Judgment Day Breakdown: Christian Vs. Jack Swagger

As WWE heads into Judgment Day Sunday, all eyes are (or at least should be) on ECW Champion Christian and his challenger Jack Swagger.

The predictability of an Edge vs. Jeff Hardy title match and low expectations for the kick-off match of a Batista vs. Randy Orton feud leave much to be desired.

Hardy has reportedly requested a break, so expect some kind of injury storyline to take him out of action for a few actions.

Orton became the latest champ to join the merry-go-round called the WWE title crowd, and Vince McMahon reportedly wants to keep the belt on him for a while.

With this being the first match of what will likely be a drawn out feud, expect interference from Legacy and possibly the McMahons (including HHH).

Now, that's not to say there's no predictability to a Christian vs. Swagger rematch, but these two men have shown they can work together in the ring and provide a solid, entertaining match.

With this likely being their last solo match-up for a while, let's breakdown what's at stake, and what could possibly happen when these two stars from the Land of the Extreme lock horns.

Christian

Since the captain of charisma returned to WWE from TNA, fans have whined and complained that Christian has landed on ECW.

Everyone expected him to re-debut on Raw or Smackdown, and many fans salivated at the thoughts of a feud with former partner Edge.

Most importantly, they all saw Christian as a future world champion. He earned gold on ECW, and stayed put during the annual draft. Christian is home to stay on ECW.

As the champion of the brand, Christian brings a bit more prestige and name value to ECW. In a sea of up-and-coming superstars, he holds the gold and draws in the casual fans who recognize him from his previous stint with the company and his time with TNA.

Christian can provide a sense of leadership to guys like Swagger, Tyson Kidd and Evan Bourne. He can be their veteran sherpa on their quest up the WWE mountain.

But at the same time, Christian is building his own reputation, his own fan base and his own capability to hold the WWE or World Heavyweight Championship.

Swagger

Upon his arrival with the company, many fans doubted Swagger's potential for development because of his lisp.

This ludicrous viewpoint has proven not to be a hurdle, as Swagger captured ECW gold very early in his tenure with WWE. It's clear they want him to be a future star.

But all good things must come to an end, and Swagger passed the belt on to Christian. Now, he needs to drop out of the title picture and find a new feud to help build his name and his character.

A feud with Finlay could do wonders for Swagger, the All-American American. Using his character (and real life) base as a college wrestling champion, a feud with the Belfast Brawler could be quite entertaining.

But alas, Swagger could also find himself in the title picture for at least one more month. ECW Original Tommy Dreamer has announced his plans to retire if he doesn't win the championship by June 6, one day before the Extreme Rules pay-per-view.

Expect to see Dreamer competing at that PPV. But how appealing would a Christian vs. Dreamer match be? Not very exciting at all; that's not the match that will increase buyrates.

The solution involves Swagger, but more on that to come.

Passing judgment

When the dust settles Sunday, there will be only one ECW champion, but it's possible there will be up to three top contenders.

Count on Christian winning the match, but don't be surprised if there's outside involvement from the likes of Dreamer and one of ECW's newest acquisitions, Vladamir Kozlov.

Kozlov needs something to do in ECW, and it's clear McMahon wants him at the top, so expect to see him entering the title picture. Again, a Christian vs. Kozlov match wouldn't see too well.

But what about a fatal-four way extreme rules extravaganza featuring Christian, Swagger, Dreamer and Kozlov? Now that might get some fans interested.

And all one could hope for is that at one point, Kozlov would lay out Dreamer, grab a mic and say, "If he dies, he dies." If you don't know that reference, you don't know classic American film.

Anyway, the bottom line is to expect Christian to emerge from Judgment Day with the belt still around his waist and expect the title scene to get a little more interested as we head into June.

Note to loyal readers: This article does not mean I have abandoned my TNA pride in favor of becoming a mindless WWE mark. This was a request from the B/R staff, and I felt it was my obligation to fulfill it. Rest assured, the usual TNA columns will return soon, and you can recommence with your mindless bashing then. Thanks.