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At the Royal Rumble 2021 pay-per-view, Christian made his return to in-ring competition for the first time since competing in a quick match on RAW in 2020. During the Men's Rumble, Captain Charisma entered the match at No. 24 and reunited with his long-term tag team partner and best friend, Edge.
While the Rumble didn't exactly turn out the way Christian was hoping for, it definitely is safe to say that the former ECW World Champion was overjoyed by the end of the night. Despite failing to seal his place at WrestleMania 37, Christian's best friend Edge pulled-off the unthinkable and won his second-ever Royal Rumble.
However, that now leaves us with the question, where does Christian go from here?
With Edge set to challenge for a World Championship at The Grandest Stage of Them All, Christian is likely to play a big role in the former's Road To WrestleMania. With that being said, here are a few options on how WWE could book Christian following his triumphant return to the company at Royal Rumble 2021.
#5. Christian feuds with Bobby Lashley for the WWE United States Championship
As soon as Christian's music hit at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view, one of the first men to greet him back into the squared circle was Bobby Lashley. However, on this occasion, Christian got the upper-hand on the CEO of The Hurt Business and with the help of Daniel Bryan, Big E, and Riddle, Captain Charisma managed to eliminate Bobby Lashley from the Rumble.
During his 18 minutes in the Royal Rumble, Lashley was the only Superstar who Christian managed to eliminate. And that itself could be the primary reason for WWE to book Christian in a feud with Bobby Lashley. The two men have a lot of history with each other and having Christian challenge for Lashley's US Championship would also call for a sensible feud on the Road To WrestleMania.
The reigning US Champion is currently engaged in a feud with Riddle, however, once he is past the former NXT Tag Team Champion, Lashley could shift focus towards Christian.
#4. Randy Orton and Christian could reignite their feud once again
During Randy Orton's feud with Edge in 2020, Christian was once again involved in a feud involving his best friend. Captain Charisma was eventually challenged to an unsanctioned match by Orton on an episode of Monday Night RAW, which he would go on to accept.
The match turned out to be Christian's first bit of action in the ring in 6 years. However, things didn't go the way the WWE Universe would've hoped for and Christian suffered a quick loss to The Viper after a low-blow from Ric Flair, followed by a Punt Kick from Orton. Later in the year though, Christian once again appeared on WWE TV when he helped Drew McIntyre retain the WWE Championship over Randy Orton at Clash of Champions.
With Orton being unable to eliminate Edge and win the Royal Rumble, The Viper could now shift his focus towards Christian. In the past, the two men have competed on the big stage on a few occasions and this time around, Christian and Randy Orton could put together another instant classic.
#3. Christian helps Edge in a potential feud against Roman Reigns and co.
With Edge earning the right to possibly challenge Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship, Christian could heavily get involved in this blockbuster of a feud in the making.
Edge's win at Royal Rumble has now lined up for a potential feud against the current Universal Champion. And, in the match prior to the Men's Royal Rumble, Roman Reigns also successfully defended his Universal Championship in a brutal Last Man Standing Match against Kevin Owens.
If Edge is to choose a match against The Tribal Chief, it is quite likely that Roman Reigns will try to one-up the numbers game advantage in his favor. With both Paul Heyman and Jey Uso by his side, The Head of the Table will aim to target Edge from all ends in the lead-up to WrestleMania and that is when Christian could enter the picture.
WIth Christian by Edge's side in the lead-up to 'Mania 37, WWE could also have the former face Jey Uso in singles competition. One of the likelier options could also be Reigns and Jey vs. Edge and Christian in a tag team in order to build-up the original feud.
#2. Christian turns out to be Seth Rollins' return feud
One of the potential options for Seth Rollins could be a feud against Christian. Christian's return at Royal Rumble was definitely a heartwarming moment, however, Seth Rollins wasn't too pleased by seeing the returning Captain Charisma. Eventually, it was The Messiah who ended up eliminating Christian from the match.
At the 2021 Royal Rumble pay-per-view, Seth Rollins finally made his return to WWE. The Messiah, who was a part of the Blue brand, is expected to rejoin the SmackDown roster once again. But, upon his comeback, it will be interesting to note what plans WWE has in store for the former Universal Champion now that he is back.
A feud against Christian could be a solid option for both Seth Rollins and the former WWE World Champion. That way, Christian could also stay on SmackDown, if Edge eventually decides to choose Roman Reigns as his WrestleMania 37 opponent. Rollins himself has had his fair share of issues with Edge in the past and WWE could use that angle for a potential Christian-Seth Rollins feud.
#1. Drew McIntyre accepts Christian's WWE Championship challenge
At the moment, Edge vs. Roman Reigns seems like the go-to option for WWE, whereas, Christian could focus on the WWE Championship. On paper, Edge vs. Drew McIntyre is a solid option for WrestleMania 37 but WWE could instead stick to the Spear vs. Spear match between Edge and Reigns.
That leaves McIntyre with a potential challenger in Christian. Fresh off his iconic win over WWE Hall of Famer Goldberg at Royal Rumble, McIntyre could quite easily pull off a short feud against another veteran in Christian. The feud doesn't necessarily mean that one of the two Superstars would have to turn heel, as it is likely to be a one-off rivalry.
With Edge possibly challenging for the WWE Universal Championship, Christian could also enter himself into the hunt for that one more match and one final World title run. The story behind the potential feud would make sense, given that this could be Christian's first proper WWE run after six-seven years and could also be his final ever. That's something the fans will have to wait and see.
The company doesn't necessarily have to book the feud all the way till WrestleMania but a match between Christian and Drew McIntyre could rather occur at WWE Fastlane.
