Despite going through ups and downs in his career, Christian is well-known by many fans as one of the most underrated performers in the business. Someone who was a tag team with Edge during the Attitude era, as their association was considered one of the best tag teams in WWE history, Christian has also proved to be a viable solo performer throughout his wrestling career. Whether in WWE, TNA, or even his current run with AEW, Christian not only delivered in the ring but can bring a level of charisma that fans have enjoyed. However, during his initial run in WWE, Christian departed from the company in 2005 despite recently getting drafted to the Smackdown brand and being one of their featured performers that same year at one point.

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Christian's Difficult Rise To The Top

Christian's initial run in WWE lasted from 1998 to 2005. He was one of the main attractions throughout the Attitude Era, as he and Edge revolutionized the concept of the TLC match along with The Hardyz and The Dudley Boyz. Before breaking out as a solo wrestler, Christian was on his way to becoming an established performer in the WWE. And surely enough, Christian eventually broke out on his own in 2001 before the Ruthless Aggression era began.

When the Ruthless Aggression era first started in mid-2002, Christian was a utilized performer despite not gaining much credibility as a singles performer. However, despite not garnering much regarding initial solo success, Christian was more booked as a comedy character on the show. An example would be his wacky tag-team with Chris Jericho in 2002, as both men provided entertaining television on the Raw brand.

One could argue that Christian is an underrated comedy wrestler, aside from his tag team with Edge in the early years of his career. It may have been one of the reasons why WWE started to utilize Christian more as a solo performer as the Ruthless Aggression era progressed.

It wasn't until 2003 that Christian's career as a successful singles wrestler took off, as getting praised by The Rock on TV in early 2003 was a beneficial way to give him a rub. Furthermore, he later won the Intercontinental Championship for the second in his career that same year. Christian also scored a victory at Wrestlemania 20 against Chris Jericho in a long-term storyline Christian was involved with him and Trish Stratus.

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Getting Drafted To Smackdown In 2005

As Christian got positioned in the upper mid-card position on the Raw brand going into 2005, one would think that WWE would utilize him possibly for the main-event scene. One would this possibility especially considering he was part of a triple-threat match with Chris Jericho and John Cena for the WWE Championship at the Vengeance 2005 PPV, which was John Cena's first PPV when getting drafted to Raw.

As Christian was one of the final draft picks for the Smackdown brand in mid-2005, it was an opportunity for him to shine. Unfortunately, it didn't exactly turn out this way, as he quickly became just another superstar on the Smackdown roster with not much meaning. Despite getting a World Heavyweight Championship match on his first night arriving at Smackdown, Christian was not able to gain any success as a singles star.

Christian Departed From WWE In Mid-2005

On October 31st, 2005, Christian's WWE contract expired. He got offered to sign a new deal, as Christian decided not to re-sign with WWE, according to the Wrestling Observer. News like this may have been surprising, considering Christian has accomplished many championships throughout the seven years he was in the company. However, as Christian's character wasn't presented well in terms of credibility when arriving at the Smackdown brand, it's understandable why Christian wanted to take his business elsewhere.

It's been a known rumor in the wrestling world that Vince McMahon wasn't much a fan of Christian as a main-event level star. Though it's a rumor, one can't deny that Christian's stock in WWE plummeted after getting drafted to Smackdown in 2005, making it difficult for him to be taken seriously as a credible top performer. At that point, Christian was nowhere in the same league as other top stars on the roster, especially with the likes of John Cena, Batista, or even Rey Mysterio. Even after returning to WWE for a second run in 2009, it's clear to many fans that Christian's level of solo stardom was limited to an extent, even when the roster lacked star power in the early 2010s. Although he won the World Heavyweight Championship on two separate occasions in 2011, both title reigns were shorts.

Christian has had a memorable wrestling career in WWE, as no one can take that away from him. However, as he can only go so much as a singles performer, Christian had never gotten booked as a top main-event level star.