Christian's World Heavyweight Championship reigns

[CM Steel]

Christian was looked on after his best friend Edge was forced into retirement with a neck injury. Edge & the WWE put the ball on Christian as the WWE World Heavyweight champion on the Smackdown brand after he defeated Alberto Del Rio in a ladder match at the Extreme Rules pay per-view. Sadly in TV time Christian was only world champion for two days. After losing the big strap to Randy Orton re-debuting on the Smackdown brand via WWE draft.

That could have been due to two reason's.

1. Randy Orton is a much bigger name than Christian is in the WWE and on the Smackdown brand as the top main eventer. And the WWE wanted to build the brand around Orton.

2. WWE chairman Vince McMahon still held something against Christian due to Christian's TNA-run before coming back to the WWE. And maybe Vince McMahon just doesn't like Christian?

But soon after Christian's defeat for the world title. Christian turned heel feuding with Orton over the World Heavyweight championship. Where at their third showdown for the WWE World Heavyweight title at the Money in the Bank PPV. In where Christian "won" the WHC title via Randy Orton getting DQ after kicking Christian in the balls. So Christian was once again a World Heavyweight Champion but only for a month before losing it back to Orton at the Summerslam PPV in a No Hold Barred match.

Sure Christian was the man in the now defunct ECW brand in the WWE as a two-time WWECW champion carrying the brand on his back! But what do you think of the two reign's Christian had as the World Heavyweight champion on Smackdown? And can Christian become a future WWE champion? Only time will tell.

 

[SacredMesa]

I loved that he got the rub from Edge and beat ADR for the title. I hated it the second he lost it after 2 damn nights, only to turn into a weak baby heel.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sw8htlBAsGc


This is the heel Christian I loved. He didn't piss and whine left and right, although that was part of it, he simply came out a verbally owned the crap out of people and got a ton of heat for it. If he was going to be heel this is the heel Christian that should of been going against Orton not what they turned him into.


That's my response from another thread but it's what I thought of Christians title reign. I think he could easily carry the brand if given the chance to be the type of heel we know he can be but with Zigglers expected rise and fued with Orton plus they want Sheamus as a big star and seem determined to push ADR down our throats the odds of it happening for Captain Charisma are slim.

 

[Dagger Dias]

Christian absolutely has the necessary skills to become World Heavyweight Champion again. I loved it when he got his moment and finally became a World Champion in the WWE. It was a moment many years in the making and to say Christian deserved these two title runs would be an understatement. Sure he had already held a World Championship over in TNA and was the top guy in WWE's ECW brand, but Vince hates it when his guys win their first world titles elsewhere and we all know the ECW Championship was a midcard belt for most of its time in WWE. There have been rumors that Vince never liked Christian also. These things worked against him and are likely a big part of why it took so long for him to finally win the title.

I believe Edge played a big role in Christian's World Heavyweight Championship run. They are best friends in real life and Edge may have asked Vince and Trips for a huge favor when he was forced to retire, he wanted his friend to inherit his angle. So we got Christian VS Alberto, as well as a feud of the year candidate in Christian VS Orton later. One need only to look back on those matches against Orton to prove that Christian has what it takes. They stole the show on multiple PPV events and made the World Heavyweight Championship seem important. Whether it be as a heel or a face, I hope to see him hold the belt again.

 

[The Hardcore Kid]

Come on. Sure, in the heat of the moment we were all pissed the Christian's first title reign only lasted five days (you said TV time was 2 days, but in reality it was two "real" days, the record books will show he lost it on Friday Night SmackDown that week), but it was the catalyst of a great heel turn and one of the top feuds of the summer and one of the best in recent memory, period. Christian got another, proper title reign out of it, so it's best to just see the first reign for what it was, a storyline point to build Christian into a credible heel.

 

[Mustang Sally]

As to the theory that Vince McMahon held Christian's defection against him and just didn't like the guy, I say McMahon doesn't script a performer to win a world title if he doesn't want to. Christian won it twice on a transitional basis, whereas most wrestlers never win it at all.

Truthfully, I don't feel Christian is capable of carrying a brand. He's good, but not great. His moveset never particularly inspired me and his ring persona never seems to alter; he's the same character as a heel or face. That's not necessarily a bad thing, of course (think of Steve Austin) but Christian never had the commanding presence necessary to be the lead character of a brand.

None of this is to say I don't like him; in fact, I do. Still, I find him overrated over the years and wonder how people could consider him superior to Edge. He definitely has a place in WWE.....but not at the top, imho.

 

[123NewChamp]

As far as Christians 2 day reigns goes. In reality it would be beleivable. Things like that happens in the real world. But as far as it being written in a storyline, if he was just gonna hold the title for 2 days, the WWE was better off letting ADR retain the belt. Just saying. And as far as the month reign goes b4 he lost to Orton at Summerslam, at least he got to spend time holding the championship.

But can he become "World Heavyweight Champion" again? I beleive so. But my only concern with Christians is Injuries. If he can stay healthy, I don't see any reason why the WWE wouldn't want to put the title around Christian's waist. Other than that, he's a good athlete, and competitor.

 

[Pedigree1]

Oh man what do i say? I like Christian i really do... But believable as champion he is not! Yes it was nice that he was champion twice but for how long?? His reigns are very forgettable IMO! As far as saying he is superior to edge and yes i have heard that i never did buy it and never will.

Christian is a very good athlete and can actually talk on the mic! He has very good skills and can go from heel to face and be believable in both aspects. But as far as carrying a brand goes,he just doesnt have the it factor.. His moveset while not great isnt bad either! IMHO he is not beyond a us title reign!! I just hope when he comes back he can stay injury free as that seems to really handicap him! I truly dont mean to bag on him but this is how i feel

 

[Kris Benwa]

I liked Christian as champion and if you watched his time as NWA champ and if being the sole champion of ECW he really was world championship material. However I don't see him winning anymore world titles and that saddens me and also him losing it after 2 days to Randy Orton pissed me off to no end. Because of that and many other reasons I HATE RANDY ORTON I really do he makes me so angry if I ever saw him and felt like I could take him I'd punch his bitch ass right in the face.

 

[LeviCook]

I thought his World title reigns were kind of degrading. I know it's an honor to be the World Heavyweight Champion but they never even gave him a real chance. I have always been a Christian fan and i was excited the first time and even the second time that he won. I had my hopes up that they would finally use Christian correctly just to be disappointed. Christian could have been a great champion, no matter face or heel. The one thing i love about Christian is he rarely ever has a bad match. All of his matches entertain me. I think that's something that should be considered for a champion. You should want your champion to go out there and be able to put on a good show. And Christian is one of the most consistent wrestlers there is in the WWE. I hope that Christian will return shortly and start working his way back to the main event but i have little hope that will actually happen. It seems as if WWE only views him as a mid carder. I had this idea before Big Show won the title to have Sheamus defend the title against Orton and Christian in a Triple Threat but obviously that never happened. Anyway, i hope he at least wins a mid card title because anything else will be disappointing. If he's not a main eventer he better at least be a strong mid carder.

 

[BenChillin]

I's like to file his run under gone and forgotten and only happened cause of Edge leaving.

Kinda like how Rey won the rumble and title only cause of eddie's passing and timing.

 

[Artemis Paradox]

Although the timing may seem peculiar in the aspect of Edge retiring, so now we feel sorry for Christian, so let's give him the belt now thing can be plausible, this was something long in the making. VKM holding spite for Christian is irrelevant, short-lived reigns are irrelevant. The thing is, Christian is more than worthy of holding the belt again, and in a long, dominant, meaningful reign, regardless of anyone's dislike of him, regardless of his winning his first world title in TNA, regardless of Edge's retirement.

 

[Captain Morgan Freeman]

Christians a great wrestler, probably my favourite in the WWE these days but a brand leader he is not. Had Edge not retired it's very possible that he wouldn't have won a world title in the WWE. I don't think Vince took the title off him because of his run in TNA. He just doesn't sell enough tickets/merchandise to warrant being the main guy on a show the way Orton, Cena or Punk do.
Sure i would have liked it if Christians title run had lasted longer then a week but the main point of his feud with Orton was that he couldn't win one on one against Orton and him losing it so early helped develop the whiny heel character and the whole "one more match" shtick.
It all worked out pretty well in the end anyway, Christian goes down in the record books as a two time world champion and we got probably the feud of the year between him and Orton, what's not to like?
Will we ever see him as champ again? Naah he's had his time in the sun. He can certainly do a good job as a heel chalanger to the champ but his main job will be helping some of the younger guys get over, god knows some of them could do with a rub.

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

I don't see Christian winning the WWE title. I can see him winning the World Heavyweight Title. Christian may not be the guy to carry a brand but Smackdown is basically Raw Jr. so it doesn't need that much carrying. Sheamus was the champion for six months but did you see any significant positives in Smackdown due to him holding the belt. To me, no. Smackdown was the same as it has always been. I wouldn't mind another Christian run at the title.

 

[The 1-2-3 Killam]

I need to get something off my chest: I don't think Christian is that great, nor do I think he made a particularly good World Champion. PHEW! Man, that load has been weighing me down for over a year...

Controversial talking point incoming: the only time I thought Christian stood out, on his own, was when he wrestled for TNA. In WWE he was Edge's tag team partner. He was Chris Jericho's tag team partner. He was a damn good comedy act at times, but that's all he ever amounted to in my head. When he went to TNA, he was a big deal. Everyone got excited to have a WWE guy around; you could tell the roster respected him, and for the first time ever Christian got to be a singles star. He got to be a World Champion.

I liked that WWE made a big deal out of his return, and hooked him up as a veteran star in WW-ECW. But how long did that momentum last? How long before he was either injured, or a midcard jobber during the times he was healthy enough to wrestle? I will be so bold as to say, the only reason WWE ever put the WOrld Title on him was Edge's retirement. They captivated on a unique moment, thus why the belt went to Orton two days later. Christian winning with Edge there was something people talked about, but he was never a long-term plan for Vince. They ended up swapping the title again during the summer, but if for no other reason than to shake up their rivalry, and potentially keep things interesting. So unless Edge plans on retiring again, I wouldn't put any money on Christian being a World Champion again in WWE. He's getting to that age that I'd be surprised if WWE wanted to keep him around much longer. His contract has to be substantial with that much tenure, and he's not a draw. THis is just my opinion of course, and apologies to any die-hard Christian fans, but he should go back to TNA and end his career in a place that appreciates his talent.

Oh, and he looks mentally ******ed when he claps before the Killswitch. I hate finishers that are complicated to set up, and look like they could easily be avoided. I like simple, easy to set up maneuvers like the KO punch, the RKO, Zig-Zag, etc. Not a fan of the Killswitch; the fact that he claps his hands together with the power of 40,000 screaming fans, effectively warning any half-brained opponent of his impending attack, doesn't make it any more appealing.

 

[HBsam31]

I would say that Edge really lobbied for Christian to win the title, and it really did make for a good moment when he beat ADR, and yes I was upset when he lost it just days later on Smackdown. The thing is though he won the belt twice and after losing it the first time it turned into a pretty decent heel run. Like Mustand Sally said, most guys don't win the belt at all. I think he definitely has the makings to be a World champ again, but I just don't think that is in the cards for him.