History YMMV / Christian

** "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYT6rqEvjjs Your father is dead.]]" [[labelnote:Explanation]]A trend during Christian's {{Heel}} run in AEW is for him to target a wrestler's deceased father and just trash them for {{Heel}} heat. It started with "Jungle Boy" Jack Perry, and continued to Wrestling/{{Wardlow}} and Brian Pillman Jr. This led to fans claiming that Christian only goes after wrestlers with dead fathers so he can proceed to bury them live. When Christian showed up to a cut a promo on Nick Wayne and brought up that Wayne had a father, the entire audience went into a collective gasp knowing what Christian was about to say.[[/labelnote]]

* CrossesTheLineTwice: His entire {{Heel}} schtick in AEW consists of him just crossing line after line at light speed from bringing up people’s dead dads to shamelessly hitting on his rivals’ moms.

** Upon turning {{Heel}} in AEW, combined with how often he CrossesTheLineTwice in his promos against his opponents, alongside the positive reception to his performance in matches, many have considered this to be Christian's best run in his professional career. Helping this is current AEW World Champion Wrestling/{{MJF}} and his gradual turn towards AntiHero[=/=]AntiVillain rather than stay a full-blown {{Heel}}, elevating Christian's villainous traits more and more into the limelight.

* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: Pick one of his themes, any one. Highlights include [[https://youtu.be/JmUKTClhwSM "At Last"]] and [[https://youtu.be/VsuFVUjXYsI "Just Close Your Eyes"]] [[https://youtu.be/oZ6VlUpGedU (both versions)]] in WWE, and [[https://youtu.be/HVrlNzQSTBE "Take Over"]] (which is [[SuspiciouslySimilarSong definitely not]] [[Music/{{Evanescence}} "My Last Breath"]]) in TNA and AEW.
* CrossesTheLineTwice: His entire heel in AEW consists of him just crossing line after line at light speed from bringing up people’s dead dads to shamelessly hitting on his rivals’ moms.

** His heel run in AEW is what many consider to be the best run of his career.
* HarsherInHindsight: His constant whining for 'one more match' during his heel run takes on a much more somber meaning now that a string of successive injuries may mean that he may be forced to retire from in-ring action - and without an official 'send-off' match, to boot. Fortunately negated, at least for now, by his 2020 return from retirement.
* JustHereForGodzilla: Christian was effectively the only reason anyone watched WWECW in 2009. Considering he was a borderline main event talent who, at the height of his popularity, was more over than ''Wrestling/JohnCena'', on a show filled with younger, unestablished talent and mid carder jobbers like Wrestling/WilliamRegal, it was only to be expected.

** "Your father is dead." [[labelnote:Explanation]]A trend during Christian's heel run at [[Wrestling/AllEliteWrestling AEW]] is for him to target wrestler's deceased fathers and just trash them for heel heat. It started with Jungle Boy, and continued to Wardlow and Brian Pillman Jr. This led to fans claiming that Christian only goes after wrestlers with dead fathers so he can proceed to bury them live. When Christian showed up to a cut a promo on Nick Wayne and brought up that Wayne had a father, the entire audience went to a collective gasp as to what Christian was about to say.[[/labelnote]]

* VindicatedByHistory: His actions as a {{heel}} in 2011 — namely the enmity towards Wrestling/RandyOrton, the questioning of Wrestling/TripleH, and the general complaints against the WWE machine for costing him his dream World Heavyweight Championship run — becomes completely justified in kayfabe by the rise of Wrestling/TheAuthority in 2013.

** "Your father is dead." [[labelnote:Explanation]]A trend during Christian's heel run at [[Wrestling/AllEliteWrestling AEW]] is for him to target wrestler's deceased fathers and just trash them for heel heat. It started with Jungle Boy, and continued to Wardlow and Brian Pillman Jr.. This led to fans claiming that Christian only goes after wrestlers with dead fathers so he can proceed to bury them live. When Christian showed up to a cut a promo on Nick Wayne and brought up that Wayne had a father, the entire audience went to a collective gasp as to what Christian was about to say.[[/labelnote]]

** "Your father is dead." [[labelnote:Explanation]]A trend during Christian's heel run at [[Wrestling/AllEliteWrestling AEW]] is for him to target wrestler's deceased fathers and just trash them for heel heat. It started with Jungle Boy, and continued to Wardlow. This led to fans claiming that Christian only goes after wrestlers with dead fathers so he can proceed to bury them live. When Christian showed up to a cut a promo on Nick Wayne and brought up that Wayne had a father, the entire audience went to a collective gasp as to what Christian was about to say.[[/labelnote]]

* TheWoobie: "Oh, hi Grandma Edna! Did you see, I--''<Deflated>'' Yeah. [[Wrestling/{{Edge}} He]]'s here."

** And of course, prior to Christian making his WWE return, Wrestling/JeffHardy was regularly being attacked by a mystery assailant: guess who it '''was''' going to be until somebody higher up decided that since it was so "obvious" it shouldn't happen? Although to be fair, the WWE fanbase immediately figured out that it was meant to be Christian behind the attacks. The WWE gave the angle to Wrestling/MattHardy instead, so that they could pull a ShockingSwerve on the fans.

* HarsherInHindsight: His constant whining for 'one more match' during his heel run takes on a much more somber meaning now that a string of successive injuries may mean that he may be forced to retire from in-ring action - and without an official 'send-off' match, to boot.

* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: Pick one of his themes, any one. Highlights include [[https://youtu.be/JmUKTClhwSM "At Last"]] and [[https://youtu.be/VsuFVUjXYsI "Just Close Your Eyes"]] [[https://youtu.be/oZ6VlUpGedU (both versions)]] in WWE, and [[https://youtu.be/HVrlNzQSTBE "Take Over"]] (which is [[SuspiciouslySimilarSong definitely not]] [[Music/{{Evanescence}} "My Last Breath"]]) in TNA.

* EnsembleDarkhorse: Towards the end of his initial WWE run, [=Christian=]'s gimmick got so over with the crowd that he was getting cheers ''over actual faces''. Rather than turn him face, WWE moved him to ''[=SmackDown=]'' so they could edit the chants for Christian out of his matches.
** One fan-created {{WMG}} theory to why [=Christian=] hasn't been given a world title since his return to the WWE is because [=Christian=] managed to get cheered over the guy they were grooming to be the next big thing: Wrestling/JohnCena.
** While Wrestling/ChrisJericho [[FaceHeelTurn turning heel]], putting over Cena, getting fired, and being dragged away kicking and screaming was Jericho's own idea per his book, Christian getting cheered over Cena is largely attributed to why his big world title match was relegated to a triple threat at [[Wrestling/{{Vengeance}} Vengeance 2005]] before he was subsequently booted out of the main event picture. Which in turn is attributed to WWE failing to keep [=Christian=] at the negotiating table, leading to him being seen in TNA very shortly after his WWE contract ran out in the first place.
** This trope seems to be biting Christian in the ass on one level when he's a face. Both times he's lost titles have been indirectly attributed to a fan vote putting him into the match where he would lose his title. The first time was the oft-mentioned title reign of two days to Wrestling/RandyOrton when the live audience 'voted' that they wanted to see that match, and the second time was during his latest IC Championship run, where the week before, WWE ran a fan vote as to which champion (between himself, the US Champ Wrestling/SantinoMarella, and the Divas' Champion [[Wrestling/{{LayCool}} Layla]]) the fans wanted to see defend their title at RAW 1000. Christian won the poll...and lost his title to Wrestling/TheMiz.

* SuspiciouslySimilarSong: His theme in TNA, Take Over, sounds a lot like Music/{{Evanescence}}'s My Last Breath.

** Never mind the fact that his WHC title run was insultingly short. A feud between [=Christian=] and Randy Orton for the title would have actually been pretty cool, especially considering that they're the top 2 guys on Smackdown and, because of the Draft, its Main Event scene hasn't been established yet. But since WWE have made it clear multiple times that they don't see [=Christian=] as a Main Event player, it's never gonna happen. However, this ultimately ended up being subverted as they actually went through with [=Christian=] vs Orton, where they went to have some of the best matches of 2011 and would've been WWE feud of the year had it not been for Cena vs Punk. Still, many feel [=Christian=] should have been the champ for these instead of Orton.

*** Getting cheered over Cena is also attributed to why Wrestling/ChrisJericho was [[FaceHeelTurn turned heel]] and thrown into [=Christian=]'s title match with Cena at [[Wrestling/{{Vengeance}} Vengeance 2005]] and [=Christian=] never got another shot again. Which in turn is attributed to WWE failing to keep [=Christian=] at the negotiating table, leading to him being seen in TNA very shortly after his WWE contract ran out in the first place.
*** Jericho turning heel was his own idea, per his book.

* EnsembleDarkhorse: Towards the end of his initial WWE run, [=Christian=]'s gimmick got so over with the crowd that he was getting cheers ''over actual faces''. Rather than turn him face, WWE moved him to ''[=SmackDown=]'' [[OrwellianEditor so they could edit the chants for Christian out of his matches]].

* RealityEnsues: With the success Wrestling/DanielBryan and even his best friend Wrestling/Edge, many began wondering if Christian will follow suit. Unfortunately, Christian made it clear that it's not happening. Similar as to Bryan's concussion injuries, he sited that both have different types of injuries, and how Bryan retired in his mid 30's, Christian retired in his 40's. In Talk is Jericho, it's mentioned that WWE would most likely never allow him to wrestle again because of how much they know now of concussions like CTE and the Benoit tragedy, especially at Christian's age. A comeback is simply not an option for him, even if he wanted too.