Ranking Every WWE Grand Slam Champion From Worst To Best
8. Christian
Redemption for the unfair aspersions constantly cast upon him by Vince McMahon, Christian was at long last permitted to be the top level star he'd shown endless propensity for since first splitting from partner Edge in 2001. In a sad irony, it took the 2010 retirement of his real life best friend to finally get him over the line.
Christian had scooped Tag, Intercontinental and European gold in his first impressive run with the organisation, but a shock departure for TNA in 2006 immediately showed WWE what they'd been missing when the Orlando outfit presented him as the top star in the company.
To be fair, they were often guilty of doing this with every ex-WWE talent, but in Christian Cage's case, the performance level matched the stature. He was an immediate hit for the quality of his matches, peerless as all-rounder cast either as a face or a heel, and the first legitimate star to make TNA feel like the place to be in the wrestling industry for a hot minute.
His return to McMahonland in 2009 saw him stubbornly shoehorned onto the C-brand ECW, but his talents were simply too great for him to be considered an afterthought. A feud with Randy Orton over the World Title in 2011 finally solidified him amongst the elite in the eyes of his bullish boss, but mounting injuries ultimately left unable to truly build on such harshly overdue recognition.