10 Wrestlers Who Transformed Their Careers By Leaving WWE

Christian’s initial 1998-2005 run in WWE is not to be rubbished. Edge and Christian are one of WWE’s greatest tag teams. However, when they split, Christian was given the cliché Marty Jannetty dismissal. In feuding with Edge, he won his first Intercontinental Championship. However, he lost it one month later. Christian was demoted to European Champion, after which he was hastily thrown into The Un-Americans.

Christian’s crime was having what Vince McMahon deemed a “ratty” face. The Chairman infamously wanted to put a blue dot over Christian’s face, only slightly preferable to a small red one on the forehead.

Leaving WWE in 2005, Christian ironically broke out when he reclaimed his previous ring name, Christian Cage. Competing in TNA, he established himself as “The Instant Classic”. In under three months, Cage defeated Jeff Jarrett for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship at Against All Odds 2006, a title he would capture again at Final Resolution 2007.

Christian returned to WWE in 2009 primed for main event success. He captured the ECW Championship and the World Heavyweight Championship (both twice) and became the company’s twenty-third Triple Crown Champion and eleventh Grand Slam Champion.