. On the June 26 episode of Main Event, Christian took on Shield member Dean Ambrose, which resulted in a disqualification win for Christian following interference from Ambrose's stablemates, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns. That same week on SmackDown, Christian teamed up with The Usos to defeat The Shield, handing the stable their second loss in six-man tag team matches. At Money in the Bank on July 14, Christian competed in the WWE Championship Money in the Bank ladder match, but was unsuccessful as the match was won by Randy Orton. During the match, Christian had his teeth chipped after a strong punch from Sheamus through the rungs of a ladder. On the July 29 episode of Raw, Christian defeated World Heavyweight Champion Alberto Del Rio in a non-title match. That same week on SmackDown, Christian defeated Randy Orton and Rob Van Dam in a triple threat match to become number one contender to the World Heavyweight Championship, after which he was attacked by Del Rio during a post-match interview. On the August 9 episode of SmackDown, Christian again defeated Del Rio in a non-title match. At SummerSlam on August 18, Christian failed in his title challenge against Del Rio. On the September 9 episode of Raw, The Shield dragged out an assaulted Christian as a message to anyone that disrespected Triple H following Edge's opinion on Triple H's recent abuse of power. On that week's SmackDown, Edge promised Christian would return soon and get his payback. Christian returned and appeared on the 2013 Slammy Awards, where he presented an award and appeared in a segment involving John Cena and Randy Orton.

In 2012, Reso made a one night return to TNA at Slammiversary 10 under his old ring name Christian Cage to announce the number one moment in TNA history as voted by the TNA fans (Sting's 2006 return in the aforementioned Final Resolution tag team main event). This was part of a deal which in return WWE were able to use Ric Flair in programming and induct him into the WWE Hall of Fame as a member of the Four Horsemen stable.

At Elimination Chamber on February 19, 2012, Christian returned from his injury to show support for John Laurinaitis. Christian returned on the March 16 episode of SmackDown, hosting an episode of The Peep Show and given a spot on Laurinaitis' team in a 12-man tag match at WrestleMania XXVIII on April 1. On the March 26 episode of Raw, Christian was injured once again after (kayfabe) re-aggravating his neck and shoulder in a match with CM Punk. Despite the injury, Christian still appeared at the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony to induct long-time friend Edge.

Christian was drafted back to the SmackDown brand due the WWE draft. On the May 7 episode of SmackDown, he was placed in an Intercontinental Championship tournament, defeating Cody Rhodes to get to the finals, where he lost to Kofi Kingston. On the July 2 episode of SmackDown, it was announced that Christian would compete in the SmackDown Money in the Bank ladder match at Money in the Bank on July 18, which he lost. In September 2010, Christian tore his pectoral muscle and was expected to be sidelined for approximately six months. Following surgery, WWE released a statement that revealed he was expected to only be sidelined for four months. The injury was put into a storyline with Alberto Del Rio attacking Christian backstage on the September 24 episode of SmackDown. Christian made his return from injury at Elimination Chamber on February 20, 2011, saving Edge from an attack by Del Rio. On the March 4 episode SmackDown, Christian saved Edge from another attack by Del Rio. On the March 7 episode of Raw, Christian made his in-ring return from injury against Del Rio's bodyguard Brodus Clay, picking up the victory. On the March 11 episode of SmackDown, Christian reunited with Edge and defeated Del Rio and Clay in a tag team match. On the following episode of SmackDown, Christian defeated Del Rio in a steel cage match, but was afterwards attacked by both Del Rio and Clay. Christian was in the corner of Edge when he retained the World Heavyweight Championship against Del Rio at WrestleMania XXVII on April 3.

On the August 4 episode of ECW, Christian retained the ECW title in an Extreme Rules match against Dreamer. Christian then began a rivalry with William Regal over the ECW Championship, retaining the title against him at SummerSlam on August 23. and at Breaking Point on September 13. After a few months of defending the ECW Championship on ECW only, retaining the title against the likes of Zack Ryder and Yoshi Tatsu, Christian was part of Team Kingston in a Survivor Series elimination match at Survivor Series on November 22, where he eliminated both Ted DiBiase and Cody Rhodes before being eliminated by Randy Orton. At TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs on December 13, Christian successfully defended the title against Shelton Benjamin in a ladder match. In late December 2009, Christian became the longest reigning WWE-era ECW Champion. At the Royal Rumble on January 31, 2010, Christian successfully defended the ECW title against Ezekiel Jackson. On February 16, Christian lost the ECW title in an Extreme Rules match to Jackson on the final episode of ECW. The ECW brand was deactivated shortly after.

During an interview with TNA President Dixie Carter in January 2009, she confirmed that Reso's contract with TNA had expired and that he had re-signed with the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). Reso did not appear for the promotion until the February 10 episode of ECW under his old ring name Christian as a face, confronting then ECW Champion Jack Swagger. Later that night, Christian defeated Swagger in his first match back. On the February 24 episode of ECW, Christian faced Swagger again for the ECW Championship in a losing effort. Christian won a tri-branded 15-man battle royal on the March 10 episode of ECW, gaining entry into the Money in the Bank ladder match at WrestleMania XXV on April 5, which he failed to win.

After defeating Harris at Victory Road on July 17 and him, Tomko and Styles losing to the team of Andrew Martin, Sting and Abyss at Hard Justice on August 12 in a Doomsday Chamber of Blood match to become number one contender to the TNA World Heavyweight Championship, Cage restarted his feud with Samoa Joe and the two met at No Surrender on September 9, where he defeated Joe by disqualification when Joe refused to release his rear naked choke submission hold he had applied. The two had a rematch with Matt Morgan as the special outside enforcer at Bound for Glory on October 14, where Cage lost to Joe and ended his 23-month-long undefeated streak by not officially being pinned nor made to submit. Cage and Joe fought one more time on the October 18 episode of Impact!, with a spot in the 2007 Fight for the Right tournament to become number one contender to the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. Cage defeated Joe to gain entry. Cage made it all the way to the final round of the tournament, where he fought Kaz on the November 8 episode of Impact!, defeating Kaz due to interference from Styles and Tomko on Cage's behalf, but the match was declared a no contest, with the finals being determined in a ladder match at Genesis on November 11. However, Cage failed to win the tournament final the second time around at Genesis. Later in the night, Styles and Tomko helped Angle retain the TNA World Heavyweight CHampionship during the main event as Cage looked on from the ramp. Styles and Tomko were later announced as members of Angle's new group, The Angle Alliance, which led to a title match between the two at Final Resolution on January 6, 2008 and also turning Cage face in the process.

On January 4, 2008, Cage, while still under contract with TNA, made a one-time appearance for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) at the Wrestle Kingdom II event, teaming with fellow TNA wrestlers A.J. Styles and Petey Williams to defeat RISE (Milano Collection A.T., Minoru and Prince Devitt).

Christian's old WWE enforcer Tyson Tomko (now going simply by Tomko) made his TNA debut on the November 23 episode of Impact! helping Cage in a match against Sting. With Tomko at his side, Cage set his sights on the NWA World Heavyweight Championship now held by Abyss and at Turning Point on December 10 fought Abyss and Sting in a three-way match for the title, but he failed to win the match as Abyss won to retain the championship after pinning Sting. Cage fought for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship once again at Final Resolution on January 14, 2007 against Abyss and Sting, this time in a three-way elimination match that he won by pinning Sting after Abyss was already eliminated to win the championship. After Final Resolution, Cage prepared for his title defense against the new number one contender Kurt Angle, who had defeated Samoa Joe in a 30-minute Iron Man match at Final Resolution to gain the opportunity. Heading into their encounter at Against All Odds on February 11, Cage announced on the January 17 episode of Impact! that he had hired a special consultant to assist him in training for his bout with Angle. This consultant was revealed on the February 8 episode of Impact!, who turned out to be Scott Steiner after he attacked Angle following a match pitting the team of Angle and Joe against Cage and A.J. Styles. Cage went on to retain the NWA World Heavyweight Championship against Angle at Against All Odds with Joe as the unofficial special outside enforcer.

On the March 8 episode of Impact!, Cage proclaimed that he, Tomko and Scott Steiner were an "inseparable family", which he called Christian's Coalition. After a short feud with Samoa Joe, culminating in a victory for Cage at Destination X on March 11 for the NWA world title, Cage was announced as a captain of a five-man team for the Lethal Lockdown match at Lockdown against Team Angle during the March 15, 2007 episode of Impact!. At the event on April 15, Team Cage (Cage, Tomko, Steiner, A.J. Styles and Abyss) went on to lose to Team Angle (Angle, Joe, Rhino, Sting and Jeff Jarrett). A stipulation was added that the wrestler who got the pinfall would become number one contender for the NWA world title and have their title shot at Sacrifice. Sting was the individual who gained the pinfall victory for Team Angle and became the new number one contender.

Abyss was later kicked out of the group after he attacked Cage on the April 19 episode of Impact!. Steiner was the next to leave the group after he was attacked by Tomko following their tag team title match at Sacrifice. Cage was set to defend the NWA world title against Sting at Sacrifice, but Angle was added to the match on the May 3, 2007 episode of Impact!, making it a three-way match. At the event on May 13, the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), the owners of the NWA World Heavyweight and the NWA World Tag Team Championships, stripped Cage and Team 3D of the titles. NWA Executive Director Robert K. Trobich stated the reason was that Cage refused to defend the NWA world title at NWA live events. Cage, still holding the physical NWA world title belt, defended what was billed as the World Heavyweight Championship against Sting and Angle, who was the victor of said contest by making Sting submit (who had "technically" just pinned Cage at the very same moment) and was announced as the new World Heavyweight Champion. On the following episode of Impact!, Angle came to the ring with a new championship belt in-toe and announced he was the new TNA World Heavyweight Champion, a championship that TNA had just introduced at Sacrifice. Afterwards, Cage and Sting came to the ring and the three began to argue over who was the new TNA World Heavyweight Champion, but due to the controversial finish to their match at Sacrifice the title was declared vacant by Cornette and a tournament was held for the title which culminated in a King of the Mountain match at Slammiversary on June 17. Cage won entry into the match on the June 14 episode of Impact! by defeating Abyss. Cage failed to defeat the four other men (Styles, Joe, Angle and Chris Harris) and win the title as Angle hung the title belt to become the new and undisputed TNA World Heavyweight Champion.

In 2007, TNA Home Video released a DVD titled The Instant Classic: Christian Cage, covering his beginnings in the independent circuit and other various subjects up to his second NWA World Heavyweight Championship reign. Reso is also the host of the DVD The Ladder Match 2: Crash and Burn. In September 2015, Edge and Christian were guests on the Stone Cold Steve Austin Podcast, which aired on the WWE Network.

Before leaving WWE, Reso filed to trademark the nickname of "Captain Charisma", which allowed him to use it as Christian Cage in the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), but after WWE disputed the trademark claim by citing a provision in the terms of his old contract he stopped officially using it on TNA programming by the summer of 2006, calling himself "The Instant Classic" from early 2007 onwards although he still continued to be referred to as "Captain Charisma" in off-screen appearances and sometimes wore his "Captain Charisma" entrance jumpsuits to the ring at live events.

Cage would defeat Monty Brown at Turning Point to become number one contender to the NWA world title At Final Resolution on January 15, 2006, Cage teamed with Sting to defeat the team of Monty Brown and Jeff Jarrett. and defeated Jarrett for the title at Against All Odds on February 12, 2006. Cage had his first title defense at Destination X on March 12, where he defeated Brown to retain the NWA world title. On the March 25 and April 2 respective Impact! episodes, Abyss, his manager Father James Mitchell and Alex Shelley showed two pre-taped video packages that had been compiled in the weeks before the episodes, with first on March 25 depicting Mitchell stalking Cage's wife Denise, confronting her and even threatening that "they were coming". The second aired on April 2, with Abyss, accompanied by Mitchell and Shelley, who was taping the segment with a camcorder like the previous video package, attacking Cage at his home in Tampa, Florida and nearly drowning Cage in his own pool. This storyline led to Cage facing Abyss at Lockdown on April 23 in a six sides of steel cage match for the NWA world title, with Cage prevailing and attempting after the match to attack Mitchell and gain revenge for all his recent evil deeds against Cage and his family, but Abyss stopped him, took a steel chain, wrapped it around Cage's neck and attempted to hang him with it until he passed out, after which Abyss and Mitchell stole the NWA world title belt and left the arena. The storyline between Abyss and Mitchell and Cage continued until Sacrifice on May 14, where Cage defeated Abyss and regained the NWA world title belt under Full Metal Mayhem rules.

In March 2006, Reso competed as Christian Cage three times in the United Kingdom for the One Pro Wrestling (1PW) promotion. His first appearance was on March 4 at their All or Nothing: Night 1 event, where he defeated Rhino. His second appearance was at 1PW's Know Your Enemy: Night 1 event on May 26, defeating Steve Corino. At Know Your Enermy: Night 2 event on May 27, 2006, Cage fought against the champion Abyss and Corino for the 1PW World Heavyweight Championship in a three-way dance, but failed to win as Corino gained the fall and the title.

In May 2006, Reso made two appearances for the Ring of Honor (ROH) promotion as Christian Cage. His first appearance was on May 12 at ROH's How We Roll event in a tag match with Colt Cabana against Bryan Danielson and Christopher Daniels, which Cage and Cabana won. His second appearance was a loss to Daniels at ROH's Generation Now event on July 29.

In November 2005, Reso signed with TNA under his Christian Cage ring name, where he won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship twice. Reso left TNA in late 2008 and re-signed with WWE, where he won the ECW Championship and the World Heavyweight Championship twice each. He is the twenty-third Triple Crown Champion and the eleventh Grand Slam Champion in WWE history.

At Survivor Series on November 14, Christian failed to win the Intercontinental Championship from Shelton Benjamin. At New Year's Revolution on January 9, 2005, Christian and Tomko faced Eugene and William Regal for World Tag Team Championship, but they failed to win the titles. At the Royal Rumble, Christian competed in the Royal Rumble match, but he was eliminated by eventual winner Batista.

On the June 30 episode of SmackDown!, Christian was drafted to the SmackDown! brand in the 2005 WWE draft lottery and replaced Big Show (who was drafted to Raw) in a six-man elimination match for the newly created SmackDown! Championship, but he lost to John "Bradshaw" Layfield. Soon after, Christian was given his own interview segment on SmackDown! called The Peep Show. At The Great American Bash on July 24, Christian faced Booker T in a losing effort. At No Mercy on October 9, Christian competed in a fatal four-way match for the United States Championship which was won by Chris Benoit.

Around the spring of 2005, Christian began to build up a loyal fanbase, despite his placement as a heel, who he referred to as his "Peeps", "Peepulation" (a play on the word "population") or the "Christian Coalition". He also hosted a talk-show like segment called The Peep Show.

Also, Christian and Jericho began romances with Lita and Stratus, respectively; and as part of the angle it was revealed to be a bet over who could sleep with their respective female first, with a Canadian dollar at stake. Despite the bet, Jericho continued his relationship with Stratus, which ultimately resulted in Christian and Jericho turning on each other. At the Royal Rumble on January 25, 2004, Christian competed in the Royal Rumble match, but he was eliminated by Jericho. At WrestleMania XX on March 14, Christian faced Jericho in a singles match with Stratus on Jericho's side, but Stratus accidentally struck Jericho, allowing Christian to defeat him. Stratus then joined forces with Christian, becoming his on-screen girlfriend in the process. At Backlash, Christian and Stratus faced Jericho in an intergender handicap match which they lost. During a steel cage match against Jericho on the May 10 episode of Raw which he lost, Christian suffered a severe back injury, causing him to miss almost four months of in-ring action. Christian returned on the August 30 episode of Raw, attacking Jericho and thus resuming their feud. The two had a ladder match for the vacant Intercontinental Championship at Unforgiven, which Christian lost, ending their feud.

On January 19, 2003, Christian entered the Royal Rumble match at the namesake event, however he was eliminated by Jericho. After a short absence, Christian returned on the April 7 episode of Raw, self-proclaiming himself as the new "People's Champion" and began calling his fans "The Peeps" after receiving advice and endorsement from The Rock. On the May 5 episode of Raw, Christian faced Goldberg, but the match ended in a no contest when 3-Minute Warning got involved which led to a rematch on May 12, where Christian lost to Goldberg in a steel cage match. At Judgment Day, Christian went on to win a nine-man over-the-top-rope battle royal for his second Intercontinental Championship. The following night on Raw, Christian appeared on Chris Jericho's talk show The Highlight Reel sporting a new haircut and ring attire. Christian lost the Intercontinental Championship to Booker T on the July 7 episode of Raw, but he regained it after Booker was legitimately injured at a house show on August 10.

At Unforgiven on September 23, Christian defeated Edge to win his first Intercontinental Championship, but he lost it back to Edge in a ladder match at No Mercy on October 21. Christian won the European Championship from Bradshaw on the October 29 episode of Raw. At Rebellion on November 3, Christian faced Edge in a steel cage match for the Intercontinental Championship, but he failed to win the title. At Survivor Series, Christian defeated Al Snow to retain the European Championship. At Vengeance on December 9, Christian and Test faced Albert and Scotty 2 Hotty in a losing effort. In January 2002, Christian lost the European title to Diamond Dallas Page. At the Royal Rumble on January 20, Christian entered the Royal Rumble match, but he was eliminated by Stone Cold Steve Austin.

Following their victory, Edge and Christian portrayed themselves as heels, shifting their in-ring personas from borderline goth to a comedic pair of "cool dudes". During this time, their trademark became the "five second pose", where they performed a pose in the ring for five seconds "for the benefit of those with flash photography" to mock, insult, or amuse the fans. At SummerSlam on August 27, the Edge and Christian successfully defended the tag team titles in the first ever TLC match against The Hardy Boyz and The Dudley Boyz. At Unforgiven on September 24, Edge and Christian lost the titles against The Hardy Boyz in a steel cage match and were not allowed another title shot. At No Mercy on October 22, Edge and Christian dressed up as Los Conquistadores defeated The Hardys for the titles. The next night on Raw Is War, The Hardy Boyz dressed as the Los Conquistadores and defeated Edge in a handicap match after Christian was taken out backstage to regain the WWF Tag Team Championship. At Survivor Series on November 19, Edge and Christian teamed with Right to Censor's Bull Buchanan and The Goodfather in a four-on-four Survivor Series elimination match which they lost to The Dudleys and The Hardyz. At Armageddon on December 10, Edge and Christian regained the tag team titles in a fatal four-way match involving The Dudley Boyz, K-Kwik and Road Dogg and The Right to Censor, but they lost them eight days later to The Rock and The Undertaker only to win them back days later on SmackDown! thanks to special guest referee Kurt Angle. At the Royal Rumble on January 21, 2001, Edge and Christian lost the WWF Tag Team Championship to The Dudley Boyz. At No Way Out on February 25, Edge and Christian were unsuccessful in regaining the tag team titles, but they eventually recaptured them in the second ever TLC match at WrestleMania X-Seven on April 1.

After losing the tag team titles, friction arose within the team after Edge won the 2001 King of the Ring tournament on June 24. It was also during this time that Edge was becoming a face during The Invasion storyline. Christian briefly turned face to help feud with The Alliance. Christian turned heel shortly afterward, resulting in the two feuding for Edge's WWF Intercontinental Championship for several months.

Reso currently lives in Tampa, Florida, with his wife Denise, a German model whom he met while on tour in England; the couple married on May 25, 2001. On December 9, 2013, Reso announced that he had taken time off due to recurring post-concussive symptoms, and during the time off his wife gave birth to their first child, a daughter named Isla.

In 1999, Christian and Edge parted ways with Gangrel, who associated himself with The Hardy Boyz (Jeff and Matt Hardy) to form The New Brood. As a result, they began feuding with The Hardy Boyz and competed in a ladder match for the managerial services of Terri Runnels and $100,000 at No Mercy on October 17, which The Hardy Boyz won. At Survivor Series on November 14, Edge and Christian and The Hardy Boyz faced Too Cool and The Hollys in a four-on-four Survivor Series elimination match, but they lost. At Armageddon on December 12, Edge and Christian competed in an eight-team battle royal which was won by The Acolytes. At the Royal Rumble on January 23, 2000, Christian competed in the Royal Rumble match, but he was eliminated by Rikishi. At No Way Out on February 27, Edge and Christian defeated The Hardy Boyz in a tag team match to determine the number one contenders to the WWF Tag Team Championship. At WrestleMania 2000 on April 2, Edge and Christian defeated The Hardy Boyz and The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray Dudley and D-Von Dudley) to win their first WWF Tag Team Championship in a triangle ladder match, which ultimately led to the creation of the Tables, Ladders and Chairs (TLC) match. At Backlash on April 30, Edge and Christian defeated Road Dogg and X-Pac to retain titles. At Judgment Day on May 21, Christian, Edge and Kurt Angle lost a six-man tag team match to Rikishi and Too Cool, to whom they lost the titles soon after only to win them back in a four corners elimination match at King of the Ring on June 25. At Fully Loaded on July 23, Edge and Christian lost to The Acolytes Protection Agency (Bradshaw and Faarooq) by disqualification, but they retained the titles.

Reso wrestled in Canadian independent promotions early in his career, where he frequently competed in singles and tag team competition with longtime best friend Adam Copeland. In 1998, Reso signed a developmental deal with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and was rebranded as the storyline brother of Edge, Copeland's WWF persona. Reso made his debut the following year and immediately captured his first title in the company, the WWF Light Heavyweight Championship. Edge and Christian gained notoriety as a tag team for their participation in Tables, Ladders and Chairs matches and winning the WWF Tag Team Championship on seven different occasions. The team parted ways in 2001, after which Reso held various singles titles, including the European Championship, the Hardcore Championship, and the Intercontinental Championship.

In September 1994, Reso enrolled in a wrestling school at Sully's Gym, run by Ron Hutchison. One of Reso's early ring names was Christian Cage, a combination of the names of Christian Slater and Nicolas Cage. Cage's wrestling career began in June 1995 in a match against Zakk Wyld, which resulted in a draw. In 1997, he was a part of Thug Life, a stable that included Joe E. Legend, Zakk Wyld, Rhino Richards and Sexton Hardcastle (Adam "Edge" Copeland). As a tag team on the Canadian independent circuit, Copeland and Reso were known as High Impact and later The Suicide Blondes. The duo held titles in numerous promotions and competed in the United States and Japan. Reso won the East Coast Wrestling Association (ECWA) Heavyweight Championship on July 18, 1998, which he held until October 15, 1999.

When Copeland received a tryout match with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), Reso went with him and they faced off in an untelevised tryout match, which Copeland was booked to win. After the tryout, once Copeland was promoted from his developmental status to touring with the WWF, he put in a good word for Reso and got him invited to the WWF-affiliated Dory Funk, Jr.'s Funking Conservatory training camp in 1998. After completing his training at the conservatory, Reso signed a contract with the WWF to become a full-time performer.

William Jason "Jay" Reso (born November 30, 1973) is a Canadian actor and retired professional wrestler, best known for his time with WWE under the ring name Christian, a shortened version of his original ring name Christian Cage that was also used during his tenure in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). Reso was trained by Ron Hutchison and Dory Funk Jr. and made his professional wrestling debut in June 1995. He has held 4 world championships in the WWE.

Reso was born on November 30, 1973 in Kitchener, Ontario, the son of an American father and a Canadian mother. He played ice hockey and was a wrestling fan as a child. Reso lived in Huntsville and East Luther-Grand Valley before moving to Orangeville, where he met Adam Copeland, who became his best friend and eventual tag team partner. The two attended Orangeville District Secondary School together, from which Reso graduated.