I thought WWE put Christian up in sort of like "cool down the Indians" kinda role after the internet blew up last week over the loss. His promo sounded HEAVILY scripted.

Overall, the Daniel Bryan - Sin Cara matched looked good, including the finish, but the first few minutes looked a bit awkward. Also, it looked to me like Bryan was booked to work a lot of slower, methodical holds. And as I said, the finish was pretty good - still didn't bury Bryan but left things open for story progression between Sin Cara and Chavo.

I dunno if Sin Cara can speak any English though. He was just gesticulating and grunting during the confrontation with Chavo. I was expecting at least a little Spanish...

After seeing the main event, I am more convinced that a heel turn is forthcoming from Christian.

I was first skeptical about Christian losing the title. But it seems like the storyline is fully about him, so it doesn't seem like he is being booked to be weak.

Khali is embarrassing to watch, especially for us Indians. But who is this Jinder Mahal dude? I hope atleast this guy knows some technique.

Also, WWE roster isn't short talent. Its the creative team that's lacking talent right now.

I had no idea Randy would be able to transition so quickly into top babyface on Smackdown. I feel that there is no going back now and that he will be stuck as babyface for that show for a long time to come. Just like Cena on Raw.

WWE's biggest problem will be finding The Viper worthy adversaries, no one is going to buy the likes of Sheamus and Mark Henry as a dangerous threat anymore.

I think Daniel Bryan needs to turn heel. I think his best work in ROH was as a heel. I like him when he has the I am the Best in the World Persona.

On another note, I think the WWE needs to bring back the Cruiserweight title. They could drop the US title in favor of it. Look at all the guys they have that could potentially be in that division. Sin Cara, Bryan, Chavo, Bourne, Kidd, Beretta, Gabriel, Hawkins, Kingston, Primo, and Mysterio.

Look at the Smackdown roster. The only one with true main event experience is Orton. Sheamus has a little, Christian has a little, but Orton is the only real 'star' on the show. I have to imagine Jericho is coming back soon and will end up on Smackdown because unless the Undertaker is coming back soon, we're going to be seeing a lot of Mark Henry and he has zero to offer. Christian/Orton and Sheamus/Jericho could be an interesting one-two punch for storylines in the next few months.

I like Sin Cara, but the lighting during his matches really annoys me. Why not just have him wrestle with normal lighting?

The Great Khali is actually very good, he's just being very mis-used. I mean, why make a huge monster a joke? He was used properly in 06/07 as a destroyer, it might be good to do that again and give him a major push, maybe give him the WHC again. He was one of the best heels in the business a few years ago. Also, I'd rather see Randy Orton as a heel than Christian, Christian is over big-time with the fans, so is Orton, but a few years ago Orton was also one of the best heels in the business and his persona is really much better suited for a heel than face anyways, while Christian is much better suited for being a face.

Bryan and DiBiase may not have been given any mic time, but they both put on great performances (Ted did a lot with his three minutes).

I think both guys will be in a much better position 12 months from now. This time last year Rhodes was off TV and being written off by most. He turned that around pretty well.

None of these guys are in as precarious a position as Drew McIntyre, who desperately needs WWE to break the glass and have him feud with The Game.

Only in Vince McMahon's PG "sports entertainment" world does a fan-favorite who has worked 17 years and made champion solely through the will of the fans become the bad guy.

I stand by my assertion that the only way Christian as a heel can work is if he does a strong worked shoot against the WWE hierarchy. But that won't happen.

Jinder Mahal has me interested in the Great Khali for the first time ever.

First Christian was the guy who couldn't hold onto the title. Now he's the guy who can't fight. Good thing Randy Orton was there to save him . . .

Christian needs a strong showing this week.
Or else he's going down the same road as Ted Dibiase Jr.

Being Randy Ortons sidekick is never a good place to be.

Just look at Ric Flair, Triple H, Batista, Ted Dibiase Jr. and Cody Rhodes.

Yup, definitely not tuning into Smackdown again until the belt is off that stiff, dry, Randy Boreton. Nothing about him interests me in the slightest. What a travesty that Christian doesn't have the belt.

@ Mr. Eck
I'm completely serious in my personal ban on WWE and I didn't watch--but looking at what happened objectively through your reportage, I'm kind of surprised. You are one of the few actual journalists associated with wrestling--and you exhibit a sharp eye when you focus it.
It makes sense to you that Christian would go out and say he agrees with everything and that it's great? And you believe that of course, he can't be, so this must be evidence of a coming heel turn? I'd have to say that comments like Jun's are more correct--this sounds like a cool-off of fan animosity.
I'm just surprised that you didn't take it as what it almost obviously is and portrayed it as if this is all part of the plan. Somehow--I don't think so. I think Vince was surprised that there are still folks out there that think for themselves and aren't young enough to be brainwashed into buying his action figure playsets and the new age Hogan, John Cena.
I waited until comments cooled down so I don't have to defend myself against the illogical arguments of McZombies--this is more directly to you--as you are quite sharp at picking out what may or may not be wrong at TNA as it concerns backstage vs. in-ring---but some of the commenters that complain about your WWE bias are correct in that you almost never do the same for WWE---this being a prime example. (I remember your commenting that CM Punk is a "free-spirit"--so maybe that's why he might want out--when I think you know that the truth lies in the fact that he is talented but doesn't fit McMahon's rigid mold--and isn't used to potential--that's different than being a "free-spirit"--that's just wanting to be the best you can be--and being frustrated in an environment where not everybody is allowed to--quite arbitrarily).
There's a difference between marking out and being a MARK, and a journalist who is of your caliber shouldn't come across as eagerly buying up everything Vince throws out there like a pure WWE fan.
The journalist I like to read is a wrestling fan---and you have to call them down the middle and recognize problems in any company---it's legitimate to question TNA's hiring of Chyna in light of problems with Hall and Hardy--that is a consistent backstage TNA problem.---But that means you should be calling out Vince for his problems too---you've been around---de-legitimizing fan favorites through booking and marketing is nothing new in McMahon-land--and this is just the latest questionable maneuver in that direction---you seem to be more than equipped to speculate on it. Objectively--and you're a pretty good foreteller--what would make sense at all about pairing up Christian and Orton as babyfaces following last week?--this was a cool-off--almost certainly--and that lends itself to a story about the wrongness of some of Vince's methods--not some propaganda that claims it's all part of the show that could have been written be a WWE staffer. I don't mean to sound insulting--I just respect your writing--and I expect way more from you as a reader.

RESPONSE FROM KE: I respect your obviously well-thought-out opinions, but I really do make an honest effort to call them like I see them. I believe that Christian is turning heel and that the promo he cut last week is part of that buildup. Could I be wrong? Could the promo have served an entirely different purpose? Sure. We'll just have to wait and see what happens. As for the "free spirit" comment I made about Punk, I don't think it's any secret that Punk walks to the beat of his own drummer and that he at times has rubbed people in the locker room the wrong way. I don't get the sense that he has necessarily endeared himself to the superstar veterans in the company.

Fair enough...my only concern is that to assume that it's all part of the plan means that if four months from now, a legitimate fan fave is removed from the main event picture, it leads to an assumption that it was all organic---when it seems in WWE oft times that it isn't.
I think we actually agree on Punk---we're just coming from two different perspectives--Given WWE politics, rubbing veteran superstars the wrong way is not necessarily mutually exclusive from being frustrated with the arbitrary way things are run that prevents some folks from reaching full potential.
I know a lot of Punk's friction comes from the fact that he has had a lot to say, off screen and sometimes on, about Sean Michaels----HBK is an all-time great--but he also has a curiously nepotistic relationship with McMahon---as do HHH and others---pretty much to be a "veteran" superstar at WWE means that you're involved in a circle the nature of which is not always made clear to fans except in the often suspicious way that things play out on screen---
Ultimately--it's still manipulative no matter what happens that Christian had a title stripped from him in just three days. This calls Punk to mind--this calls Mick Foley to mind, (wouldn't it have been nice to have Cactus Jack be put over just once for posterity's sake instead of Jack being used to put over folks like HHH and Orton that really didn't need the help?)---it calls to mind Taz and RVD--(I remember One Night Stand--the reaction that RVD had over Cena--and they still couldn't let him have a clean win--Edge had to run in)---it calls to mind Kennedy--who constantly climbed the ladder there only to start at the bottom again---it calls to mind Booker T being saddled as soon as he got there with the Rock asking him who the hell he was-and yeah--Booker got over--but ultimately as a sort of ridiculous goofy character--not as an entirely legitimate wrestler----it calls to mind a lot of people and incidents going back three decades.
Anyway--I always respect your writing and believe that you are the best actual journalist working in the field of wrestling today, and your forum is run in a way which is conducive to thought and discussion on the part of fans. There is much to be said for that.

Is Jinder Mahal a mystery man? Why do we know his name?