So for the sake of debate, I'm going to go ahead and agree with NSL in that, for Christian to be able to break out into the main event, he really requires a transformation, and this would start in a new name. I think NSL brings up an interesting point when refering to TNA in that, as soon as Christian made himself larger than life with a name like that, he was given instant credibility. He differentiated himself from any history associated with just being one part of "E + C" and started carving out a name for himself.
Christian obtained instant credibility not because of a name change, but because he was a WWE guy in TNA, and got the push because people remembered him as Christian. The Instant Classic was pretty good, but just that; it was a nickname. Most people knew him as Christian, and the only reason announcers added the Cage was to branch him away from his days at the WWE. Christian was over because he was good; not because he changed his name
And clearly you're wrong. But let's discover exactly why together.
But you don't just introduce a name. There is obviously going to be a reasoning behind it, storyline wise. Either that or Christian can cut a promo about being taken seriously, thus giving himself a moniker, whatever it may be.
And most people will have the same thought:
"Is this a joke?"
The fact is, Christian
is taken seriously. I'm not sure how having that name means people will take him more seriously. Besides, that more or less is an excuse for the audience. I could see your reasoning, but the question ultimately is, "Does he really have to do this?" And more often than not, people will say no.
I would like to draw attention to the character of Kofi Kingston for a moment. Here we have two parallels. On one hand, he already had a last name, so we're fine on that front. But in order to build his credibility, they changed his town of origin. Something so small was a piece in the building of him as a credible opponent to Orton. Of course in itself, it was nothing. But added together with other factors, it draws the audience in to the fact that this guy could win, and isnt just some crazy happy go lucky jamaican.
Big difference. Actually, about a nine year difference. Kofi can survive it, because the guy has only been around for a year. Christian has been around for
ten years, and has gone by the same name for a good portion of it. It's cool if you wanted to do that to a rookie, but why to a guy who's been around, has an established fan base, and is recognizable by his name. That doesn't even make any sense.
I truly believe this could work for Christian, as there is so much tied to that name for him. It ties him down to his tag team days. It ties him down to the days of living in the mid card. WWE made a mistake by having him walk right back into that realm. Edge kept his name, but he changed his moniker. Ultimate Opportunist, Rated R Superstar. Whatever you like, he changed it up. Christian has stayed the same, he still has his Peeps, and he's still Captain Charisma.
You must not watch a lot of WWE Circa 2000, do you?
Edge always
was an opportunist, man. His whole Edge and Christian gimmick was waiting for the right moment, then stealing victory away. He always acted in an opportunistic fashion, they just decided to give him the actual name to go with it.
Still, accepted. Edge changed his persona. But that's a gimmick factor. Edge changed his
gimmick, not just his name. Christian's gimmick, meanwhile, works fine for him. He was doing the exact same thing in TNA. So why are we throwing it out now? Because he needs a new name? It makes no sense.
This is true on your part. Ron Simmons more than likely didn't benefit. But you are being quite selective with your picks here. I mean, I'm not talking about an entire revamp here, and starting to refer to him as Geoffrey Baldcock. I'm saying the addition of a last name such as Cage, or hell, even Reso would help to accentuate his character. Christian just sounds like a nickname, but with the addition of changing of it, it just makes him more viable. Look at John Morrison's change from Johnny Nitro. It made him less juvenile. What about Hunter Hearst Helmsly turning into HHH. We hear him refered to more as The Game than HHH in a lot of cases. I could be just as selective with name changes, but the fact of the matter is, it comes down to how the WWE handles the change rather than change itself.
What you're forgetting is that, with all of those names came
gimmick changes, too. This isn't a proposal to change Christian's gimmick. So why change the name, without the gimmick?
I didn't think of that. But I don't necessarily think a lot of name changes would have worked. Changing Nitro to Morrison? Changing Festus to Luke Gallows? Well, I guess time will tell on that one.
Again, there goes that whole gimmick matter. So pesky, isn't it?
Again, you are making assumptions on the fact that the WWE is going to stuff up this change and revamp him completely. It's only a slight change, not a gimmick overhaul. Change isn't necessarily bad, and if it's gradual, I dont think the fans will mind, as its seen as more of an evolution than anything. Without change occuring, I think we'd still be lamenting how bad The Ringmaster and Rocky Maivia were.
Again, big difference. In Rocky Maivia and The Ringmaster, you were changing something everyone knew was bad, into something that was good. With Christian, you'd be changing something that most people consider good. And again, you're going to change it... Why?
This is a great point. But I think the trajectory could be made smoother if only they made him feel like a main eventer. giving him the ECW title was a good start, and featuring him in more PPV's would help. But "Captain Charisma" Christian doesnt have the same impact as it could for some reason. It's nice to say, sure, but something like Cage just gave it solidification. Maybe it doesnt have enough syllables.
Yes, but again, it really doesn't matter. Fans don't care too much over that.
Because I wanted to debate you?
And now you have it.
All you were hoping for?
