High Road/Low Road 11.27.09: Christian as ECW Champion
Posted by Chad Nevett on 11.27.2009
In this week's edition of the High Road/Low Road, we discuss Christian as the ECW champion. Is Christian the best choice as ECW champion or should the WWE think about moving him to RAW or SmackDown? Find out what we have to say inside.
Welcome back to the High Road/Low Road!
A brief explanation of the column: Sat takes the High Road (positive view) on angles, gimmicks, and other wrestling related "stuff" while Chad Nevett takes the Low Road (negative view).
WWE Title Match At Survivor Series:
High Road: 65%
Low Road: 25%
Both Roads: 10%
Chad Nevett: Last week's topic was a hard one since it really depended on the quality of the match, but the match delivered, I think. So I guess the high roads got it right.
Sat: I think at the end of the day, people wanted to see this match and that is why the high road won out.
Christian As ECW Champion
High Road:
You look at the ECW roster and one thing is obvious. Most of the ECW roster is at the same level, but there is one guy that is not. I am of course talking about Christian. I think Christian is way above everybody else and because of that he should be champion for the foreseeable future.
Low Road:
For that reason, he should be moved to another brand. With Christian standing so far above everyone else, none of his challengers ever look credible and he doesn't look as good beating obviously subpar opponents. He should be on a show with comparable competition.
High Road:
ECW is one of those shows that you need a reason to watch. I think right now the main reason to watch ECW is because of Christian. And because of this, you have to keep the title on Christian, so he can be the main focus of the show.
Low Road:
The reason should be watching younger wrestlers doing everything they can to prove they deserve to be at this level. ECW should be the most exciting pure wrestling show the WWE has as we watch young wrestlers grow and improve on a weekly basis. The best way for that to happen is to make the title race competitive, which doesn't happen with Christian as champion.
High Road:
I think one of the reasons that Christian should stay the ECW champion is because of the fact that he has been having good matches against all of his opponents. You would think that Christian would start to not care because of the fact that he does not have some legitimate contenders, but that has not been true. He has been having matches with all kinds of wrestlers from William Regal to Yoshi Tatsu to Zack Ryder.
Low Road:
Christian does deliver consistently good matches, but few of them reach that ‘great' level and that's because he's forced to carry matches far too often. He's held back at ECW by his opponents' skill levels where, on another show, he would have the chance to really cut loose and deliver four-star matches. While he makes his opponents better at times, his confidence and skill also doesn't give them as much of a reason to push themselves because he's there to carry the load.
High Road:
Christian has been ECW champion for about four months now. I think it is nice to see a long reign like this because you look at the WWE Title and World Heavyweight Champion and those titles are changing hands every other pay per view. I can't believe people are actually contemplating taking the title off of Christian just because he has had it for too long.
Low Road:
Christian's reign has been boring with few legitimate contenders. The only person who's seemed like he could take the title off of Christian is William Regal and even that storyline has been hit or miss. A long reign isn't good if it's uninteresting, which is what Christian's reign has been.
High Road:
I'm a huge fan of Christian and I think the best situation right now is for him to be the ECW champion, where he can be the main man of a show. When Christian is moved to either RAW or SmackDown, I do not see him challenging for the WWE Title or the World Title. I see him basically getting a shot at the midcard titles. He definitely deserves a shot to be the main man on one of these shows, but I don't think the WWE will give him the chance.
Low Road:
I agree with regards to RAW, but given the lack of main event babyfaces on Smackdown, I think he would have a good chance at being in the title mix at some point, even winning. With Rey Mysterio out injured, the only main event face Smackdown has is the Undertaker and Christian seems perfect to provide competition for the likes of CM Punk, Batista, and Chris Jericho.
High Road:
A minor high road here and that is Christian has been in this situation before where he is the champion of a one hour TV show. I think that having done this before can benefit ECW.
Low Road:
It hasn't yet to a considerable degree. As I said, the stories surrounding Christian's reign have been lackluster at best and the ratings haven't improved with him as champion. His TNA experience as champion doesn't seem much of a factor.
Simply write "High Road", "Low Road", or "Both Roads" in the comment section.
E-Mails:
These are all of the e-mails that we received this week. We do not respond to the actual e-mail, but the reply to your e-mail will be below.
Freddy Neuwendyke Writes:
I have to go low road here. We've seen Triple H, Shawn Michaels, and John Cena way too many times. WWE keeps saying we need to make new stars yet they never bother building up anyone. Sure there's that whole deal with Kofi Kingston going on but that's more to keep Orton busy while waiting for Cena to drop the title or the writing team to forget all about that stipulation whichever comes first.
Also can we please be done with Triple Threat matches already? I mean sure it was exciting in the old ECW but that was because just about nobody else ever really did them. Nowadays you can't swing a dead cat without hitting somebody and their mother running a Triple Threat match on the card.
Sat: We'll know more about Kofi after his feud with Orton. I see him being kept strong while the feud is going. As for the large amounts of triple threat matches, I think the WWE is doing this to get everybody on the card which really is a mistake. Just look at the last few WrestleManias and there is a triple threat match for one of the titles.
Chad Nevett: I think overloading on triple threats is a problem, too. I would have liked to see the triple threats at Survivor Series at least altered to elimination-style ones to go with the theme of the PPV and making the idea that both world belts were defend in triple threats make a bit more sense.
Comments:
Below are the comments for last week's columns and our responses. Every comment will not be included because it makes our lives a lot easier. The comments section was last looked at on Sunday Night Pacific Time.
The Gold Standard Writes:
High Road if HBK wins cause its been awhile since he had a run with the belt can a least probably start new feuds and of course one with HHH. Also I dislike him the least out of the other two participants
Sat: I was not surprised with the outcome at the Survivor Series. I went in expecting not a whole lot and that is what happened.
Chad Nevett: I was a little disappointed that Michaels didn't walk away with the strap, but the superkick was a great moment.
M:-X Writes:
High Road.
1- We could see Shawn Michaels as WWE champion for the first time in forever.
2- We could see Shawn Michaels as a Heel for the first time in forever.
3- Like with Orton, after this one the odds are we won't see HHH/Cena again (unless HHH wins and Cena gets the Rumble shot, which... ugh)
4- We could see DX turn heel as unit, which would be interesting
That's quite a few potential awesome things that "could" happen. That builds interest in the show and that's a good thing.
Only downside? WWE will inevitably go the predictable, boring route (Cena wins, getting his recent loss to HHH back and moves on to a short 2 month mini-feud w/Sheamus (sort of like Orton/Hardy, Cena/Edge, Cena/Umaga, HHH/Hardy etc etc etc... hmmmm), DX goes heel as a unit (via sqoggle-squash) and feuds with every guest host to come on the show after new years
Sat: I would find it interesting to see DX as heels, but I just do not see it happening if they keep selling the merchandise.
Chad Nevett: It's hard enough to get Michaels or Triple H over as heels at this point in their careers, and it would be damn near impossible to turn them heel as DX.
Guest #3329 Writes:
Low Road.
- Same old main event players.
- DX is too popular to split or turn heel right now (one or both members).
- No real build.
- Probably end up with a screwy finish just to set up a Triple Threat ladder match at TLC, where Cena loses and DX starts to fall apart.
Sat: I was not thinking about a triple threat match at TLC, but after reading this, I feel that this is definitely going to happen. How they go about doing that should be interesting because of the fact that Cena won straight up.
Chad Nevett: I'm rather curious about what comes next with both world belts since there isn't a clear plan yet. Some suggested that both triple threat matches were delaying tactics, but delaying for what?
The Great Captain Smooth Writes:
Both Roads. Low, because we have seen these guys in the title mix for too long and where is the build? High, because all three bring it, when it counts, there are plenty of twists and turns that could come out of the match, and while there has been comedy used to build the match up, they all have played their part perfectly. Cena is great at being the "slow to catch on" muscle. HHH is made for being a smartass. Finally, HBK does fake outrage better than anybody. I call it "pulling an Ann Coulter".
Sat: I think you make some fair points; the key for me is that we are going to get a great match out it
Chad Nevett: The match was very good, so I was happy... even if I would have preferred a different outcome.
Of course Writes:
High Road.
This is a dream match of sorts. We never got to see Austin, Rock, and Triple H in a triple threat match. Those were the three biggest stars in 1999. But we do get to see the three biggest stars of 2009 compete for the WWE Championship.
It will be fun. I look forward to it.
Sat: I thought it was very good match, but definitely not a match that you would expect of a dream match.
Chad Nevett: Yeah. Very good, but with a lot of flaws like Triple H and Michaels being taken out for too long at various points. Not a dream match, at least not in 2009.
ThePants Writes:
Low Road. The main event scene is boring, and that stigma will follow into this match. I think it's silly to think it will be great just because all three can go if the right elements are in place (these aren't the elements, FYI). Storyline twists is all it has, as the match itself won't be anything we haven't seen before. But even a good story can't be expected; the foil for the whole build-up was Hornswoggle. HORNSWOGGLE. Maybe Linda's Senate bid is further reaching than we all thought...
But the catch is that if HBK turns heel, real heel, not "I woke up on the wrong side of the bed and decided to wrestle Hogan" heel, things will be delicious.
Sat: I just do not see HBK turning heel for an extended period of time; if he does turn it will be for a feud.
Chad Nevett: Well, they got the big twist out of the way immediately and the match was still very good. How they follow it up will probably alter it a bit in retrospect.
Your reasons for taking the High Road, Low Road, or Both Roads and suggestions for future High Road/Low Road are welcome at satuncletrunx@gmail.com or in the comment section. Your reply will be included in next week's column.
Both Roads.Christian holding the ECW title gives it some prestige as Christian is perceived by most fans as an amazing performer.So the person who defeats him for the belt will get instant credibility.Look at Zack Ryder when he almost beat Christian, he looked like he could hang for a minute.Now the downside is Christian could be better utilized on Smackdown as a main event face, something their lacking and theres tons of feuds Edge,Punk,Y2J,Taker,Mysterio etc he could have and lets not forget a chase at the World Heavyweight Championship.Being ECW champ prevents this seeing that the belt is equivalent to an IC/US belt if even that.Really in all fairness Christian being ECW Champ is better than Christian being jobbed on Raw or Smackdown cause we all know McMahon isnt to keen on pushing ex TNAers especially ones who achieved success (see Gail Kim=Knockouts Champ,R-Truth=2 Time NWA/TNA Champ)
Posted By: The Gold Standard (Guest) on November 27, 2009 at 12:49 AM
I'm actually taking the high road here. I love Christian, and I truly believe that he should be main eventing on RAW/Smackdown right now, but the truth is, Vince has never viewed Christian as a legit main event option. There was a time in 2005 when Christian was THE hottest act in the company, getting louder pops than Cena & Batista (I remember one particular match against Batista, who has RED HOT at that time, and Christian, who was being booked as a chickenshit heel, STILL had a majority of the fan support). If Vince didn't push him at that point, then he's never going to give Christian the push that he deserves. I'd rather Christian be "the man" on ECW than watch him job to Sheamus on RAW.
Posted By: Tom (Guest) on November 27, 2009 at 01:08 AM
I say low road. I happen to be a fan of Christian, but I agree that ECW should be a place for the young guys to hone their craft. They already have experienced mid carders like Regal and Goldust who can help make the rookies look good. Let Christian be a main event player on Raw or SmackDown. The reason he left WWE for TNA in the first place is because WWE refused to acknowledge that he had main event talent.
Posted By: thepsychedelia (Registered) on November 27, 2009 at 01:11 AM
Both Roads
Posted By: BPN (Guest) on November 27, 2009 at 02:04 AM
Both Roads
High Road because hes been an excellent ECW champion & made the belt look more inportant then usual by putting on good match after good match & defending the belt.
Low Road because as mentioned already Smackdown lack main event faces at the moment & Christian would be a perfect fit fueding with Punk or Jericho.
Posted By: jbardo (Guest) on November 27, 2009 at 06:33 AM
Both roads:
Low road for Christian, he can be much better utilized and showcased on Smackdown, as mentioned.
High road for ECW - ECW's role is to train up the newer/less exposed guys. In order to do that, they need to work with the more experienced/over. And that's not just in the ring, but on the mic as well, and we all know how good Christian is in that department.
So, you need someone who is decent all round. If you remove Christian, the ONLY option is Regal. Goldust really just doesn't hack it anymore. Same applies to Dreamer. If you want to take Christian out of the picture, you need a backup plan. Bare in mind that Matt Hardy, Finlay, even Chavo etc. have been on ECW in that role already. Who's left that hasn't done their time already and isn't needed elsewhere right now? Until you have a suitable replacement, Christian needs to stay where he is, much as it saddens me, for the good of the ECW roster.
Posted By: The Hamster Runs In The Ball (Guest) on November 27, 2009 at 09:57 AM
High Road, I think ECW has the right balance right now... a lot of younger guys honing their craft, and Christian gives them a "Top Guy" to aim for. Winning the ECW will do a lot more for a Yoshi or Zack if it's off of a credible main eventer like Christian.
Posted By: Swashy (Guest) on November 27, 2009 at 11:07 AM
Both Roads.
It has been nice to see Jay Reso (Christian) back on WWE TV, but I honestly don't feel as if he is being used to his full potential. I mean, sure it's great that he is the ECW Champ, but the other superstars on ECW aren't really giving it their all, thus the feuds and matches have been kinda lacklustre. It would be cool if Jay did make his way to RAW or SmackDown, but he really wouldn't be used much in the main event pictures and would just stay at the midcard point and only rarely used in some way or another to feud against a main eventer.
So after weighing the options, I say that Jay should stay where he is on ECW and remain as the champ for as long as WWE feels the need to keep him as champ.
Posted By: The "Real" Captain Charisma (Guest) on November 27, 2009 at 12:13 PM
High Road: Christian is the perfect ECW champion.
- He is experienced and dependable enough to guide young guys.
- He is young enough to keep up with younger guys.
- At PPV's, he represents ECW with credibility.
- If ECW becomes a full-fledged brand, he would be a good representative of the company.
I just wish he was a heel.
Posted By: Guest#4654 (Guest) on November 27, 2009 at 12:20 PM
Both roads, leaning high. Low, because he really should be on RAW or SD. High, because he brings a certain amount of cred to the ECW title, has been a fighting champion, is able to have a good match with just about anyone, and the person who beats him for it will look like a million bucks.
Posted By: The Great Capt. Smooth (Guest) on November 27, 2009 at 01:12 PM
High Road on this one. The simple fact is that ECW is for the younger talent to get air time and exposure before bringing them onto the bigger stage of Smackdown or Raw.
Christian was brought into ECW to help develop and hone these next superstars. "Christian does deliver consistently good matches, but few of them reach that ‘great' level and that's because he's forced to carry matches far too often. He's held back at ECW by his opponents' skill levels where, on another show, he would have the chance to really cut loose and deliver four-star matches. While he makes his opponents better at times, his confidence and skill also doesn't give them as much of a reason to push themselves because he's there to carry the load."
I agree that Christian has to carry some opponents but that's because these stars aren't ready to put on a TV caliber performance yet. He helps bring them along. And if a superstar cannot carry themself after a while, then they just need to be cut. A person needs a lot of time put into their craft to become better. If you look at Christian now versus when he first came on to the scene as part of the Brood, he is infinitely better and more charismatic. He is simply providing this kind of tutelage to the newest stars.
The other item to keep in mind is that by keeping the title on Christian, you create legitimacy. If some unknown is holding the title, then people would really not care about the brand. In which case, you would not need the airtime. Christian doesn't just carry the wrestlers, he carries the show and the ratings for the show. Velocity and Heat were shows for younger or more inexperienced wrestlers and they did not draw enough to keep a TV time slot. The WWE has to balance between a show for developing superstars and keeping a legit main eventer to draw in enough viewership.
In fact, while some may view his time as punishment for jumping to TNA, I think that it's an amazing opportunity. He has to carry an entire brand. And while holding one of the big two titles would be more prestigious, the fact that he is being relied upon to maintain ratings on the third show is a big deal.
Posted By: PK (Guest) on November 27, 2009 at 03:57 PM
High Road. The high road made a good point when stating that this is a show where Christian can be on top without a clusterfucked title picture. If WWE management actually want people to give a damn about ECW and it's title, then they should treat the ECW championship more like a world championship. Christian is a wrestler that is bringing lost prestige back to the title. If Christian were to go to Smackdown and compete for the WHchampionship, the ECW championship would look better, similar to the way it did when CM Punk became WHchampion after holding the ECW title.
Also it's always good when the ECW championship is included in matches made for a world title, let's not forget about the promos clearly stating the it was a world title, for example when it was one of the three scramble matches. or when it was included in world title three way matched(booker vs show vs cena or hardy vs hhh vs jericho). or when it had it's own elimination chamber match. more recently it will be competed for in a ladder match, while the wwe title will be competed for in a tables. I'm assuming the world heavyweight championship will be a chairs match.
Posted By: Jason (Guest) on November 27, 2009 at 08:24 PM
HIGH.
Two factors here:
1) Christian's ability and (Cpt.) charisma
2) the rest of the roster's constant struggle to get a title shot... even if it happens to be a second, third or twenty-sixth shot...
He's the basic Bret Hart "fighting champion" archetype right now. And that's fine, because it emphasize the championship as the centerpiece of the show.
Posted By: KanyonKreist (Registered) on November 28, 2009 at 10:54 AM
Both roads-
-In fact this is the perfect example of a both roads answer because it depends on how the question itself is approached. One can base their response based on either performance or potential. If one chooses performance than the obvious answer is high road. Christian is great in the ring, has charisma, can talk, has a good look, everything you want in a champion. Most of all though he gives the title some much needed legitimacy. If one answers based on potential then it is an obvious low road. Christian could and probably should be doing bigger things on a brighter stage. The man is a proven quality commodity that has been relegated to big fish/little pond duty.
-Perhaps this question should have been more specific? The answers you two provided speak to the very point I made. One of you is talking performance while the other speaks to his potential.
Posted By: gbh1978 (Guest) on November 28, 2009 at 02:41 PM
I say High Road. I think Christian has been a great ECW Champion and it has definately put him in the spotlight. On Raw or SD, he would have been just another midcarder holding one of the now worthless midcard belts (remember when being IC, US, or tag champions actually meant something?) Besides, that's what's gonna happen to him anyway after they move him.
But I do think it's time to drop the belt to Shelton Benjamin. It's time to see what happens when he's given the ball.
Posted By: JLAJRC (Guest) on November 28, 2009 at 04:02 PM
Both Roads
Christian gives the ECW Title credibility and has really good matches-There is nothing but good in that.
However, the ceiling for Christian is far lower on ECW than what he's capable of. Losing to guys like Batista or Orton on RAW or SD! would at least put him in a high profile situation and give him a chance to sell tickets (which he will never do as ECW Champ, because lets face it, the ECW title means less than the IC or US Titles). Or he could turn heel, which I think is the more natural position for him, and gives Cena an opponent a little better than f'n Sheamus.
Bottom Line: Christian as ECW Champ is good for ECW and the title, but bad for Christian.
Posted By: black hole of charisma (Guest) on November 29, 2009 at 12:49 AM
High Road
ECW needs Christian for the time being.
Posted By: Phil (Guest) on November 29, 2009 at 08:35 PM
christian deserves nothing. add him to the list of guys who left the fed for tna and then realized "fuck i had it pretty good back there." and maybe being stuck in ecw is managements way of saying "maybe net time youll shut your mouth". SOdas rule!!!!
Posted By: pjl (Guest) on November 30, 2009 at 05:44 PM
Low Road. I am a huge Christian mark (I've only ever bought three wrestling shirts, one Eddie, two for the former Mr Cage), so I love seeing him get a chance to shine and carry the strap, and I do believe that his role as mentor to some of the young guns of ECW is helpful to pro wrestling's big picture.
But, but, but...there needs to be a time limit on his time in ECW, and I think the WWE is a much different environment than it was when Christian fled to TNA to be a main eventer. There's a willingness to have non-musclebound giants wear world titles, and the beginnings of a recognition that it's time to start harvesting a new crop of talent. We've been teased with the beginnings of a feud with the poster boy for the new style champ (and former big dog in ECW) CM Punk in the background of Survivor Series. The low road makes the most compelling point of the argument in pointing out the number of great storylines and matches out there for Christian on Friday nights. I think that a post-Wrestlemania move to Smackdown is in the cards for Capt Charisma.
Posted By: s1rude (Guest) on December 01, 2009 at 08:54 PM
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