Featured Article: Christian

 Please credit this article to Jeff Ranger and http://www.wrestling.com. The article takes on the side of Christian as the less focal member between he and Edge after they separated from The Brood.  However, the article points out Christian's strong points and why he won't be the next Marty Jannetty.

 

Christian: The Next Marty Jannetty

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It has been a fairly steady ascent for Christian since he joined the WWF. Teaming with his brother Edge as The Brood (Gangrel's cute Goth-boy underlings) Christian has long been on the federation's 'next big thing' short list.

But recently we have watched an all too common pattern form around Christian. He has clearly been performing in the shadow of the more gifted Edge, who has all of the qualities Christian possesses, only in greater quantity. As such, Christian runs a very real risk of being forgotten in the wake of the (almost certain) singles success of his tag partner in much the same way Marty Jannetty was eclipsed by the success of Shawn Michaels.

But all is not lost; the WWF programs have been teasing a breakup of the Brood for weeks now. One can assume this is in preparation for Edge's expected singles push, but used properly, it could easily serve as a springboard for Christian's career in the post-Brood era. Here are my suggestions, yours may differ.

First off, Christian should drop his whole Cute-Goth image. In all seriousness, Edge is going to positively own that gimmick as a singles competitor. An effort should be made to attach an image considerably more 'rugged', 'pissed off' or simply 'non-Edge like' to the new singles version of Christian. He has the wrestling chops, and, potentially, the look to pull off a longhaired badass gimmick. The non-Edge like part is likely the most crucial. What success Christian currently has is due largely to the gimmick he and Edge have created during their run as The Brood and, unfair as it may be, Edge is taking the gimmick with him when he leaves. It will do Christian no good to become 'Edge-Like'.

So here's the angle: Christian (shortly after the impending split) completely abandons his Brood image as something that Edge and Gangrel forced upon him. He is going back to the name Christian Cage (his pre-WWF moniker) and dressing a little less like Gangrel and a lot more like the ECW's Raven. His brother's success has left him bitter, feeling that the first years of his career were spent following the dictates of Gangrel and elevating his brother to his current success.

This leads to a fairly entertaining feud with Gangrel to jump start his singles career. Gangrel is a capable wrestler who is grossly underused by the WWF (although I guess it is arguable how much use a 'fat vampire' gimmick is). If the WWF could find even a bare minimum of mike time for the two of them to outline the feud, it could be lead to a spectacular midcard story arc. Eventually, Christian wins the feud.

This leaves us with several interesting angle possibilities for Christian Cage:

  • A feud or alliance with Matt and Jeff Hardy. This could play out as a feud with two Gangrel protégés who have had more success than the former 'Christian', or an alliance with two talented young men with a documented dislike for The Brood, meaning at this point, Edge.
  • A run for the newly credible light heavyweight title. Christian Cage could definitely serve as a familiar face in the division, fighting the likes of Essa Rios, Dean Malenko, and X-Pac. More importantly, a run of squashes wouldn't be unbelievable, as Christian would be one of the larger light heavyweights.
  • A feud with Edge. This one is obvious, but feud between these two (with Christian Cage as the LH Champ, and Edge as the European or I.C. Champ) would be thrilling, what with the whole Brother vs. Brother pathos and the fact that they are both proven wrestling commodities. It sounds strange, but I wouldn't be surprised to see the face/heel dynamic in this feud break down along the audiences gender lines, with the women backing the stunningly handsome Edge, and the men throwing their support behind the more 'denim-and-leather' toughness of Christian Cage.
  • A reunion with Edge: This one is also a no-brainer. A run in save by either of the brothers causes a reforming of the stable/tag team but with a twist. Cage is now his own character: a more workmanlike and brutal part of team that the more flashy Edge.

    • It could work.

    Whatever the WWF does I hope it works, because I think Christian is an exceptional talent. I would hate to see him languish in the under card for the rest of his career.

    But then, I liked Marty Jannetty too.

    *credit: House of Christian

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