Christian's Re-debut in WWE has occurred!

[zappafrank 0]

There are a few interesting articles re: Christian returning to ECW I wanted to post; I'll do so separately. The main reason I'm bringing them up is b/c I was curious as to whether anyone here actually was "spoiled" about Christian returning as the mystery man attacking Jeff. I never ever heard anything about that being the plan. At the most, it seemed to be a case of "Wouldn't it be really cool if Christian made his return by attacking Jeff? He's obviously done with TNA, and there hasn't been any hype for a possible return, so maybe WWE is saving him as a surprise."

 

I wasn't surprised that Matt turned, either, but all this talk about "Matt was turned at the last moment b/c Vince was furious the Christian angle was leaked" makes no sense b/c as far as I can tell, there was never a definitive angle to be leaked, and even if there was, there was no leaking going on, just a bunch of people sitting around saying "what if?"

 

I read somewhere that Meltzer was reporting that the Christian angle was set in stone, but can anyone confirm?

[zappafrank 0]

Here's a well-written piece about Christian returning to ECW (http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/The_Specialists_34/article_29928.shtml):

 

The Specialists

 

GUEST EDITORIAL: Why Christian on ECW is a good move for Christian's WWE career

Feb 11, 2009 - 8:09:15 PM

 

GUEST EDITORIAL

By Adam Riemer of New York, PWTorch.com Reader

 

On Tuesday, WWE fans were treated to a big surprise - something Instant Classic fans have been waiting on for a long time. Christian returned to WWE television, the WWE Universe, and to his many fans. Now the big thing going around, and the big issue everyone has is that Christian is back...on ECW.

 

I have heard it all night and all morning from WWE fans around me. 95 percent of them hate the idea of him on ECW, the supposed c-show of the company. Why would the WWE take someone like Christian and put him on Tuesday nights instead of Mondays or Fridays? Does it make any sense for them to do that? Isn't this Vince McMahon making his point that he never liked Christian to begin with?

 

The answer to those questions is quite simply "no." Not one of those questions being brought up by the disgruntled fans is correct. Does Christian belong in a main event spotlight on Raw or Smackdown? My answer to that is simple: who knows? Christian has been out of the national spotlight for quite some time, say what you want about how TNA is making strides (it isn't by the way) but TNA is not even a speck on the wrestling world radar.

 

But ECW? For starters, Christian should thank WWE for putting him on a show that he can now be the driving force behind. The only reason I ever watched TNA was to see Christian Cage, and I am not the only one who had that reason to watch too.

 

What would happen to Christian if he went to Smackdown right away? Well he would get lost in the shuffle and probably be doomed to mid-card or a supporting role. Look at the top babyfaces on the brand: Triple H, Jeff Hardy, The Undertaker, MVP, and a possible return of Mr. Kennedy. Christian could face a real uphill battle to get noticed on the brand, especially with the no. one guy on the list notorious for creating the glass ceiling.

 

Now take a look at the top heels: Edge, Big Show, Matt Hardy, Koslov, a returning Umaga, and possibly a heel turn for Mr. Kennedy. Christian easily gets lost in that group as well, probably playing second fiddle to Edge and possibly Matt Hardy for the next year or so, which could be detrimental to his return especially when you look at the fact that he is approaching the twilight of his career.

 

What about Raw? When your top babyface is John Cena and you add to that Shawn Michaels, C.M. Punk, Rey Mysterio, and the eventual return of Batista, you really don’t have much room for Christian to make a big impact, especially with the WWE just crushing Cena down everyone’s throats as the biggest thing to happen since Steve Austin.

 

Christian going to Raw as a heel wouldn't work either. Randy Orton/Legacy, Chris Jericho, and JBL dominate the heel scene. Also when you add into that equation Mike Knox, Kane, and William Regal, you get a very crowded heel roster. Christian would have less room on Raw to work than on Smackdown, and when Triple H is on Smackdown, that is saying something.

 

So Christian goes to ECW, a brand that has a young, fresh heel in Jack Swagger - Someone you would love to see get his teeth knocked out. Guys like Mark Henry, The Miz, and John Morrison also create the heel dynamic on the show.

 

But what about the babyfaces? Matt Hardy is long gone and that leaves basically Tommy Dreamer, Finlay, and The Boogeyman (wow). So your two top are both AARP members and the other one is a side show freak with no wrestling talent.

 

So now ECW has Christian, a guy who will drive WWE fans to tune in on Tuesdays; a guy who had most of the fans solidly behind him and really excited for his return. Plus with ECW and the apparent complete discard of exclusiveness to the specific brands and with this "talent exchange," Christian can be exposed on Raw and Smackdown in smaller doses, almost enticing people to see him run ECW with Swagger.

 

I am not upset at this at all. Christian needs to recreate himself in WWE. ECW can be a great place for him to do it. Look at Matt Hardy, Mark Henry, C.M. Punk, Evan Bourne, and The Miz/Morrison. All of them have benefited greatly within the WWE from their time on ECW. Established or not, both ECW and Christian can help each other out greatly and recreate an Instant Classic.

[zappafrank 0]

Here's a rather asinine, eye-rolling article about Christian's return (http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/font_color_770000_MITCHELL_S_TAKE_font_14/article_29933.shtml):

 

MITCHELL'S TAKE

 

MITCHELL SHORT: Who's Really To Blame for Christian Losing His Big Money Angle With Jeff Hardy?

Feb 11, 2009 - 9:25:27 PM

 

What a comedown.

 

Christian went from walking into a Wrestlemania storyline as the mystery man who cost arguably (and I'd argue in his favor) the hottest star in the business, Jeff Hardy, his world title to becoming just another veteran polishing up the young guys before they head up to The Show.

 

He lost the difference in the payoff from working the charismatic Hardy in a main event at Wrestlemania to working The All American American Jack Swagger in the first hour of the show, and that's just for starters.

 

Then there's the money Hardy and WWE itself lost by not having a fresh new Christian to feed to the Jeff Hardy lions in a role that had been built up for months, instead of the one guy most Hardy fans don't want Jeff to face – his brother Matt.

 

But I'm not here to talk about that. I'm here to lay blame. Who's really to blame for what happened to poor Christian?

 

You people are.

 

That's right, you people, the type who just have to know everything ahead of time, then tell it to people who, like you, really, it's none of their business.

 

And don't give that "Spoiler" crap. People like you can't wait to spoil for everyone.

 

That's why Vince McMahon was forced to ruin an angle he and his creative team had built for months, costing him and his company untold dollars both on the front end set-up and the back-end payoff. Sure he could have run the Christian/Jeff Hardy angle anyway, and most fans would have enjoyed it much more than a stilted "brother vs. brother" feud that young Hardymaniacs simply don't want to see.

 

All Vince McMahon wanted to do was put a surprised smile on WWE fans' faces, and you people ruined it.

 

At least there was a surprise in Matt cracking Jeff one in the head with a steel chair. There was no surprise in Christian doing it, after you people just had to chant "We Want Christian" at the beginning of Jeff's title loss to Edge.

 

Worse than everything you cost Christian, worse than what you cost Vince McMahon and his company, you people cost us fans a great storyline and a potential Wrestlemania-stealing match between that rarest of things in WWE, two fresh opponents.

 

Maybe it's time you minded your own business.

[dubq 0]

Here's a rather asinine, eye-rolling article about Christian's return (http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/font_color_770000_MITCHELL_S_TAKE_font_14/article_29933.shtml):

 

MITCHELL'S TAKE

 

MITCHELL SHORT: Who's Really To Blame for Christian Losing His Big Money Angle With Jeff Hardy?

Feb 11, 2009 - 9:25:27 PM

 

What a comedown.

 

Christian went from walking into a Wrestlemania storyline as the mystery man who cost arguably (and I'd argue in his favor) the hottest star in the business, Jeff Hardy, his world title to becoming just another veteran polishing up the young guys before they head up to The Show.

 

He lost the difference in the payoff from working the charismatic Hardy in a main event at Wrestlemania to working The All American American Jack Swagger in the first hour of the show, and that's just for starters.

 

Then there's the money Hardy and WWE itself lost by not having a fresh new Christian to feed to the Jeff Hardy lions in a role that had been built up for months, instead of the one guy most Hardy fans don't want Jeff to face – his brother Matt.

 

But I'm not here to talk about that. I'm here to lay blame. Who's really to blame for what happened to poor Christian?

 

You people are.

 

That's right, you people, the type who just have to know everything ahead of time, then tell it to people who, like you, really, it's none of their business.

 

And don't give that "Spoiler" crap. People like you can't wait to spoil for everyone.

 

That's why Vince McMahon was forced to ruin an angle he and his creative team had built for months, costing him and his company untold dollars both on the front end set-up and the back-end payoff. Sure he could have run the Christian/Jeff Hardy angle anyway, and most fans would have enjoyed it much more than a stilted "brother vs. brother" feud that young Hardymaniacs simply don't want to see.

 

All Vince McMahon wanted to do was put a surprised smile on WWE fans' faces, and you people ruined it.

 

At least there was a surprise in Matt cracking Jeff one in the head with a steel chair. There was no surprise in Christian doing it, after you people just had to chant "We Want Christian" at the beginning of Jeff's title loss to Edge.

 

Worse than everything you cost Christian, worse than what you cost Vince McMahon and his company, you people cost us fans a great storyline and a potential Wrestlemania-stealing match between that rarest of things in WWE, two fresh opponents.

 

Maybe it's time you minded your own business.

 

How does an editor let a piece of crap like this get posted? Seriously, I know it's a website.. but does anyone have any sort of journalistic integrity anymore? This kind of generalizing opinion piece should be reserved for personal blogs that no one reads.

[Maztinho 0]

eJournalism... HA!

 

Pretty much if you are willing to write on a regular basis and are something beyond NetSpeak you can write a wrestling article on-line.

[dubq 0]

True true.. I know I was asking too much with that one, lol.

[foleyfanforever88 0]

Matt Hardy's most recent WWE Universe blog entry:

 

Good Job Theodore Long-Glad To See You Listened..

Thursday, February 12, 2009, 07:42 PM EST [General]

 

Good job Teddy Long-I'm glad to see you listened to the smartest man in wrestling, Matt Hardy. After I correctly called you out for being a bad General Manager, you finally did something right. After I pointed out to the world your managerial flaws and mistakes, you finally took a step in the right direction with ECW this week. My sources told me that the Sci-Fi network was absolutely furious I was no longer the flagship of their primary television show. ECW was in jeopardy of being canceled if Teddy Long didn't attempt to fill the monstrous void I left in the ECW roster. To fill this enormous void, Theodore Long brought in Christian, Tyson Kidd, and has Evan Bourne on the way back. It was a good start to filling my void, although it'll take more than these three to do it. So to all of you who enjoyed ECW this week, you have me to thank me for it.

 

Speaking of Christian, we have a very long and storied history together. Christian was a recipient of my star-making abilities back in the first ever tag team ladder match. Christian was also smart not to stick his nose into my business with Jeff. I could see how he would be tempted to upon resigning with the WWE, but fortunately he was smarter than that. It's also funny how alot of the "internet journalist" and "internet fans" thought Christian might be somehow associated with me and my master plan. Nope. Never has been. There's never been any changes in my plans, there's never been a "B" plan, and Christian hasn't ever been factored in at any time. If Christian did happen to become ignorant enough to interfere with me and my plans, he might find a "Black Cloud" above his head.

 

You know, the same kind of "Black Cloud" that took away everything from some "Hooligan" that used to be employed by the WWE. And these are facts-it's someone I got hired after allowing him to have a great match with me on Velocity, and then by going to bat to management for him. It's someone who wrestled his most famous and self-confessed "favorite" WWE match in a contest that I was in and totally engineered and manufactured. And then he became bitter because he attempted to follow in my footsteps, and couldn't measure up as a man in any way-and I mean in any way. Just another example of what happens when you attempt to cross Matt Hardy, I ALWAYS win in the end. Not only am I "The Starmaker", I'm also a "Startaker." Enjoy your pathetic life, you're welcome.

 

The Black Cloud

 

"Cold Blood" Matt Hardy

[johnson316cane 0]

Matt Hardy's most recent WWE Universe blog entry:

 

Good Job Theodore Long-Glad To See You Listened..

Thursday, February 12, 2009, 07:42 PM EST [General]

 

Good job Teddy Long-I'm glad to see you listened to the smartest man in wrestling, Matt Hardy. After I correctly called you out for being a bad General Manager, you finally did something right. After I pointed out to the world your managerial flaws and mistakes, you finally took a step in the right direction with ECW this week. My sources told me that the Sci-Fi network was absolutely furious I was no longer the flagship of their primary television show. ECW was in jeopardy of being canceled if Teddy Long didn't attempt to fill the monstrous void I left in the ECW roster. To fill this enormous void, Theodore Long brought in Christian, Tyson Kidd, and has Evan Bourne on the way back. It was a good start to filling my void, although it'll take more than these three to do it. So to all of you who enjoyed ECW this week, you have me to thank me for it.

 

Speaking of Christian, we have a very long and storied history together. Christian was a recipient of my star-making abilities back in the first ever tag team ladder match. Christian was also smart not to stick his nose into my business with Jeff. I could see how he would be tempted to upon resigning with the WWE, but fortunately he was smarter than that. It's also funny how alot of the "internet journalist" and "internet fans" thought Christian might be somehow associated with me and my master plan. Nope. Never has been. There's never been any changes in my plans, there's never been a "B" plan, and Christian hasn't ever been factored in at any time. If Christian did happen to become ignorant enough to interfere with me and my plans, he might find a "Black Cloud" above his head.

 

You know, the same kind of "Black Cloud" that took away everything from some "Hooligan" that used to be employed by the WWE. And these are facts-it's someone I got hired after allowing him to have a great match with me on Velocity, and then by going to bat to management for him. It's someone who wrestled his most famous and self-confessed "favorite" WWE match in a contest that I was in and totally engineered and manufactured. And then he became bitter because he attempted to follow in my footsteps, and couldn't measure up as a man in any way-and I mean in any way. Just another example of what happens when you attempt to cross Matt Hardy, I ALWAYS win in the end. Not only am I "The Starmaker", I'm also a "Startaker." Enjoy your pathetic life, you're welcome.

 

The Black Cloud

 

"Cold Blood" Matt Hardy

 

Wow, is Matt Hardy really calling himself "Cold Blood"? That's beyond retarded. That sounds like one of those failed nicknames they tried to stick Steve Austin with before he came up with Stone Cold. He should just call himself Ace Dagger or Baron Von Freeze and get it over with.

[Silence 0]

Matt should just call himself "Version 2" like I was thinking he would be after this heel turn.

[JN News 0]

I kinda like the remix theme.

 

 

Someone needs to find out who sings the remixed theme for Christian. It kinda makes me think that WWE released WWE The Music vol. 9 a little too early.

[DCH 0]

It was Story of the Year.

[Scroby 0]

I kinda like the remix theme.

 

 

Someone needs to find out who sings the remixed theme for Christian. It kinda makes me think that WWE released WWE The Music vol. 9 a little too early.

Well if you look a few pages back, you'd see I already posted a link where you can hear the song in full.

[jericho4life 0]

Here's a rather asinine, eye-rolling article about Christian's return (http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/font_color_770000_MITCHELL_S_TAKE_font_14/article_29933.shtml):

 

MITCHELL'S TAKE

 

MITCHELL SHORT: Who's Really To Blame for Christian Losing His Big Money Angle With Jeff Hardy?

Feb 11, 2009 - 9:25:27 PM

 

What a comedown.

 

Christian went from walking into a Wrestlemania storyline as the mystery man who cost arguably (and I'd argue in his favor) the hottest star in the business, Jeff Hardy, his world title to becoming just another veteran polishing up the young guys before they head up to The Show.

 

He lost the difference in the payoff from working the charismatic Hardy in a main event at Wrestlemania to working The All American American Jack Swagger in the first hour of the show, and that's just for starters.

 

Then there's the money Hardy and WWE itself lost by not having a fresh new Christian to feed to the Jeff Hardy lions in a role that had been built up for months, instead of the one guy most Hardy fans don't want Jeff to face – his brother Matt.

 

But I'm not here to talk about that. I'm here to lay blame. Who's really to blame for what happened to poor Christian?

 

You people are.

 

That's right, you people, the type who just have to know everything ahead of time, then tell it to people who, like you, really, it's none of their business.

 

And don't give that "Spoiler" crap. People like you can't wait to spoil for everyone.

 

That's why Vince McMahon was forced to ruin an angle he and his creative team had built for months, costing him and his company untold dollars both on the front end set-up and the back-end payoff. Sure he could have run the Christian/Jeff Hardy angle anyway, and most fans would have enjoyed it much more than a stilted "brother vs. brother" feud that young Hardymaniacs simply don't want to see.

 

All Vince McMahon wanted to do was put a surprised smile on WWE fans' faces, and you people ruined it.

 

At least there was a surprise in Matt cracking Jeff one in the head with a steel chair. There was no surprise in Christian doing it, after you people just had to chant "We Want Christian" at the beginning of Jeff's title loss to Edge.

 

Worse than everything you cost Christian, worse than what you cost Vince McMahon and his company, you people cost us fans a great storyline and a potential Wrestlemania-stealing match between that rarest of things in WWE, two fresh opponents.

 

Maybe it's time you minded your own business.

 

Boy that is pretty whiny and funny. While it common knowledge now that they never were going to use christian there - I thought at the time the writer's didn't use Christian because he would have gotten an enormous pop for his return and having him cost the big fan favorite Jeffy Hardy a match would have made Jeff looked pretty bad. And we know how concerned the writers are about face/heel reactions.

[Angles Broken Fricken Neck 0]

I kinda like the remix theme.

 

 

Someone needs to find out who sings the remixed theme for Christian. It kinda makes me think that WWE released WWE The Music vol. 9 a little too early.

Well if you look a few pages back, you'd see I already posted a link where you can hear the song in full.

 

Sadly thats a slowed down version of waterproof blondes alternative version of the theme, its making its rounds all over youtube etc.

[daileyxplanet 0]

Black Cloud is better than Cold Blooded...

[Thanks for the Fish 0]

Source: Wrestling Observer

 

- SmackDown writer Michael Hayes originally came up with the idea of Christian Cage doing all the sneak attacks on Jeff Hardy to be revealed at the Royal Rumble. As time went on and people figured that Christian was behind it, and/or Hayes realized how Vince felt about Christian, he approached Vince with the idea of giving the role to Matt Hardy. Hayes sold the idea on the fact that Matt vs. Jeff would be a bigger surprise and bigger draw than Jeff vs. Christian, and Vince agreed with him.

 

John Laurinaitis had been pushing to do something with Christian sooner, rather than have him sit and wait until April. While all the talk about his return was going on, Vince started to sour on Christian. Back in 2005, whenever ideas were brought up for Christian, Vince always nixed them and only saw Cage as an upper midcarder. Vince even said in meetings that Christian had no star aura about him and that his head shot promotional photo was one of the worse he had ever seen.

 

RAW writer Brian Gewirtz asked about bringing him to RAW after Matt got the spot on SmackDown, but there was concern he would end up like D-Lo Brown - just hired and forgot about without getting a chance. They came up with the idea to give him a new feud with someone Vince is high on, that being Jack Swagger. They felt the longer they didn't get him on TV, the more likely he'd end up never to get going and this was the best thing they had for him. The original idea for the ECW show had the same opener with the two but several segments were planned that showed Christian meeting the talent on the brand and putting him over like it was a big thing he was there.

 

The actual match was booked to be a short sprint for him to shine some more, ending with Swagger getting counted out or some crazy no contest. Vince ended up changing the show to what it ended up being. It was seen internally as Vince having no vision of Christian as a star.

[HollywoodSpikeJenkins 0]

So, everyone BUT Vince sees Christian as a star...great.

[AntiLeaf33 0]

So, everyone BUT Vince sees Christian as a star...great.

 

Vince wasn't all that big on Punk when he started either.....

[Thanks for the Fish 0]

This is why I supported the idea of him getting the pimp spot in ECW. On Raw or SD he'd likely get lost in the shuffle AND Vince seems to pay a lot more attention to those shows. The problem is that Vince doesn't want to admit his mistake, and would rather see Christian fail and prove him right, than succeed and prove him wrong. And with that attitude and the ultimate decision making power, Christian really has his work cut out for him.

[dubq 0]

So, everyone BUT Vince sees Christian as a star...great.

 

What's the point of hiring the guy if you don't think you can make money off of him?

[dubq 0]

http://www.wwe.com/shows/ecw/superstars/christian/bio/

 

Christian's bio page lists his finisher as the Killswitch. Is that still the Unprettier, or a different move? Also, since when was he trained by Bret Hart?

[ChrisMWaters 0]

http://www.wwe.com/shows/ecw/superstars/christian/bio/

 

Christian's bio page lists his finisher as the Killswitch. Is that still the Unprettier, or a different move? Also, since when was he trained by Bret Hart?

Yeah, the Killswitch is the Unprettier, after last ECW.

 

Better move name, IMO.

[garfieldsnose 0]

For all intents and purposes, Christian IS an upper-card guy, and that's it. I will never buy him as a main event guy and never will.

[Angles Broken Fricken Neck 0]

BENOIT!~!

 

[TheFranchise 0]

For all intents and purposes, Christian IS an upper-card guy, and that's it. I will never buy him as a main event guy and never will.

100% agreed.

 

He's far too small, and (at least) appears to be very very skinny compared to other wrestlers in WWE.

[Twisted Intestine 0]

Jeff's just as skinny.

[TheFranchise 0]

I won't comment as I haven't really noticed, but if he is, his build hides it better.

[Twisted Intestine 0]

I think it's because Jeff wears baggy pants and Christian wears tight pants.

[Thanks for the Fish 0]

Jeff's just as skinny.

So is HBK

[The Truthiness 0]

Jeff and HBK are also ten times better then Christian.