Dr. Wrestling:Christian wins the title

When Edge was forced into retirement due to neck problems, which go back nearly eight years when he had surgery to repair a broken neck, the WWE had to find a new World Heavy Weight title match for the Extreme Rules PPV. Alberto Del Rio, one of the company’s brightest young stars was penciled in to challenge Edge so who would be put in the match to replace the rated R superstar? The answer would be a competitor that was along side Edge a decade ago when he was making a name for himself, Christian. For years, many fans have wondered why the WWE never gave Christian the ball, as he is seemingly just as talented as his former tag partner. While it’s disappointing to see Edge have to go so suddenly, the reality was injuries had clearly slowed him down in the months leading to his retirement and with his exit, it provided an opportunity for an intriguing title match at Extreme Rules. The storyline heading into the match worked well because Edge’s long time tag partner was stepping in to take his place and could cement himself as the main event talent that so many fans thought he could be given the chance. At the PPV, Christian was finally given a chance to make it to the next level as he won the World Heavy Weight title and at a time when the WWE is low on star power, it appeared as though there would be a new main event star on Smackdown to add some variety to the title picture.

The prospect of this new star lasted only two days as Christian dropped the title to Randy Orton in a match at the Smackdown tapings, which aired this past Friday. Spoiler reports of the taping alerted fans of the title change, which prompted much criticism towards the WWE for the title switch. Even recent “Dancing with the Stars” cast away, Chris Jericho addressed some of the fan response. There are a few things that should be considered here before examining the WWE’s decision to switch the title to Randy Orton. First, prior to Edge’s retirement, Christian was not even booked in the title picture so it doesn’t seem like there were main event plans for Christian. Second, the WWE’s decision may have nothing to do with Christian, as putting the title on Orton could be another way to promote the new WWE movie that features him. Jericho speculated that the title change could be part of a bigger storyline, but I disagree for two reasons, #1 Since Christian wasn’t originally booked for the title match, it doesn’t seem like there’s a bigger storyline currently in place for him as he is a face on Smackdown. #2 The WWE’s decision to have Christian drop the title in two days kills his credibility as a legitimate main event star. That being said, this is just my opinion and there could certainly be more to the situation that develops in the next few weeks on Smackdown. Either way, I think one of the most important things for any wrestler that is being pushed to the main event level is being established as a legitimate star, but Christian’s two day title run only hinders his progress of making it into the title picture

All that aside, I really don’t understand why the WWE would pass up a chance to get some fresh main event  talent when the company is so low on star power. In my view, Christian has all the tools to be main event competitor and it doesn’t make sense for the WWE to switch the title just two days after he won it. Why even give him the title if he is only going to be the champion for two days? As I said, such a decision actually hinders Christian’s progress of making it to the next level on Smackdown. Orton being the one to take the title is another decision that doesn’t make sense to me. His in ring style is boring and his promos are semi robotic. There’s no question that he improved in those areas during the CM Punk feud, but most people tend to shine a little brighter when working with Punk.

Speaking of the main event scene, let’s consider the champions in the WWE. John Cena, who is the top guy in the company, is the WWE champion on Raw, which is understandable because he’s at the top of the roster. Not that Cena needs the title to maintain his spot, but you can see the logic because he’s the face of the company. I’ve already mentioned that I’m not a fan of Randy Orton, but that’s not the point I’m trying to make here. Cena and Orton are the two main event champions in the WWE. Haven’t we seen this main event picture before?  That’s why giving Christian a legitimate run with the title would be beneficial to Smackdown because it added a new element in the main event scene. The WWE has a lot of really good young talent, but it doesn’t seem like they are fully utilizing the young stars. However, it should be interesting to see what the WWE has planned for Christian and if he is still in the title picture.

Until next week
That’s My story and I’m Sticking To It
Dr. Wrestling

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