WWE News: Christian's Return Would Provide Much-Needed Boost to SmackDown

Christian has only appeared on television sporadically over the past couple months as he attempts to recover from an ankle injury suffered late last year. The underrated veteran superstar has started working house shows again, however, and his return would provide a nice boost to SmackDown.

Richard Gray of WrestlingNewsWorld.com reports Christian worked a match in England during the company's European tour, but his involvement was limited.

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Christian worked tonight’s WWE Smackdown live event in Sheffield, England, teaming with Mark Henry against Brodus Clay and Booker T. The babyfaces went over and Christian didn’t do much.

Christian is in the process of returning from a severe high ankle sprain that he suffered last November. He was originally in the Wrestlemania XXVIII plans on Team Johnny but was pulled due to the injury.

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In the case of Christian, it's one of those things where fans don't know exactly how important he had become to SmackDown until he was gone. His versatility allows him to work with anybody and his promos have improved markedly over the years.

The show has been going through a lull ever since WrestleMania with Daniel Bryan's amazing crowd support being the only real story. Otherwise there have been plenty of debuts, which may or may not ever develop into actual storylines, and a bunch of filler videos.

Even though the blue brand doesn't have the same reach as Raw, the lackluster events have barely been worth watching. Adding Christian back into the mix should give the show a little bit more depth and that should certainly help.

It's also important for Christian to end his long layoff on a personal level. At 38 years old, his best years will be coming to an end sooner rather than later and he deserves another main-event run before the company starts looking toward younger superstars to carry the load.

The longer he remains limited, however, the less likely it becomes that he'll be able to work his way into the World Heavyweight title picture since other future contenders, such as Cody Rhodes, prepare for a potential push toward the top of the card.

While there's still no timetable for Christian returning full time, hopefully it's sooner rather than later. SmackDown is running the risk losing most of the momentum it gained during the WrestleMania build. Christian would turn the tide back around.

Hopefully when the WWE returns stateside for next week's shows, Christian will be fit to perform, giving his "peeps" reason to watch on Friday nights again.