5 Reasons Christian Should Be the Next World Heavyweight Champion

Christian was named Alberto Del Rio's SummerSlam opponent when he defeated Randy Orton and Rob Van Dam on this week's SmackDown.

The Instant Classic beat Alberto Del Rio at Extreme Rules 2011 to win his first world title. Will history repeat itself on August 18?

Well, fans who pay attention to Internet rumblings will likely have heard at some point or another that Christian isn't considered top-star material by officials, via Nick Paglino of WrestleZone.com.

We'll never know if there's any truth to these rumors, but things are always subject to change in the WWE.

Captain Charisma will face The Essence of Excellence at SummerSlam. The following are five reasons why he should walk away with the gold. 

All pictures courtesy of WWE.com.

He's a Great All-Round Performer

This point is simultaneously the most important and the least important in this article, but Christian is a remarkably well-rounded performer.

The WWE will push who it wants to push; if talent meant everything, then The Great Khali wouldn’t be a former world champion.

Officials have proved in the past that aptitude doesn’t necessarily equal success.

Still, from a fan's perspective, this is of quintessential importance and can’t go without being mentioned.

Captain Charisma can get over as a babyface or hated as a heel. He can work a terrific match with small opponents as well as with larger ones.

WWE, put a belt on this man!

He's Both Familiar and Fresh

Christian made his WWE debut almost 15 years ago in late 1998.

As we know, he’s spent basically all of his career in either the tag team division or as a singles competitor in the midcard.

That puts him in a rare position: He’s an instantly recognizable figure with a storied career, but he still feels like a new face in the main event scene.

He had a brief stint in the main event two years ago, but Christian’s potential as a top star is still largely untapped.

Alberto Del Rio Doesn't Click as Champion

Alberto Del Rio is a Royal Rumble winner, Money in the Bank winner, two-time WWE champion and two-time world heavyweight champion.

He’s performed at WrestleMania twice and both matches were for a world championship.

While the Mexican Aristocrat has been given endless opportunities and exposure, he still doesn’t quite click as a top star.

There’s certainly something to Del Rio—he’s a talented performer and surely could get over in the right circumstances.

However, he’s given all sorts of opportunities in the hope that he’ll resonate with the audience.

Those opportunities should be reserved for those who have proved they can resonate with the audience—like Christian.

It Will Increase His Long-Term Value

As sentimentally satisfying as it would be to see Christian in a top spot, he’s not meant to hold that position for a tremendously long time.

While Christian as world champion would feel fresh, he’s not exactly a star of the future.

Like it or hate it, he’s at that age where he’ll be expected to get others over more often than himself.

His value in that role will dramatically increase if he is given a strong world championship reign.

By giving Christian a solid run as a top competitor, it will make it seem much more impressive when he’s topped by younger stars down the road.  

A Strong Reign Would Cement His Legacy

Christian is already a former two-time world champion, but neither of those reigns meant a whole lot.

He defeated Del Rio at Extreme Rules 2011 to win his first world heavyweight title. Unfortunately, he would drop it two days later to Randy Orton.

Captain Charisma would then recapture the big gold belt at Money in the Bank in July by beating The Viper—by disqualification.

Unfortunately, at SummerSlam a month later he was again bested by Orton in a no-holds-barred match and hasn’t touched world championship gold since.

A superstar’s legacy can be cemented by one solid title reign—a respectable four months as king of the blue brand could do it for Christian.