Christian/Orton: Week 5 - The Turn

After weeks of building the turn, the WWE has finally turned Christian into a heel. During Randy Orton's title defense against Sheamus, Christian was the ref. After? He attacked Orton. Other than a heel turn, where else do you go with that?

From what I have read, Christian got a pretty good response from the live audience. You know the internet is on his side more than they may be for Orton over this issue. I like that. It should send a good message to the WWE. Also, for weeks now, one of my major concerns was that the WWE will not build this feud properly to make Christian regaining the title mean as much as his first title win and reign should have meant. If Christian can keep the crowd on his side, and I doubt it will be easy for him to lose them, it is going to be the crowd that really makes Christian's next big moment mean something, no matter the build from the WWE. And how will the WWE try to edit and downplay that?

Now that the turn finally happened, was the build up to that moment worth it? I've been bored by how they were building this elaborate storyline from almost since Christian lost the title, but was it all worth it? Honestly, they probably could have had Christian turn a few weeks ago and the results in terms of crowd reaction would have been the same. Obviously, kayfabe results in match booking and where the storyline went would be different, but all this is booked and written is meant to have an effect on the crowd anyway. It is done for a reason. That being said, the storyline has been really dry, and now I can say it really has been needlessly so for all these weeks. With the heel turn, things can really pick up now. I would just ditch Sheamus and Mark Henry. Have them feud with each other for a few weeks. Have Mark Henry feud with a microphone. Sheamus can squash jobbers and complain for a while. Let this personal issue between Orton and Christian really get even more personal between each other now. Let Christian really take the spotlight. Right now, even as a heel, Christian still looks weak in that he has already lost to Orton twice recently. What credibility will he have heading into another match? If the WWE does extend things further by tossing in Mark Henry and Sheamus to make it a four-way match, it will still have to come down to Orton and Christian again later on anyway. Stop wasting time and just go there now.

I have overlooked Orton himself. The Smackdown centerpiece is not looking too great. I am not talking about booking. The fans are supposed to be siding with him, the face in the storyline. I am seeing things in common between this feud and a certain diva feud that happened a few years ago. This is not the end of Orton. I am not predicting he will be depushed to being Tyson Kidd's manager on Superstars. He has not really lost the fans either. The WWE just needs to work this one storyline well, then split Orton and Christian. Let Christian have a good reign. Orton can do something else for a month or two. When the time is right, and if the WWE wants it that bad, then work some way for Orton to once again regain it. That is how you book a centerpiece.