Christian Explains Why He Won't Return To In-Ring Action, Talks Dean Ambrose Leaving WWE
Based on the ways things have been going the past few weeks, it appears that Beth Phoenix may be returning to WWE in an in-ring capacity pretty soon.
Will Christian do the same? It's been five years since he last competed in a WWE ring and he was asked if he thought about making a return.
"Well I'm 45 years old," Christian told Wrestling Inc. on the WINCLY podcast last week. "If I was 29 or 30 and was forced to retire and felt like it wasn't quite my time, then there may be a little push to see what I could do. But I'm also realistic at 45. I never wanted to be one of those guys who hung on too long.
Christian then said he accomplished everything he wanted to accomplish in wrestling and he's confident in his ability to do other things outside of the ring.
"I was never a guy who needed to go out there and say, "good bye" or anything like that," Christian said on getting a proper farewell before discussing the Hall of Fame. "I don't know what's going to happen. If I had a nickel every time someone asked me if I was going into the Hall of Fame, then?I could buy a lot of stuff [laughs].
"I'm not worried about it. We'll see if and when it ever happens. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."
With the rise of AEW, there is competition for WWE that hasn't been seen since the Attitude Era. Christian talked about this current period in wrestling being a great one for fans due to the litany of options.
"There's always going to be those boom periods and this is definitely one. I think that more than anything, there is a lot of talent out there," said Christian.
"While there is a platform for them to show what they can do, there's only so many spots on each roster. Ultimately, at the end of the day, the winner is the wrestling fan because they have a lot of options."
For weeks it was reported that Dean Ambrose was on his way out of WWE before rumors started circulating that he could be staying. Christian left WWE in his prime to go to TNA and he discussed comparisons to Ambrose's position.
"I would never tell anybody, 'Hey, this is what you need to do.' That was not my thing. I think you just have to believe in yourself and I'm not sure what his game plan is," admitted Christian.
"I don't know if he's going to continue to wrestle or if he's not. I really don't know."
The full audio from Christian's exclusive interview with Wrestling Inc was included in Wednesday's WINCLY podcast. It can be heard in the embedded player below. In it Christian discusses why he won't be returning to in-ring action, a possible induction into the WWE Hall of Fame, working with Shawn Michaels on the E&C Show for the WWE Network and more.
You can check out past episodes of the WINCLY here. Subscribe to Wrestling Inc. Audio on iTunes or Google Play. Listen to the show via Spotify here or through TuneIn here.