WWE Superstars: Christian's Last Chance at WWE Immortality?

Christian. Since 1998, fans have followed his career on the big stage of WWE, waiting for the moment when the Canadian-born wrestler would have a legitimate opportunity at championship glory.

May 1, 2011 may indeed be that very moment, as Christian faces Alberto Del Rio in a ladder match for the World Heavyweight Title. The question is, while this appears to be a prime opportunity for him, will this chance be his last?

The debate over Christian and whether or not he is good enough to be the top guy has been raging for years. Many fans argue that the time and quality of work he has put in deserves to be rewarded, and the World Title is just the accolade he needs to solidify his career in the business.

Others no doubt will perhaps always view him as being nothing more than a mid-card performer, a fundamentally sound worker who strengthens the card in the middle of the program, but is not quite good enough to wear the strap.

For me, the answer has never been more clearer. Give this guy a title run, because if it doesn’t happen now, it probably never will.

The tag team revival in WWE back in 2000 was a hot period for business and Christian was a big part of that era. Alongside his best friend Edge, Christian became a seven-time Tag Team Champion, and was featured in some high profile matches.

This was the era that tag team wrestling fans had been waiting for since the days of The Horsemen, The Rock 'n Roll Express, The Road Warriors, and The Midnight Express of the NWA.

Christian and Edge, along with The Hardy Boyz and The Dudley Boyz, brought a nostalgic feel back to a division long thought dead, exciting fans all over the world. But, make no mistake, these teams took a backseat to no one in terms of ability and performance level, and one type of match made that happen.

Tables Ladders and Chairs. Enough said.

Christian’s evolution as a pro wrestler continued through the years following, as he and Edge began to feud, and his association with fellow Canadian Superstar Chris Jericho was established.

Despite WWE’s penchant for placing him back in various tag team combinations during this time, Christian nevertheless began to prove that he could stand on his own as a legitimate singles competitor.

But seemingly as soon as he was being thought of as something besides a “tag team specialist,” he is soon overshadowed by his former partner, who sleeps with Matt Hardy’s girlfriend, and gets the push of a WWE lifetime.

The rebirth of Edge as The Rated R Superstar was very unexpected, and was a direct result of the ensuing controversy between he and Lita. This was not the first time something like this had happened.

Vince McMahon has never been afraid to air the dirty laundry of his Superstars. The fact is, such a public display of real life personal issues, while perhaps detrimental for the workers involved, proves to be good for ratings, and storyline angles.

Bret Hart’s personal opinions of Shawn Michaels and his lifestyle were not hidden from the WWE audience, but worked into the storyline. This gave Bret heat with some fans who loved HBK, because of the fact that he was not the all around nice guy and traditional wrestler type that Bret represented.

This made a good feud a great feud, by bringing the real life animosity between the two men to the surface for the world to see.

Jeff Hardy’s well publicized legal troubles and history of self destructive behavior could have been swept under the rug, or ignored altogether, by WWE creative. Instead, they were openly discussed, and used in Hardy’s feud with CM Punk.

The contrast between Hardy’s erratic lifestyle and Punk’s straight edge point of view made for some interesting television, and again, made the heat between the two more palpable for fans, thus drawing more interest.

Perhaps a more suitable comparison is Rey Mysterio winning the World Championship.

While no one argues Rey’s ability in the ring, and the dues he has paid to get to the main event stage in WWE, there is one glaring fact that at least in my mind, cannot be denied.

If not for his best friend Eddie Guerrero’s untimely death, Rey would have never been World Champion. At least not right then.

Again, there is no doubting his skill in the ring and his dedication to WWE, but just as before in other situations, a negative is turned into a positive. Rey benefited from the outpouring of emotion over Eddie’s death, and he was catapulted to the top of the company.

While I would never assume to know what Eddie’s opinion of that move would have been could he say it, I would have to guess that his take would be simple. “Good for Rey. It’s good for business.”

Now, we come to Christian, a man whose best friend Edge just surrendered the World Heavyweight Championship, and retired this past week. The history between the two long-time tag team partners is well documented, and if anyone deserves to get the rub from Edge’s situation, it is Christian.

All eyes are on Christian right now. He has not had this much attention since returning from TNA, a company in which he held the World Title twice, proving he is up for the job.

He has never been in a better position to fulfill the wishes of fans online, and all over the world, who believe he is more than ready, and has been for years, to take his shot at the top.

Christian is now 37, and after 16 years in the business, I believe that this may be his last real opportunity at immortality in WWE. His first and last opportunity, to be more specific.

It is a shame it has taken this long. It will be an even bigger shame if it does not happen now.