WWE Superstar Christian has revealed that he was only given two days’ notice that he would be making his in-ring return at the Royal Rumble.
In an appearance on WWE’s ‘The Bump’, ‘Captain Charisma’ described how the idea of being able to get back in the ring at all was put in his mind when he watched the return of Edge, his former tag team partner and lifelong friend, at the Royal Rumble in 2020.
“When I heard [Edge’s] music hit and that reaction, there’s nothing like that live reaction from the WWE Universe. When I watched him, I know we had different injuries, but it put that bug in my ear and I started thinking maybe it was a possibility. “
That summer, Christian appeared on Raw to confront Orton, who was mocking an injured Edge, leading to an ‘unsanctioned match’ between the two later the same night. The bout was a short affair with the ‘Viper’ punting Christian in the skull almost immediately. Christian decided this wasn’t how he wanted fans to remember him, and he realised he had to get back in the ring to finish his career on his own terms.
“If it was just the one match at Royal Rumble then so be it, but I needed to end it on my terms. I told myself if I do these tests and I pass, then opens new doors. If I don’t, then I’m in no different position. They told me I wasn’t crazy and it snowballed from there.”
Once he was cleared for a return, the host of the ‘Peep Show’ was only given 48 hours notice that he would be in the Royal Rumble match.
“I found out at 7:30 on Friday night and it was a whirlwind from there. In hindsight, I would have liked to have a little more time, being able to get in the ring and things like that.
“I was nervous when I got the call. Where is my gear? These are things I have to find. Once I started piecing things together, there was no time to think. I had so much to do to prepare on Saturday, then we all went to the arena on Sunday and I was surprisingly calm. For not having stepped foot in the ring for seven years, there were no nerves. This is what I was born to do. There was nothing to be nervous about.”
Regarding his future, Christian reiterated that no decisions have been made, but if the Royal Rumble was his last match, he did it on his own terms.
“No decisions have been made. I’m not sure at this point, it’s still to be determined. We’ll take it day-by-day. If that ends up being my last match, I did it on my terms and that’s all I wanted.”
Christian put on a commendable performance at the Rumble, entering at number 24 and lasting for almost 20 minutes. Since then, it has been reported that he will appear in WWE again and is expected to work on a part-time basis. However, this has not yet been confirmed.
Credit to Fightful for the transcription.