WWE: How Christian Could Pass the Torch to Cody Rhodes

Time and time again, Christian has proved that he is one of the most valuable and versatile professional wrestlers of all time. Teaming with Hall of Famer Edge, Christian made a name for himself on the tag team scene. He and Edge played an important role in revolutionizing the WWE's tag team division. As a former World Heavyweight Champion, Christian has certainly shown that he can hold his own in singles competition also.

Once again, Christian finds himself wearing the coveted Intercontinental Championship around his waist. This has put him directly in the sights of Cody Rhodes.

Christian is quite an established veteran with pseudo main event status. Rhodes is a young, brash, second generation wrestler quickly climbing the ranks. A feud between the two of them over the Intercontinental Championship practically writes itself.

As of late, Rhodes has been struggling to maintain heat. A feud with Christian could change that. Christian is phenomenal on the mic and has no trouble getting a crowd on his side and turning it against his opponent. That, combined with Rhodes' above-average mic skills, could play a big part in helping Rhodes more consistently elicit a reaction from the fans.

In addition, the matches between Christian and Rhodes would be vital in elevating Rhodes. Of course, the two of them are capable of putting on Match of the Year candidate performances. Other than that, some clean victories over Christian would help Rhodes be taken more seriously as a main event wrestler and a threat to the world titles.

Because Christian is such an established star and a part-time main eventer, him competing for the Intercontinental Championship elevates the prestige of the title. If Christian were to put over Rhodes, the title of Intercontinental Champion would mean more to Rhodes than it has in the past.

The seeds have been planted. All the pieces are in place. At this stage in his career, Christian would lose absolutely nothing from putting over Rhodes. On the other hand, Rhodes has everything to gain.

It will be interesting to watch the feud between these two unfold over the course of the summer. Hopefully they take their time and tell a compelling and memorable story.

Michael Prunka is a Bleacher Report Featured Columnist. To stay up to date with his WWE and NHL commentary, you can like his Facebook page and follow him on Twitter.