10 Weakest WWE Return Pops Ever

4. Christian

Jake Roberts raw
WWE

"It's... it's Christian."

Is there a more anticlimactic commentary in WWE history than Todd Grisham's 10 February 2009 proclamation? It's extremely unlikely.

A beloved Attitude Era tag worker, Christian first left WWE after declining a new contract offer in 2005. He jumped to TNA shortly afterwards, and immediately became one of only a few ex-WWE stars to actually push the company forward. Over three years, Christian became one of the promotion's most important acts, securing two NWA World Heavyweight Title reigns along the way, but he departed towards the end of 2008.

He returned to WWE television as part of the ECW brand, but despite Christian's undeniable popularity during the Attitude Era's heyday, the crowd response was muted. Grisham's awful line compounded the situation, and while the fans eventually worked up to 'Captain Charisma' as he challenged ECW Champion Jack Swagger, the initial pop was awful.

Bringing Christian back on Raw or SmackDown would've almost certainly drawn a bigger reaction, and the same goes for entering him in the 2009 Royal Rumble. His run as ECW Champion was good for the brand, but from Christian's standpoint, WWE didn't exactly maximise the first few months of his return.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.