WWE Extreme Rules 2011: Two Burning Questions from Sunday's Pay-Per-View Event

The annual April pay-per-view spectacular, Extreme Rules, has come and gone and everything feels right with the world of WWE. The championships are distributed equally, the rosters are set following last week's WWE Draft event, and John Cena is once again at the top of the most valued brand in the company.

Just kidding on that last one.

For all of the feuds blown off and all of the questions that were answered at the event, however, there are two burning questions that remain.

1. Can Alberto Del Rio recover from two successive pay-per-view, World Heavyweight Championship match losses?

There is no denying the fact that Del Rio is the most sure-fire WWE Championship candidate on the current crop of new and young talents. He exploded onto the scene in October and has yet to look back.

Prior to his drafting to the Raw brand this past Monday night, there was little questioning he would leave Extreme Rules with the World Championship. When he was officially selected to switch brands, however, any shot he had of winning the gold so many expected him to have by now has disappeared.

Now, with his momentum momentarily halted, the question becomes whether or not he can rebound and still achieve the greatness so many believe he is destined for.

Del Rio's stay on Raw will not go without growing pains. Typically, the Monday night show features very strong babyfaces who the heels on the brand usually find difficult to go completely over. John Cena has not been pinned cleanly in months and Rey Mysterio will likely take Randy Orton's role as second most-popular babyface, a star who is not typically on the losing end of very many matches.

It will be increasingly difficult for Alberto to amass as many quality, clean wins as he did on Smackdown. With that said, I believe Del Rio is looked at as being more valuable to the company as a despised heel than The Miz, who often receives cheers from the audience and is the prototypical "cool bad guy."

Vince looks at Del Rio and sees a Superstar that can be the guy that gets the audience to accept Cena, rather than half of the crowd booing and the other half cheering. Whether that is the case remains to be seen.

It is very hard to imagine Del Rio would be drafted to Raw and then sent down the ladder rather than resuming his role as a main event force. So while the losses in the last two months may have piled up and halted the momentum Del Rio built for himself over the winter, I do not doubt his ability to re-establish himself on Raw and finally win the major championship.

2. How long will Christian's World Heavyweight Championship reign last?

In 2006, Rey Mysterio benefited from the death of Eddie Guerrero in the sense that he received a push and a reign with the World Heavyweight Championship that he otherwise would not have. Unfortunately for Rey, his reign was under-whelming and he lost the title only three months later following a string of losses that left the fans questioning his role as a champion.

Christian could be in danger of facing the same fate. The loss of his best friend Edge via retirement opened the door for him to step through and finally achieve his goal of being a world champion. In the coming weeks, however, we will see just how serious Vince McMahon and his company are about his reign. Will he be booked strong or will he suffer from Mysterio syndrome, often losing despite his place as the champion of the Smackdown brand?

Randy Orton's role as the face of Smackdown will undoubtedly hurt Christian's run. After all, how will the fans accept a champion who is beneath Orton in terms of both marketing and popularity? Will they be willing to cheer the new champion should he have to face-off against Orton?

As much as it pains me to say, I do not expect Christian to enjoy the long, sustained push as champion that he deserves. He was thrust into the main event only after Edge was forced to retire and now is faced with the unenviable task of carrying an entire brand while a more popular star waits in the wings.

To Christian fans, I say enjoy this run while you can. It more than likely won't be sustained.