Christian/Orton: Week 3

First, RIP "Macho Man" Randy Savage.

Now, with Randy "Pitch Perfect" Orton going crazy over Smackdown ratings being at the lowest it has been all year, we head into Christian's PPV rematch for the World title. What happened on Smackdown this week to further the storyline? Orton and Christian each saw singles competition against the two men they beat in tag action the previous week. Sheamus and Mark Henry are your heel jobbers here. Moreover, the finish to the separate matches for Orton and Christian was pretty much the same. The one in the match is needing help, the other teases whether to help or not, but ends up making the save anyway. There are two reasons I did not like this. First, it is so basic. It is simple. It was dry booking. For me, it is boring. I am sure more could have been done to shake things up. Second, they are pretty much teasing the question of whether one of them will turn heel. Which one? How? When? People are expecting it, but does that mean the WWE really has to beg the question like this? I prefer surprise turns. Even if this one will not be one of those, this hyping over a heel turn seems like a lame way to throw attention off the fact that poor booking was the root of the whole controversy here. Now they are trying to make it look like the issue, the bigger storyline, is a heel turn? People have a right to be more hyped for Christian's first World title win in the WWE and his first reign than for the possibility that he may be the one turning heel.

Who will walk out with the title after the PPV? I could say that it would be stupid to hand someone a title for a brief period and just have them lose it with minimal kayfabe controversy, but the WWE just pulled that with Christian a few weeks ago. Let me repeat what I have mentioned a while ago, this excuse that Christian should not have had to defend the title so soon after winning it is a stupid kayfabe reason to push a kayfabe controversy. Being screwed over by Money in the Bank or an authority figure who hates you and makes you defend it when you are not ready are strong kayfabe reasons for a title reign ending abruptly. I have already gone into this, so I will not repeat more. I see Orton retaining and Christian turning heel. Christian just winning it back clean would be kind of flat. What would have been the point of the whole thing? Orton turns heel? Why? Because he lost to Christian clean? I'm not buying it. The WWE is selling this as Christian's moment being ruined, so it makes more sense for him to turn heel after failing to regain it after the trivial excuses of not being prepared are out the door.

Overall, this "bigger storyline" continues to be built lamely. Orton and Christian are doing there thing, but the structure of this storyline is not yet at that epic level. The turn better be worth it.