The last time we saw Christian wrestle in a WWE ring, it was February 2014. He won a fatal four-way match over Alberto Del Rio (real bad dude), Dolph Ziggler, and Sheamus on RAW. Christian was the number one contender for Big E's Intercontinental Championship. During the match, he sustained another concussion from a Del Rio kick and was forced to retire. He never got the match against Big E, and nobody thought he'd ever wrestle again.
I was 13 years old when Christian wrestled his last match. He was one of my favorite wrestlers. Ever since he retired, he's been on my short list of dream comebacks along with CM Punk and Edge. I never thought it would happen, and honestly, I never really thought he should. But then Edge came back.
When Edge returned in the Rumble match last year, it made me think about possibilities. If Edge could do it, why not Christian? Obviously, it wasn't that simple. Brain injuries are much different than spine injuries, but the chance was there. When we saw that Edge hadn't lost a step during his nine year hiatus, I thought about Christian again. And then when Christian showed up to wrestle Randy Orton in June, I thought it might really happen. Instead of wrestling a match that night, Christian got hit with a low-blow by Ric Flair and then punted by Randy. Not a real match. I thought that was it, until last night.
There's nothing like a Royal Rumble countdown. Hearing the whole crowd yell each number at the top of their lungs is always a highlight of the show. We didn't get that this year. What we did get was so much better. After Carlito and Kane made special appearances in the match, I figured it was over. Everyone else was going to be a current wrestler. Then the countdown for the 24th entrant started. I was sitting on my couch. My roommate was texting. One word made us both jump out of our seats. "Go!"
The second "Just Close Your Eyes" hit and Christian's Titantron went up, I couldn't sit down. It was a surreal moment. Nobody thought Christian would ever be able to take another bump and here he is, in the Royal Rumble match. Not just that, he did it with Edge. In 2021. That's insane. I stood for the rest of the show after he came out. Christian made it to the final four and just like Edge, he hadn't lost a step. He hit a Killswitch on Big E and helped eliminate Bobby Lashley. It was just like the Christian of ten years ago.
Why did Christian's return mean so much to me? It's a question I've been thinking about all day as I write this piece. The best answer I could come up with is this; pure nostalgia. Wrestling was a big part of my childhood. I spent at least 5 hours a week watching it from age 11 to 15 or 16. I definitely spent more than 5 hours thinking about it each week. I was even able to see it in person a handful of times. Seeing someone return that was such a huge figure during that time always brings me back. Even when it's someone that I don't have a huge connection with like Edge or John Morrison, I still go nuts for them. Christian was different. As I mentioned earlier, he's one of my favorites. Always has been, always will be. Seeing him return to the ring after seven years on the shelf made me feel like that 11 year old kid again. That doesn't happen much in today's wrestling.
I'm still a wrestling fan, but it's different. I don't have time to watch the daily shows anymore, with the exception of Dynamite. Maybe Christian's return will change that. Edge's did for a couple of months, Christian's could do the same. Last night was an all-time Royal Rumble for me. I just wish that there were fans there for Christian's big moment. Maybe it'll happen at Wrestlemania.
No comments:
Post a Comment