WWE Extreme Rules Results: Christian and the Top 5 Contenders for the WHC

Last night Christian defeated Alberto Del Rio in a ladder match to win his first ever World Heavyweight Championship.

In a grueling match that saw interference from Del Rio’s personal ring announcer, Ricardo Rodriguez as well as Brodus Clay, Christian overcame the obstacles (with a slight distraction from Edge) and secured his place in WWE history.

But what happens from here?  Alberto Del Rio is now a member of the Raw roster and will likely be aiming for the WWE Championship instead.  What else transpired at Extreme Rules, and who is next in line to face Christian for the World Heavyweight Championship?

Randy Orton

The obvious pick is none other than Randy Orton.

Aside from Christian, Orton looked the most impressive of any SmackDown superstar coming out of Extreme Rules.  His victory over CM Punk was a great start to the night and it was exactly what he needed to make the statement that he is the top superstar on SmackDown.

However, Orton is still a fan favorite.  It might not work well with the crowd if they instantly put the two most popular guys on the roster in a feud with each other.  Unless the plan is to turn Orton back into a heel, but I thought the whole point of bringing him to SmackDown was to take the place of Edge.

I think he’ll be in the title picture, but don’t expect an Orton/Christian feud.  Someone else will get involved too.

Cody Rhodes

Sure, he’s coming off of a loss, but Cody Rhodes has finally rid himself of Rey Mysterio and can now move on to bigger and better things.

Regardless of the outcome, Rhodes looked impressive at Extreme Rules.  He took Mysterio to the limit and he can even argue that the only reason that he lost was because of that green mist (shades of Tajiri).

Rhodes has also continued to develop his character even further.  The dark and angry persona of the new Cody Rhodes is unique and interesting enough to enjoy watching week after week.  I’d love to see him take it a step further somehow and end up in the main event.

Because of the fashion in which he lost, I think that Rhodes has a great opportunity to argue his way into the World Heavyweight title picture.  I said earlier that Orton would not face Christian one-on-one, Cody's a potential third.

Sheamus

Again another superstar coming off of a loss, but Sheamus too rid himself of something that was keeping him from making a run at the World Heavyweight Championship, the United States Championship.

Even though his loss was more decisive than Cody Rhodes’, I still think that Sheamus can argue his way into the title picture.  Sheamus has been stuck in the mid card for a while, so now is his chance to step up and move back into the main event.

Sheamus could also potentially be the top heel on SmackDown right now.  I think that he has the ability to draw the most heat, no matter who he is facing.  With that in mind, putting him in a feud with the new champion Christian would keep the heat on him, and if Sheamus were able to secure a victory, even more heat would come.

Sheamus may not be in the picture right away, but he would fit well in a triple threat match with Orton and Christian.  I wouldn’t count him out.

Kane

Though he may not be the first choice, Kane actually pulled out a win at Extreme Rules, even if it was a tag team match.

Kane has been in the World Heavyweight title picture recently.  He held the title for 154 days before losing it to Edge in a fatal 4-way TLC match.  Since then, he has been left out of the title picture.

Kane could be a good first opponent for Christian, who would have to prove that he is championship material if he were to defeat the big red monster.  A match between Christian and Kane might not steal the show, but it would be a good way to establish Christian as a legitimate champion.

Mark Henry

Where was Mark Henry at Extreme Rules?  I don’t know, but the same could have been said for R-Truth at WrestleMania, and he still almost ended up in the main event.

With Henry’s heel turn at the end of the WWE draft last Monday, he has set himself up for a potential run at the World Heavyweight Championship.  Now, don’t get me wrong, I do not think that Mark Henry is a potential world champion at the moment, but that doesn’t mean WWE won’t throw him into the main event for a while.

He’ll probably make a statement, arguing his case to become No. 1 contender, but will fall short.  If he’s lucky, he’ll eventually get a run at the Intercontinental Championship.

What We'll Likely See

Since there is no feud in place, we are probably going to see what we did last month on Raw.  Some sort of battle royal, gauntlet match, elimination match, etc. where the winner will become No. 1 contender.

If WWE wants more than one superstar to face Christian, they have plenty of ways to do it.  I just hope we get something a little different than what we just saw on Raw.

What do you guys think?  Sound off in the comments on who you think will be the No. 1 contender and which way you think WWE will take Christian and the World Heavyweight Championship.