Jason Reso
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Career
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The name Christian came from his earlier wrestling name, Christian Cage, which was a spur of the moment combination of the names of the actors, Nicholas Cage and Christian Slater. Trained by Ron Hutchinson, Christian's wrestling career began in June 1995 in a match against Zakk Wylde, a fellow trainee from Sully's Gym in Toronto. One of his first stage names was Canadian Rage. From very early in his career Christian formed one half of a tag team with Adam Copeland ("Edge"), first called High Impact, later The Suicide Blondes, and most recently simply Edge and Christian. The duo held titles in numerous wrestling promotions, and Christian held the East Coast Wrestling Association title before signing with the World Wrestling Federation (now World Wrestling Entertainment) in August 1998.
Christian had some early singles success, capturing the Light Heavyweight Championship in his debut match. However, his real success came while wrestling in the tag circuit. Christian was given the character of a vampire and formed a stable with Edge and Gangrel known as The Brood. The Brood briefly joined The Undertaker's Ministry of Darkness, but left after Christian was thrown out of the group.
The gothic angle was unsuccessful, but soon after, Edge and Christian began to reach their potential. After an unremarkable run as faces most notable for their tendency to approach the ring via the audience, Edge and Christian redefined themselves as a bumbling comic duo of surfer / teenyboppers. They began to hang out with Kurt Angle and repeated captured the World Tag Team Championships, as well as winning a triple threat ladder match and two TLC matches. In 2001, Rhyno debuted in the WWF, aligning himself with Edge and Christian.
Friction arose between the team after Edge won the annual King of the Ring tournament. Christian appeared to be jealous, and insisted on carrying Edge's trophy to the ring. His true colors were revealed to the world after he assaulted his on-screen brother and tag team partner Edge. The former partners went on to feud over the Intercontinental Championship for several months. They dropped the storyline brotherhood gimmick when he and Edge broke out on their own.
Singles competition
Christian began a singles career, teasing a face turn before turning on his mentor, Diamond Dallas Page, and feuding with him over the European Championship. Christian formed a tag team with fellow Canadian Lance Storm as part of the UnAmericans faction, and then became the sidekick of Chris Jericho, with whom he once again won the Tag Team Championships. Christian helped Jericho eliminate Shawn Michaels from the 2003 Royal Rumble by dressing as Jericho and distracting Michaels, allowing Jericho to attack him from behind.
In 2004, Jericho and Christian split, beginning a long feud involving WWE Diva Trish Stratus, the on-camera love interest of Chris Jericho at the time, who Christian had injured on an episode of RAW. During a match between Christian and Jericho at WrestleMania XX, Trish betrayed Jericho, allowing Christian to defeat him. Trish then joined forces with Christian and his "Problem Solver" Tyson Tomko to make Jericho's life on RAW miserable. The team eventually split, with Tomko deciding to remain with Christian.
Christian's current gimmick is that of a cocky, overconfident heel, although he is immensely popular in Canada. He dubs himself "Captain Charisma" and is often accompanied by Tyson Tomko. He is also known as "C.L.B (Creepy Little Bastard)", a nickname given bestowed upon him by Stone Cold Steve Austin. He usually wins his matches with interference from Tomko or by some other creative method of cheating. Christian teamed with Edge again several times in late 2004 and early 2005, but failed to recreate the success of their original partnership. Despite being a heel, he has acquired a cult fanbase, who he refers to as his "Peeps", "Peepulation" (a play on the word "population") or the "Christian Coalition". His current entrance theme music is "Just Close Your Eyes" by the rock band Waterproof Blonde.
At the 2005 Royal Rumble, Christian had an encounter with then-WWE US Champion John Cena. He claimed that he was a better rapper than Cena, asking Tomko to 'drop a beat'. Tomko refused. Over the next months, Christian began making promos denouncing John Cena as a 'poser'. It all came to a head when John Cena, now WWE Champion was drafted to RAW. Christian and Tomko came out to cut a promo against Cena, leading to a tag-team match for the June 13th RAW featuring Cena and Chris Jericho against Christian and Tomko. Jericho and Cena won that match, but after it Jericho attacked Cena from behind because he wanted to prove to Eric Bischoff that he deserved a shot at the WWE Title. So Eric made it official when he announced that WWE Title will be defended in a Triple Threat Match between Cena, Jericho and Christian at WWE Vengeance.
Profile
- Height: 6'2" (188 cm)
- Weight: 235lbs (106.6 kg)
- Birthday: November 30, 1973
- Birthplace: Kitchener, Ontario
- Hometown: Orangeville, Ontario
- Resides: Tampa, Florida
- Trained By: Ron Hutchinson
- Professional Debut: June 1995
- Previous Identities: Canadian Rage; Christian Cage; Captain Charisma
- Nicknames: Captain Charisma, C.L.B. (Creepy Little Bastard)
- Previous Manager(s): Trish Stratus, Judd the Studd
- Previous Enforcer(s): Tyson Tomko
- Signature Illegal Weapon(s): Steel Folding Chair
Quotes
- "'Cause that's how I roll!"
Finishing/Signature Moves
- Un-Prettier / Impaler (Standing Rotating Inverted Double Underhook Facebuster)
- Diving Reverse DDT
- Inverted Facelock Neckbreaker/Backbreaker
- Texas Cloverleaf
- Reverse Tornado DDT ("CCT")
- One man con-chair-to
- Impaler DDT
Championships/Accomplishments
World Wrestling Entertainment
- 3-time WWE Intercontinental Champion
- 1-time WWE European Champion
- 1-time WWF Light-Heavyweight Champion
- 1-time WWE Hardcore Champion
- 9-time World Tag Team Champion (7-time with Edge, 1-time with Lance Storm, 1-time with Chris Jericho)
- 1-time East Coast Wrestling Association Heavyweight Champion
- 1-time Pennsylvania Championship Wrestling Heavyweight Champion
| WWE Intercontinental Championship Reigns | ||
| Preceded by: Edge | First | Succeeded by Edge |
| Preceded by: Vacant | Second | Succeeded by Booker T |
| Preceded by: Booker T | Third | Succeeded by Rob Van Dam |
Awards
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) ranked him # 454 of the 500 best singles wrestlers during the "PWI Years".
- He also has been part of two PWI Awards. They were Match of the Year in 2000 and 2001. Both matches were Edge & Christian vs. The Dudley Boyz vs. The Hardy Boyz.
External links
- WWE Profile (http://www.wwe.com/superstars/raw/christian/profile.jsp)
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