Christian's WWE Raw Appearance Is Ideal Final Build to Edge vs Orton at Backlash

WWE legend Christian announced on Tuesday's edition of WWE Backstage on FS1 that he is set to appear on Monday's episode of Raw to get involved with the rivalry between Edge and Randy Orton, which is the best possible decision on WWE's part.

Edge and Orton have been engaged in a heated rivalry since the night after Royal Rumble in January, and although Edge beat Orton at WrestleMania 36, they are set to lock horns again at Backlash on June 14 in a bout WWE is heralding as the "Greatest Wrestling Match Ever."

It will be nearly impossible for the two men to live up to that billing if WWE does go forward with a straight-up singles match, but Christian's involvement should go a long way toward getting fans excited nonetheless.

Christian never reached the same level of individual success as Edge and Orton in terms of world title reigns, but he is a beloved figure among the WWE Universe, and he has no shortage of history with either competitor.

Edge and Christian are longtime best friends dating back to their childhood. They always dreamed of becoming tag team champions together, and they did precisely that on seven occasions, making them one of the most decorated teams in WWE history.

After Edge retired in 2011 because of a neck injury, Christian won the World Heavyweight Championship that his friend vacated. Orton won it from Christian days later, however, which led to Captain Charisma turning heel and entering into a lengthy feud with The Viper.

They traded the title on a couple of occasions and had several excellent pay-per-view matches in the process. Since retiring, Christian has gone on record as saying that Orton was his greatest opponent in terms of their in-ring chemistry.

Since Orton is trying to prove he is a better wrestler than Edge after losing to him in a Last Man Standing match at WrestleMania, The Viper can use that to his advantage on Monday's edition of The Peep Show by saying that even The Rated-R Superstar's best friend considers him to be the best.

Christian has made it clear he is medically disqualified from wrestling because of the concussions that ended his career, so it likely won't be possible for him to get physical Monday, but threatening to do so could work just as well.

The Viper has developed into such a sadistic heel that it is easy to envision him attempting to seriously injure Christian only for Edge to make the save on his friend's behalf.

WWE did something similar several years ago with Edge when he was still medically disqualified. Seth Rollins threatened to Stomp and injure the veteran, which led to John Cena stepping in to prevent it from happening.

If Orton attempts to lay his hands on Christian, it will add even more heat to a rivalry that has been deeply personal to this point. Edge and Orton have done everything right over the past few months, and they would understand how to get the most out of this type of angle.

Many fans were hopeful that Christian would be part of the build toward Edge vs. Orton at WrestleMania, and while that didn't happen, now is the perfect time to introduce him into the program.

The build to Backlash has been all about Orton's confidence and Edge being unsure if he can still perform at the same level he used to, and there is no better person to play up to those aspects than Christian because of how well he knows both of them.

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