10 WWE Betrayals That Were Totally Justified
9. Christian (2011)
Here's another one from 2011.
At Extreme Rules, a tearful Edge looked up lovingly at his childhood buddy Christian, and soaked in the joy of seeing his best friend become World Heavyweight Champion. It was an emotional night for everyone, including Christian; he had replaced a retiring Edge against Alberto Del Rio and got the job done.
The next week on SmackDown, WWE booked him in a title match with Randy Orton and Christian's short-lived babyface shine was cut short. Soon, he'd turn heel on Orton and snarl back at those who had backed him into a corner or believed he was only given the chance because of Edge's misfortune. How dare they after he had done everything asked of him.
Check the booking from that period and you'll see a dispirited Christian (at Over The Limit) realising he'd have to take things up a notch if he ever wanted to taste championship success again. It was sneaky, but superb, storytelling, and it fed neatly into Christian's heel turn.