9. Christian vs. Alberto Del Rio (Summerslam, August 18th)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVzAlp_j8ik Most WWE PPVs will feature three matches that are the unquestionable marquee bouts on the show, allowing for the audience to essentially have their pick of the trio to most heavily influence their decision to order. Summerslam was more of a two match show featuring two relatively new commodities to the broader audience, but they added a third borderline headliner that showcased a star with ties to various generations of fans in Christian. Captain Charisma was built up in the few weeks prior to the Summer Classic as potentially preparing for his final meaningful match. After an injury riddled couple of years sandwiched his incredibly memorable run as World Heavyweight Champion in 2011, it was certainly conceivable that Summerslam was Christian's last hurrah. Alberto Del Rio was then-current World Champion and had some history with Christian from a storyline-attack that originally put the leader of the Peeps on the shelf to begin his injury-plagued last few years (in late 2010). It was Del Rio that Christian had defeated to win the World title at Extreme Rules in 2011. Many a fan from yesteryear found great intrigue in the potential of Captain Charisma winning the title one last time. Del Rio has a proven track record for excelling in upper mid-card title matches, so the prospects for a match with Christian looked promising on paper. The actual execution of the match at Summerslam was even better than expected. A video promo highlighting Christian's underrated career well set the stage and then Christian came out and wrestled like it was his last match. It was not the main-event and was never treated as such, but they both wrestled as if they were on last. They maximized their time and gave Summerslam 2013 a boost that could put it in the elite class of best editions of the Summer Classic once the event passes the test of time. If it was the last meaningful match of Christian's career, then he gave all of his Peeps one last bout to remember.
Chad Matthews
Contributor
"The Doc" Chad Matthews has written wrestling columns for over a decade. A physician by trade, Matthews began writing about wrestling as a hobby, but it became a passion. After 30 years as a wrestling fan, "The Doc" gives an unmatched analytical perspective on pro wrestling in the modern era. He is a long-time columnist for Lordsofpain.net and hosts a weekly podcast on the LOP Radio Network called "The Doc Says." His first book - The WrestleMania Era: The Book of Sports Entertainment - ranks the Top 90 wrestlers from 1983 to present day, was originally published in December 2013, and is now in its third edition.
Matthews lives in North Carolina with his wife, two kids, and two dogs.
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