In the moments that followed Randy Orton's fall to the mat at the hands of Christian, I sat in silence.
No, I wasn't in shock that Christian would take such drastic action. This plot turn was alluded to in the weeks prior and anyone that was following Smackdown saw this as a realistic possibility. Still, the implications of actually following through were risky, yet the WWE decided to pull the trigger on the Christian heel turn. As a result, I sat in silence, mourning the death of one of the best things the WWE had going.
You see, the wrestling business is such an interesting animal. Villians often earn the revere of fans and are met with cheers as a sign of respect for their talents, while heroes who devote their existence to pleasing the fans are often met with hatred due to being "too clean" or "lacking an edge". It's a rare sight in this day and age to see a babyface greeted with the cheers he deserves, Very few spend time in that rarified air, and now one of them no longer will.
Many say that hitting a baseball is the hardest thing to do in sports. If that's true, then getting over as a babyface might be the hardest thing to do in sports entertainment. With that in mind, Christian was the Matt Kemp of wrestling. Never known to be as elite as others, he was a babyface that truly understaood how to get the crowd behind him and unlike others, his cheers were pure. Christian's adore was almost universal and he regularly got some of the best reactions from live crowds.
Even after his actions last week, Christian came to the ring with his customary cheers on Friday. By the end of his promo, it was clear that Christian was going full blown heel, and I sat disappointed. No, not because his performance was subpar. A talent like Christian will work hard with whatever he's given. Unfortunately, I sat disappointed, as the apparante direction of Christian's heel turn is flatter than Kate Moss' chest. Blaming the fans? It's been done 100 times.
Yes, Christian did the best he could with his role and was all over Friday's broadcast. He is working hard to get over his new heel character and I did hear boos, a sign that Christian's talent allows for him to control the audience with his words and actions. Still, I believe that the decision to turn Christian was incredibly short-sighted and really has no long term benefit. In order to understand my mindset, let's look at the facts.
As it currently stands, Randy Orton is the only main event level babyface on Smackdown. The closest things to Orton at the moment are Daniel Bryan, Sin Cara, Kane, and Ezekiel Jackson. Not exactly money makers and true crowd favorites at this point. Consider the options we have now with Christian. Should "Captain Charisma" beat Orton next Sunday, he would almost certainly have to drop the belt right back, as I can't imagine anyone would pay to see Christian vs. Sin Cara or Christian vs. Daniel Bryan. Perhaps down the road, but right now those are not main event caliber matches. Conversely, should Christian lose (which is incredibly likely), those matches I have just described are the most likely matchups for the heel Christian, any of which can be seen as quite a step down from his current position.
Had he remained face, Christian could have spent the year feuding with Sheamus, Cody Rhodes, Mark Henry, Ted Dibiase, and more. He may have been the second babyface, but that's a much more powerful position than second heel which he will inevitably become once he loses to Orton in this feud. Anyone who cares about Christian's career has to realize that this turn has a finite life to it, and surviving past this Orton feud will be quite a difficult task.
The bottom line is that this turn was done to spice up the Christian/Orton feud, but beyond that, this is a terrible decision. Christian has nowhere to go but down by becoming a heel and so far, his heel turn is being booked as generic as can be. It's almost cruel, as if this turn was done to give momentary hope to Christian fans who dreamed of a day that Christian could be champion, if only for another month. What those fans don't realize is that this decision is yet another slap in the face to Christian, an admission of WWE's brass that Christian is good for a feud or two, nothing more.
Yes, part of these feelings come from my personal appreciation of Christian. As one of my favorites, I look at his career like a father looks at his son's life choices. Though I have no say in Christian's career at all, I do hope for the best possible representation of his talent, and I don't believe this is it. After a few months, this turn is bound to fizzle and fade away no matter how well Christian plays his role. Up and comers like Cody Rhodes, Ted Dibiase, and Jinder Mahal will most likely be given a shot to obtain Christian's spot, and given their youth, I wouldn't doubt if one of them takes it. At that point, Christian will be just where the WWE wants him, a reliable hand nowhere near the championship.
So all that hype, all the hope of Christian reaching a level he never has before, that will all be but a memory in a few months. By then, the true effects of this decision will be felt, and I expect the peeps to realize this idiocy in that time. After all, these WERE some of the most loyal fans in all the WWE universe. It would only be right for them to follow up in a real time of need.
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