The payoff to Christian losing the title so quickly better be good, better be damn good.

Is it just me, or does Randy Orton with his new beard look like David Beckham's doppledanger?

Oh how I wish this hadn't got leaked beforehand because Orton taking the title was a good twist from the standard "guy wins title - defends against star to gain credibility - hangs on to next PPV blah blah blah". Plus couldn't be happier personally Orton's character is fantastic and he's great in ring. And as you mentioned - let's not forget the massive pop he got when he came out and when he won. There may be various internet bloggers whinning but the fans there (at least) were happy.

I also thought that WWE is thinking about turning Christian heel, based on the final few minutes of the show. Face it, right now Smackdown is without a top heel at the moment, and they sure as heck not going to turn Randy Orton heel, so the next choice would be Christian.

Which is not altogether a bad thing, as the track record of long-time face mid-card wrestler turning heel propelling him to main event status is pretty good (Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart, Edge, The Rock, to name a few).

I thought Sin Cara's taped Smackdown match was tons better than the live Raw matches he had.

From the way I saw it, it looked like Kharma hit the clothesline before Alicia Fox was fully set to take it, and yeah, landed awkwardly on her shoulder.

Finally, I hope that the Seamus - Daniel Bryan feud lasts a while...they put out a pretty good match.

I don't want Christian to be a heel. I want him to get hi title back and have a successful reign. Let Randy be a heel everybody mad at him anyway. So far people in the WWE are saying its nothing to worry about it could be for a greater purpose. That he can regain it at a later time. Forget over the limit was only three weeks away did they really have to take it from him two days after he got it. He probably never got use to it on his shoulder. I knew he wouldn't hold it long but two day come on. What was the point of paying for extreme rules. I didn't watch to see Cena. I watched it to see Christian become a champ.

Of course, Randy Orton would get a bigger reaction than Christian. Orton has consistently received a strong push by the WWE over the past 7 years. Even when he was not wrestling for the WWE or World title, he was usually involved in a high profile feud against big names such as the Undertaker or DX. It took a long while for Randy Orton to legitimate get over with the audience. Nobody was going nuts during his first babyface run, which was practically as big of a bomb as the initial Rocky Maiva push. In the meanwhile, Christian has been a mid-carder who has never mixed with the big names since his return to the WWE - until Edge's retirement. Even now, he has only become world champion after defeating a non-champion newcomer rather than an established name (in constrast to Orton & Cena's ascendency to the top). If Christian has received just a fraction of the strong push that Orton or Cena has been receiving over the past several years, he would be receiving a far larger response than both of them combined.

I do not see why you or anyone else can expect Christian will regain the championship in the future. They could have done a heel turn a few months later if they really want to go down that route. And Smackdown isn't short of heels so much as they are short of babyfaces. It would be ridiculous if the WWE turned Christian heel at this point in time. No, to me - and many other members of the IWC - this title change is a clear message that Vince McMahon still thinks Christian can't be world champion and the only reason he got the belt at Extreme Rules was to reward Edge by proxy. If Christian wins the title again soon, it will most likely be due to this outrage over the internet - which the WWE is fully aware of as per the twitter comments of Orton & Joey Styles - rather than it being Vince McMahon's original plan all along.

There is more than one way to elevate a wrestler... and this program (if it's done well) will be one of them. I can see Christian's persona becoming a bit more ruthless and obsessed with the title, and this Orton/Christian program will last through the summer (at least) and that's a not bad thing.

This is big picture thinking. I want to see how far this runs, and what WWE 'moments' come out of this. Will Christian turn heel? Will there be a title tug-of-war? Will Randy Orton stay classy and keep the beard??!

I'm going to keep watching and find out...."Never confuse a single defeat with a final defeat." ;-)

By the by:
Sin Cara and Chavito? I'd love to see that!

i hope christian gets the title back. It was disrespectful to strip such a preformer of a title after 2 days!

I think turning Christian heel puts his top card status in real jeopardy. The fans love him. While it's true that he can portray a convincing heel (it seems he can do almost anything except get respect from the front office), if the fans don't play along, it'll fall apart. The way I see it, the only heel angle that'd work would be a strong worked shoot, but since Vince is hell bent on making the WWE "entertainment" I just don't see that happening.

It seems like Creative must troll IWC forums and blogs to find out what's working and then undo it as quickly as possible. People were warming to Miz, so they take the title off of him and flood Raw with heels. Christian finally wins the title, and they take it off of him literally as soon as possible. Every time I think they care about the fans, they slap us in the face and remind us they only care about money.

Kev, isn't the last time the newly crowned champion defeated the next night back in 1998 when Stone Cold beat Kane after No Way Out? I can't think of a more recent time, even with MITB in play.

You can't be sure that Orton was getting a bigger pop on this episode of Smackdown. For all we know, the WWE adjusted the noise level themselves, just as they have done in the past, and just as WCW & TNA have done too. The only way we can tell is from watching a live event, not a taped show, and on the Extreme Rules PPV, I think Christian got a much larger pop after capturing the World title than Orton did after winning his match.

In fact, by the muted what chants during the Great Khali's promo, it's fairly obvious that the WWE did adjust the audience sound level on this show.

Like many here, I was extremely unhappy about the title change. After conditioning its fans to expect matches to determine the #1 contender, Orton is just handed the spot.

After the loss, the cameras focused on Christian rather than Orton, which does hint that there might be more coming for Christian's character development in the upcoming weeks.

But the key here is how well WWE creative handles it. I think we're just as likely to experience a Christian heel turn that does not result in a title run but does return him to mid-card status. I hope I'm wrong, but I'm not betting on it.

Tho I do think it is way too early to turn Christian heel, it might be a good route to travel down the line. If they do decide to try to turn him Christian can "blame" Teddy Long or the fans for his loss because it was Teddy that made the match and left it up to the "fans" to name Orton his opponent

For all the internet moaning about Christian's loss, the audience absolutely loved seeing Orton take the title off him

Randy deserve to be the champanion of wwe

maybe Jinder Mahal will get the push with khali as the big monster side kick. that's a better place for him instead of performing matches.

i do hope christian sticks around. promo wise i think he is the only good one left on smackdown.

Great show. I think the WWE should do that more often. The unpredictability of the switch makes the TV programs worth watching. When I heard there was a shocker I didn't read the sheets but waited for the payoff of watching the show itself. I haven't done that in a really long time. I feel bad for Christian but a good run in a title program could be a really good move for him in the long run. BTW what is a doppledanger?

RESPONSE FROM KE: Someone's double.

Well it felt real bad seeing christian drop the championship!
but here's the thing. today the two topmost guys in smackdown(randy and christian)are both babyfaces..
so i believe that for sure there is a heel turn on the card for one of them.
most probably randy,coz christian has got sentimental connection with the audience and the wwe would fo sure like to cash on it.
also randy's new look combined with his 'i hear voice...' persona is a hint that he is turning heel.
and i would luv it...
wat do u think?

Surprised if it's Christian that makes the heel turn. I have been waiting for Orton's turn ever since the beard started growing in.

"About 48 hours later, the belts were back around the all-too-familiar waists of John Cena and Orton, who have a combined 18 world title reigns between them. At this point in their careers, neither of them needs to be a champion to get over."

That would help explain why Shawn Michaels never won a world championship after 2002: he was already the Showstopper, Headliner, Main Event, and Icon, so he didn't really need the belt all that much.

I know I am in the minority on this one, but I wish Randy Orton would just get off of my TV. I would rather watch two straight hours of John Cena matches than 2 minutes of Randy Orton giving a promo. The guy puts me to sleep and I don't really care for his ring work or the silly "Viper" mannerisms. I would be willing to bet that he has already earned twice as much in his short career as his father did in 30+ years of wrestling. Bob to me was far superior in the ring and on the mic, and maybe Randy getting elevated is the payoff for all of the years of blood and sweat that Cowboy Bob put in. The stiff punt to the head that is injuring guys legit, is played out, and I just don't feel like the guy can get over. He gets a decent pop, but considering how much he has been pushed he should. He has basically been able to work with the best the "E" has to offer and has been in more than his share of PPV main events. They have tried to give him the whole loner gimmick and attempted to make him out as a guy that is a tweener who has no friends and is just a straight out tough guy, but that just isn't working for me. Considering the push he has had the guy should be Stone Cold over; but he's not... I see him as an upper mid-card guy and just wish the ridiculous push for him would stop. Again, I know I am in the minority on this one but the guy just does nothing for me, which is bad considering that I consider myself an old school 70-80's fan. Orton with his non-sports entertainer look and wrestling style should get over with me, but for some reason it leaves a lot to be desired for my taste...

Thoughts on turning Christian into an anti-hero, a la Steve Austin? Maybe take it to a "I worked too god d@mned hard to get here, I'll be (expletive deleted) if I let that $@!# Orton take it away from me" level? Let Christian do all the heel stuff, but still get babyface cred...

I have been watching WWE since I was 8 (minus a few years of not watching in college). That's 34 years of watching. I was so mad at Christian being treated like that (I mean come on, we didn't expect more than a few months reign...) that I have decided for the first time I will not watch WWE until I hear that they are doing something serious with Christian's character or have him win it back (note: the only times I have ever missed RAW in past 34 years have been on plane flights or something like a special event I had to be at - if I am home I am watching.)

I have some friends who are not going to boycott like me, but they certainly are pissed and are completely bored of the Orton/Cena title holders. The WWE surprised us all by elevating The Miz - a guy who most of my friends and I thought annoying about a year ago, but now worship. So Christian has a ton of potential if given the right circumstance.

Granted, Christian puts on great matches, but has such a boring look and why call yourself Captain Charisma when you're clearly not? I'm not suprised by what happend, Randy is the Champ now.

it kinda confuses me wen i wonder why the wrestling internet fanbase get so upset wen Cena or Orton wins another title. like Cena i kinda get because he's not completely popular, but still. obviously these fans of today couldn't have been the fans that were around in the Attitude Era where we saw the same group of ppl be champion(Austin, Triple H, The Rock, Undertaker). from 1998-2000, those 4 were the main ppl who were switchin the title back and forth to each other. absolutely no different than how it is now. only difference is that it's 2, not 4, but it's still the same scenario.

so w/ that said as much as like seein first-timers get their chance, it doesn't really bother me that Cena and Orton are champion again. infact, i kinda like seein Orton w/ the World Heavyweight Championship again after havin such his first run w/ that belt be cut off so short.

I have to agree with you Eck. The idea if Christian finally being where we all know be belongs and dropping the belt quick to have a title program, is much better then a few month run and then being stuck back into the mid card role.

Though if there was anyone in WWE, who still doubted that Christian could work a title program he showed both major qualities. He is strong on the mic and he is a great worker in the ring. So hopefully this brings him a few month program with Orton where he ends up regaining the belt in the blow off match of the feud and gets at least 1 good run as champ.

I am completely done with WWE. I also realize that this sign-off on them will fall on deaf ears, but I don't mind pi$$ing in the wind. Never have.
The defense that seems to be employed by everyone that said---"well, an internet sensation never sold tickets, and it makes good 'business' sense to keep the belt on Orton"---is disgusting to me. Yes, there will be many profits in the short-term---but I don't understand how people can be so thick-headed that at this stage in the game they don't notice the destruction and mindlessness that has been wrought upon every walk of life and society by this short-term, narrow mindset.
McMahon has a captive audience, and he knows this. His consumers, (not fans--consumers), are trained to never question his product, and he manintains this most effectively by constantly reminding them of his power over them.
That was the subsidiary point of the quick title change. "The fans can go ahead and will Christian into a championship, and I will allow it, only so that I can hammer home to them that they are NOT in charge---the Cinderella story is over, and they will wait upon my edicts, not me upon their own." In this way, he can keep his audience under his sway, and be guaranteed of what he thinks is a consistent consumer base that he doesn't have to work very hard to keep buying his crap. It's also why he's gone back as he did in the 80's, to catching them young. I will let students of wrestling history think about how well that ultimately worked out last time--Hulkster was great short term profits and expansion---but why was WWE starting to flag in the mid 90's?--and what did we see that changed that for a brief period? What parallels can we draw to now? There's your homework. And evidence of how short-term this kind of thinking ultimately is.
As I said, deaf ears---the smarter WWE "fans" will applaud, upon their alleged hindsight, that this is a great market decision. Well, I know that's why I watch wrestling, to apprecicate the awesome marketing decisions that result in revenue that I will never see in my pockets---but that many of the dedicated WWE consumers will empty their own to keep streaming.
Of course Orton got a huge pop---more than half of the WWE audience submitted to McMahon's will as a mob years ago--and he'll have them--until they grow up--(ah--but there are marketing tricks everywhere, aren't there, beyond WWE's more primitive crap, to stop people from EVER growing up--keep dumb, keep buying--you deserve it, you deserve it---you deserve it...violently repel any thought that maybe something isn't...quite...right...), and they clamor for whatever they are told to clamor for.
Personally? I think Orton is incredibly talented physically and on the mic. But his WWE "character"? From the adolescently overt theme song--("I hear voices in my head..."---No s%it? That's not getting hit over the head for adults and direct marketing for eight-year olds)--to writhing around like a snake--('cause he's the "Viper"---Derp dee der...did Stone Cold tack a rattle on to his a@@ and shake his rear-end around? There was more of a subtle metaphor there)---Orton is a literal action figure--expressly created to appeal to little kids as a villain or an ambiguous anti-hero, and to non-discerning "adults" as a more "grown-up" figure---He's not a wrestler made into an action figure to capitalize on his popularity--he's literally an action figure then marketed as a wrestler in the big push to sell s#it.
Christian is honest. He was an honest star--who got to the pinnacle of the story by being honestly cheered for by fans---would he have sold a million t-shirts in two months? No---but that is the difference between the destructive short-term grasp for profit and control of your consumer base and long-term validity of your entertainment.
Extending the Cinderella story---letting a man who was honestly pushed by the fans themselves to have some spotlight as THAT--the guy honestly pushed--not a heel or whatever else--in the long-term does wrestling itself better--and ensures a deep-seated sociological significance to the fans that takes much longer to coalesce, but which ensures "profits" farther into the future, as it ensures that wrestling is a venue for entertainment where people can find their social difficulties mirrored and can revel in the victories of the their heroes over incredible odds which keeps a mode of entertainment relevant by tying it into the thousands of years long tradition of what entertainment is--a place for out hopes, thoughts, fears and struggles to enjoy a moment of shared social discourse that provides us a catharsis---
You can make money off of that certainly--but if your goal is to make money OVER the primary goal of providing this catharsis, your success will be short-lived, and proven not to really be success---but destruction in the end.
Wrestling used to be ours, the people's, like many things were. Now wrestling--for those who choose to see WWE as its only outlet, is Vince McMahon's. How much s#it do you want people to take from you? How desperate are you for entertainment that you'll cheer for what WWE puts on at your own expense, despite the fact that you have no stake in it or power over it? Of course Christian isn't going to sell merchandise--he's ours--and we don't have as much money as a McMahon to hire marketers and sociologists to help push a million screaming kids and teenagers into buying merchandise to "support" our champion. But he was ours---as soon as the Cinderella story was cut short, he was taken from us--whatever McMahon does with him---it will be what McMahon does now, not us.
"Stop whining, wouldn't you rather see him former world champion than nothing at all?" So half a loaf is better than none, eh? Without viewers and consumers, McMahon is nothing, and we should accept half a loaf eh? When did wrestling start being for some rich douchebag and not for us? Maybe you like being pushed around. I don't. See you at the indies.

I think you may see a heel turn for Christian he will get his rematch at Over the Limit also this why it was smart by Sting not to sign with WWE in my opinion maybe Matt Hardy was right the company all the back stabbing .

Good job slipping that Baltimore Sun microphone onto national TV -- that must have pleased the brass, Mr. Eck.

What was with the funky lighting, though? I kinda "get it" for Cody's promo (the green mist and all), but why during the Sin Cara-Tyson Kidd match? I couldn't help but recall HHH's rambling rhetoric about WWE's world's best production during your recent interview?

One last thought:
Vince to Hogan/Bischoff/Carter
"I'll see your Terry, and raise you a Jackson and a Ryan."

Everyone that follows wrestling has an opinion on Christian's title run, Anyone that follows WWE know how this is going to turn out.

WWE is in the middle of the "youth movement" but what they seem to not understand is that you can move a young talent up, but eventually they have to win!

Cena fueds with Nexus and is standing at the end of the program. Sheamus beats HHH and then Sheamus gets forgotten about. Kofi works with Orton and loses. Christian loses the World Title his first defense. The Coore get a few low titles and then lose.

I am a fan of Cena, Orton, HHH, Kane, HHH; all of these guys deserve to be in the mix and have plenty to still offer. Cena and Orton are young guys that have years left, but if the WWE is serious about moving up talent- THEY HAVE TO WIN!

RE: Great Khali heel turn

It's all about the crucial Indian demographic. In India, of course.

From a business standpoint, the title change was terrible. Not only does it upset casual fans but it also upsets the fan who invests alot into the company. And upsetting a fan base can lead to bad results.
From a fan standpoint, its terrible. Not only does it take the title off someone who has been around for that many years but you put the title right away on someone who has had it multiple times. What is the point of Christian winning the title then? To give the fans what they want for a nano second? And why put it on Orton? The WWE has grown stale and hard to watch in the past six months. Between having Cena and Orton on top.........again, the Cole/ Lawler story line that is a weekly train wreck, the lack of a tag team division, stables staying around for a month and then disbanding, and bad story lines, what is a fan to do?
The beatdown by the corre looked absolutely terrible.

Kevin, I hope you're right about better things ahead for Christian with a big push. His title reign was much too short.

What kind of program can WWE have for Kharma? There is no one among the Divas who can come close to matching her in size. Even Ray Mysterio vs. The Big Show would be more believeable...

RESPONSE FROM KE: Beth Phoenix comes to mind, and possibly Natalya. But keep in mind that the diminutive Gail Kim had great matches with kong in TNA.

If Christian had buried Legacy, Kofi, a whole thwack of retired legends, got constant pushes to main event status, headlined Wrestlemania, and was an 8 time champion, I'm sure he would be getting a phenomenal pop as well. Christian immediately losing the belt to somebody who has absolutely no need of it to get over, who won't sell any more t-shirts because the belt is on him, is an absolute joke.

For the first time in about 6 months, I didn't watch Smackdown. It's just too sad to see the belt on Randy Boreton, who's character is just as stale as Cena, who has 4 moves of doom, and is so generic, bland, and boring on the mic that it boggles the mind.

hey eck.

i've loved your blog for some time now and it's actually one of the few wrestling sites that i visit.

i think that a lot of people, myself included, like your blog because it's not like the other sites that deal with dirt sheets, speculations, and spoilers.

So it was a bit disappointing to see you post "Smackdown Spoiler" the other day. Leading everyone to conclude that there was going to be a title switch on Friday. I know you dont want to know the result either but was emailed by tons of people. But to share it with readers of your blog was really unnecessary.

Keep up the good job. But please, no more spoilers.

Christian is obviously turning heel - how can anybody call themselves a wrestling fan and not see this coming from a mile away? My bet is that there will be a short face/face program between Christian & Orton, followed by the aforementioned Christian heel turn. I'm assuming they will do there best to get the fans to stop cheering for him, like blaming the "peeps" for voting Orton into the original title match, or perhaps even attacking a defenseless Edge (is there anybody that Edge would trust more to "savagely" destroy him without jeopardizing his health than his best friend Christian)? They can even have The Rock christen him a "creepy little bastard" at some point, just like he did a few years back. I'm sure it will all make for some great television throughout the summer if done right. I predict in three months, everybody is going to be saying how great Christian is in his new role.

I actually think the plan was to turn Christian all along and have him feud with Edge over the title, but with Edge's sudden retirement, the WWE decided to prolong it. In essence, Orton is taking the place of Edge. And Christian is right where he is supposed to be: on his way to being the top heel on Smackdown. There were just a few unexpected twists and turns along the way. Having said all of that, I guess Christian's next title reign will be dependant upon how well this all goes over.

Of course that is just my opinion. I could be wrong. Kev?

Your comment about the pop says it all. I love Christian, but WWE rightly care first and foremost about appeasing the fans that are there at the shows and buying the merchandise, not the vocal minority who sit behind a computer streaming the pay per views. Randy Orton is the No.2 guy in the company now, and he needs to be kept strong. Fact of the matter is none of us get to look at the sales figures and balance sheets. WWE is a business and they do not deserve criticism for trying to make effective business decisions. I look forward to a heel turn for Christian, he's much better as a bad guy.

It was the right thing to do for business. Orton's going to help carry the company for many years, and Christian is a very good mid to upper card guy. That's just the way it is. I think this bothers the internet types, but the average fans are fine with it.

I think what we are seeing here is the WWE at a crossroad. There are two segments of their fan base at war with each other. The casual fans who go to the shows and buy the merchandise vs. the IWC fans who live, eat, breath, and sleep pro wrestling. And right now the WWE seems to be choosing the casual fans over the the die hard fans in the IWC. And the WWE seems to be at war with itself over being an Entertainment company vs. a pro wrestling company, with the entertainment side of things winning.

With the WWE becoming more of an entertainment company it seems fitting that Vince McMahon thinks more like a CEO of a Fortune 500 company than he does the owner of a wrestling company. And it seems that thought process has infected those around him as well. Looking at the video interview of HHH on this site, and he sounded more like a corporate stooge reciting a set of talking points, rather than someone who lives and breathes pro wrestling even though I'm certain that's what he is. Hopefully when HHH is running things, he'll remember what it was like to be on the outside looking in, but that was a long time ago.

John Cena is a microcosim for the war within the fan base. The casual fans who cheer him go to the shows and watch some times on TV, don't know or care how many times Cena has been a world champion. All they care about seeing a good show, seeing the hero win, and then going home and returning to their normal ever day lives. But for those in the IWC who respect Cena but don't care for him it doesn't stop there. For us it never stops. It's in our blood, it's in our hearts. I've been a fan of pro wrestling since before I could talk. It started for me with Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling. I remember as a kid going to the Richmond Coliseum and watching guys like Flair, Steamboat, and Valentine before they became big stars and "WWE" hall of famers. Back then as a kid the only way I knew the WWE even existed is because I used to buy Pro Wrestling Illustrated magazine and read about the "WWF" and the AWA. But now the WWE almost has a monopoly, and they actually "own" the history that I grew up with, so if that history is to remain relevant, you almost have to play ball with them. Almost.

The WWE wants to be embraced more in the mainstream, and by chasing that mainstream acceptance there is a price to pay and tough decisions to be made. On both sides. The WWE seems to be embracing the casual "entertainment" fan and leaving behind the die hard "pro wrestling fan", the same as they have left behind the pro wrestling moniker. By taking the belt off of Christian the way they did, it's proof of this. They destroyed a special moment in time that took years to materialize, just so an arena full of schmoes and casual fans could see the fan favorite win and then go home and forget all about it. How pathetic. Christian has fans that have been following him for years that have been waiting that long to see him get what had eluded him, and now it means nothing. Even if Christian wins it again, which I won't hold my breath for, it won't have nearly the same meaning or feeling as that moment, and now it's ruined.

But alas, in life there is always a choice. And for now I choose to not watch Smackdown. I like Randy Orton, but I have no desire to see him wearing the belt that should be on Christian. I'll monitor from afar and possibly return if something I like happens, but for now Smackdown is irrelevant to me. And if the WWE actually plans on keeping the WWE title on John Cena all the way up to WRESTLEmania, as Cena hinted at, then I won't be watching Raw either.

It seems the WWE in their push for mainstream acceptance has forgotten about it's roots and it's die hard fan base. The fact is maybe they don't need the die hard fan base any more, but if that's true then maybe we don't need them either.

Christian, you deserved better than that. And to your peeps, you really have become THE "PEOPLE'S" CHAMPION.

At WWE's house show in Georgia, Kharma attacked Eve after she lost to Brie Bella. Eve is a babyface. It looks to me as if she is attacking all the losers with the exception of Maryse, who was in the middle of her match with Kelly Kelly. Any thoughts Kevin?

Kevin do u think christian should have stayed in tna or come back to the wwe and just job? Like wat he did last week?

At first when I heard this I was pissed. I accidentally ran into the spoilers and I didn't watch Smackdown.

But for now, I'm going to sit bank, and see where this goes. If they book it well, and eventually give Christian the title (as a heel?) it would be good.

Even before Edge retired, I had a feeling Christian was going heel and possibly main eventer. Back then the story was Christian turning on Edge. It may be a bit harder to write now, but if they write it well, and give Christian the title, I'll give WWE a second chance.

I'm not giving up on them yet, but I'm damn close to doing so.

I knew that Christian would have a brief title reign, but I thought that atleast it would last till the next PPV, like Jeff Hardy. After that match was over and seeing Christian humuliated, and devestated walking up that ramp with his tail between his legs(so to speak). There again we see that if you do not have that steroid build, the height, or that Natural ability to verbelly entertain on the microphone that you have no chance for MacMahon to give you the oppertunities. Look what he did to Matt Hardy, Shelton Benjamin, and Kennedy. They all should have got their oppertunities, but of course Vince would not allow it. I would not be surprised if Christian quits the WWE, and ends up going back to TNA, and you know what I would not blame him. The great thing about TNA is that everybody gets oppertunities. I think for the way WWE is going it is slowly going down, and if Macmahon does not let Shane or Stephanie take over, or there is a big change in the way the show is conducted WWE will die soon.

Dude, Khali's awesome. I love that guy. I think it's the same mindset that causes people to watch those awful sci-fi made-for-TV movies (Giant Nuclear Squid vs. Giant Robot Gorilla, or whatever). I know there isn't much room for irony in pro wrestling, but I can't help but feel that WWE is just barely self aware enough to know what they're doing with that guy.

I'm glad Randy Orton is back in the World Title picture . . . rather then wasting away his entire career involved in some feud, like Rick Rude or Tommy Dreamer in his prime.

I want to believe that the last few days have all been for Christian's benefit and that it's all a part of some BIGGER picture.
But over the years we have seen the short title reigns before and they never lead to anything bigger.

From Masato Tanaka and Tommy Dreamer in ECW. Mick Foley, X-pac/1-2-3 kid, Sparkplug Bob Holly, Jeff Hardy, Yokozuna, and now Christian in WWE.

Most of the time . . . it's either a missed spot of a short term capitalization.

As for the rest of the double sided talk that we herd coming out of the WWE over the weekend . . . That's just Damage Control.

The IWC might have won Christian a program.
But he'll never have a spot like Eziekel Jackson, Wade Barret, the Miz, or even Michael Cole.

My recommendation to Christian is to watch that shoot promo Rowdy Roddy Pipper gave to John Cena a few months ago about all the GREATs that never got to wear the belt. Thats his crowd.

Unless we count those 2 days in May of 2011.

i think they should turn orton heel and have a great rivalry with christian then end with a punt in the head after a couple months then bring jericho into it

The comment of the night came from Booker T. "Kharma is looking at Alicia Fox like she's a chicken bone"

Anyone notice how the only divas Kharma has avoided attacking are Layla and Kelly Kelly, who are former Extreme Expose partners? I know I'm probably dreaming big, but what are the odds of those two getting back together with Kharma as their bodyguard?

Oh boy Randy is champ again...yawwwwn great job wwe bookers you've bored me to sleep once again. To have Christian drop the title a few days after winning it for the very first time was a slap in the face to Christian and his fans, who have waited a long time to see him get the recognition he deserves. To hand it to Orton was just plain boring and utterly predictable. Hey don't get me wrong, I am a huge fan of the Viper, but honestly I'm a little burned out on seeing him and Cena in every other title match at every other ppv. There is a difference between giving superstars a push and simply ramming them down the fan's throats. Personally I was excited about seeing a Christian title run because it was something different, something new. Watching Cena and Orton monopolize the title scene is basically like watching reruns of the past two or three years of Raw programming. The same superstars in the main event night after night, stale predictable title changes, failure to put new faces in the spotlight....isn't that what killed WCW and is now killing TNA?

Randy Orton with his bear looks like CM Punk strangely enough.

I really hope Christian does get to stay in the top rungs, belt or no belt.

Everyone is up in arms about the title change and Christian turning heel... I think they're going to do a face/face feud similar to the HHH/Hardy feud. Have him chase Orton and lose but get closer and closer until he finally wins it again.

@ Maurice B

Bravo. I think you have explained the feelings inherent to many of us in a very articulate and fair way.
I would even expand to say that the acronym "IWC" is misleading. It implies that it is simply a phenomenon strictly a part of the rise and dominance of the internet. I would argue that the people now called the IWC came far before the internet, and were simply pro wrestling fans, who have now used the presence of the internet as an interconnected communication tool to express their interest in pro wrestling, and so have been subsequently given the "IWC" moniker.
It is a tough decision, and I will still argue based upon recent history and evidence, that it is a wrong one. If the concept of wrestling is compromised, it is only a matter of time before the whole thing collapses on WWE. If they push to provide casual "entertainment", they will find that their star will last as long as any other television series or casual entertainment. Trends change, tastes change, and even Seinfeld didn't last forever.
Wrestling, on the other hand has proven itself to be a more steadfast social phenomenon, and is able to continue through changes in the society and culture around it because it is a more archetypical incarnation of entertainment. Seinfeld was not a thing unto itself, it was a form of the thing called a sitcom. Sitcoms still survive. If WWE compromises the thing for the form, then they will eventually end, like all forms do, and the thing itself will live on with whomsoever has the brains to keep the thing itself alive.
Anyway, your post was very thought-provoking and fair, and I enjoyed it.

@Anonymous: I am with you. I find randy orton to be very boring.
The thing that really irks me is that if you watch the monday night wars dvd, they always talk about how the WWE developed new talent. Well, they did. Now they take home grown talent and just regurgitate the same champions over and over with exception for the Miz. I understand how the introduce new talent every other year or repackage a superstar, but for someone who has been around for a long time, give them a run. I don't just say that about Christian. I also say it for Big Show, R Truth, Mark Henry, ect. Guys who have been around forever and are constantly thrown to the undercard.
Get rid of Santino. He is a waste of time. The schtick is old now.
Again I say it, is WWE so lacking in announcers that Michael Cole has to do BOTH shows? I get the heel announcer thing but keep him on either Raw or Smackdown.

"What kind of program can WWE have for Kharma? There is no one among the Divas who can come close to matching her in size. Even Ray Mysterio vs. The Big Show would be more believeable..."

Not even close, at least in terms of size difference.

Big Show is nearly 2 whole feet taller and 300 lbs. heavier than Rey Mysterio. Kharma has about 100-125 lbs. on most of the other Divas and only 1-3 inches in height (her legit height is 5'9", not "over 6 feet" as she's been portrayed).

Kharma has a size advantage over the other Divas, but it's not even close to Rey and Show.

The Christian character is boring. They got all the mileage out of it at Extreme Rules.

Now they'll turn him heel and he will get a ton of heat. Make him heel champ who cheats at every turn to keep the belt.

Like R-Truth's inevitable rise to IC champ, and possible run as WWE champ, it will be good for Christian to have a long run as a heel.

i did not understand why christan had to fight with the belt on the line as well as he should have had the belt to the next pfv as christan i feel for him as he was the forgotin one and wwe say he niver one a world belt he did in tna and ecw to when he came back to wwe so micheal coal got it so wrong

PUSH ZACK RYDER!!

Randy will kick christens butt and will not hold back randy orteon rocks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!