WWE SmackDown: How Can Christian Stand out Among the Other Contenders?

Christian is currently out of the picture when it comes to the World Heavyweight Title, but that does not mean that will be the case when he returns.

Christian is one of SmackDown's most decorated veterans in terms of overall title wins and experience in the company.

He is still popular among wrestling fans, which is surprising given his heel status, but when he returns he may want to consider a face turn.

With SmackDown's current roster, guys like Mark Henry and Wade Barrett make much better main event heels, and Sheamus may not be babyface forever.

Christian was great as a babyface; I think he needs to return to those ways in order to stand a chance among the other contenders on SmackDown.

Randy Orton is the top face of SmackDown right now, and Big Show and Daniel Bryan have been pulling their own weight in terms of main event matches as well.

Christian is definitely more of an underdog character as well, which is why a face role would make more sense at this point.

He is almost never the biggest guy in the match, which usually makes for a better babyface character.

Christian's work as a heel is also entertaining; he is convincing as a back-stabbing coward at times, but I just feel like there is more for him to do as a good guy than as a bad guy.

A feud with Cody Rhodes or Wade Barrett would be stellar if Christian was the other man in the fight, and those kinds of matches won't happen if he is a heel as well.

There is no denying he was starting to get lost in the mix as a heel recently, which is not what the man deserves.

I think that when it comes to Christian standing out enough to be a top contender, he needs to turn face and become a fan favorite again.

What do you think—is Christian better off as a face or a heel?