Chris Jericho's Return : A Success or a Failure

[ProWrestlingFan]

When Chris Jericho returned at 1/2/2012 there was big buzz in Wrestling fans and people were excited to see Jericho return. He did a "Silent" promo without saying a word and left which many (including myself) called "A Genious move".

Jericho continued the "Silent" mode until a week before Royal Rumble when on RAW he said "This Sunday at the Royal Rumble it will be the end of the world as you know it". What was that supposed to mean? I mean Jericho lost at the Royal Rumble and was kind of buried. He came of as a guy who can't back up what he says. Then after Royal Rumble when he started talking and said "I trolled all of you".

What was this new gimmick Chris Jericho was talking about ? Is "Trolling" his new gimmick ?

Jericho's return didn't live up to the hype and I consider it as a fail return after seeing the Royal Rumble. What do you guys think ?

And Would you rather have Chris Jericho return as a face ?

 

[sinestrojoe]

If Jericho's comeback is considered a failure then look no further than HHH, who changed the Rumble plans from Jericho winning (which was the end of the world as we know it) to HHH's boy Sheamus...the five-six weeks worth of cryptic videos plus four weeks of trolling led to the Rumble which HHH made the call to change...nice one...just like when he stuck his big nose in the summer of Punk angle when Punk won Money in the Bank and was hot as ever only to be upstaged by HHH/Nash...Jericho will save this angle based on his microphone skills and wrestling alone, along with feuding with Punk.

 

[DD7]

I would say that it was a success in my eyes. I thought it was genius, because the idea was that he could manipulate the crowd without saying anything. He managed to get so much heat for not saying a word. Its genius! Tell me, which heel can you think of could ever pull that off? The idea is that he believe's he's the best. The fact that people cheered for him when he didn't say a word is an example of why. He has managed to pull it off so well that people may not have realized it. People getting angry about it was the idea. It's his job to piss you off. That's what he's there for.

As for your last question I would say no, I think Jericho is better as a heel. It freshens up the main event scene. He's in effect passing the torch to Punk. Trust, it will get better. You will seee

 

[Wald]

We'll be able to judge it better after Wrestlemania to be honest.

I like it, and I much prefer him as a heel to a face, but there has been some sidesteps. Namely:

a) He probably should have won the Rumble so that he could legitimately say he deserves his shot at being called Best in the World

b) The face-off with Punk last week wasn't great. Jericho came across as too whiny and didn't back up anything. I understand what they were trying to do but I think it failed.

That said I have a lot of hope in this feud and tonight they could knock their promos out of the park. The one danger here is that when we get to Wrestlemania that the crowd are 50/50 for Punk and Jericho. Punk really needs the crowd to put him over big in the main event, so Jericho is going to have work hard to make sure he gets very little cheers. They may need to employ Johnny Ace to make this happen, which might come across as a little cheap to some, but we'll see

 

[Twocenter]

No. It hasn't been a failure. I'll tell you why.

1) I know there had been talks for Jericho to win the rumble and that IMO would be a clusterfuck. Why? Jericho will not hang around much after WM. So why would someone want to waste the rumble win on a temporary star? Albeit Jericho has never won the rumble but c'mon he has done everything. Sheamus has been established as a star now. He needed the win because he had no feud going on. Now he can at least cash on the opportunity to be the next star.

2) Jericho already made his aim clear. The promo last week clearly told why he returned. He wanted to face CM Punk and it will happen. He doesn't have to win the rumble for that. He can win the EC title match or a No.1 contender match or so. It was going to happen and it will happen.

So I don't think this has failed yet, the booking has not been consistent.

 

[ProWrestlingFan]

I would say that it was a success in my eyes. I thought it was genius, because the idea was that he could manipulate the crowd without saying anything. He managed to get so much heat for not saying a word. Its genius! Tell me, which heel can you think of could ever pull that off? The idea is that he believe's he's the best. The fact that people cheered for him when he didn't say a word is an example of why. He has managed to pull it off so well that people may not have realized it. People getting angry about it was the idea. It's his job to piss you off. That's what he's there for.

As for your last question I would say no, I think Jericho is better as a heel. It freshens up the main event scene. He's in effect passing the torch to Punk. Trust, it will get better. You will seee

Actually I wasn't annoyed by Jericho nor I was angry at him for not speaking. I knew he was just being a heel and making the crowd to hate him. But Chris Jericho is a major star. He returned after one and a half year hiatus and his return wasn't a big deal this time unlike his debut in 1999 and his 2nd coming (return) in 2007. This time his return was just weak and so is the build-up to a match with CM Punk at Wrestlemania. They should have started building up that match since he returned but Jericho did nothing till the Royal Rumble. I would say his heel turn is just the same as 2008 this time just the suit is replaced with a jacket. Jericho said he would return with a new gimmick but his gimmick is nothing new.

 

[mb47]

Firstly I prefer Jericho coming back as a heel. I prefer his work as a heel in general over his work as a face. Jericho obviously can pull off being a face but he seems a lot more natural as a heel in my opinion.

I don't think the return was ruined by the Rumble match loss. It was hurt I think but not ruined. Yes Jericho should have won, was going to win but they changed the finish. I wouldn't have minded Jericho NOT winning if it had been done a little better. Personally it should have ended with Sheamus being taken out with say an RKO from Orton then Jericho eliminating Orton and Sheamus getting the "sneak" elmination on Jericho. Then Jericho feuds with Sheamus until EC, ends in a DQ, cuts a promo after saying he wants Punk etc...

But that's just my personal choice and it's not what's happening so it's irrelevant. With the way they have chosen to go I think Jericho has done exceptional. The silent promo's were obviously trolling so using trolling as the "excuse" for not winning is genius but what really got my attention back was Punk coming out and being silent and pulling a nice reaction from the crowd.

Punk's silent treatment towards Jericho was perfect for that situation. Punk does what Jericho did and gets a reaction however Punk is on TV every week and gets a huge reaction saying nothing. Jericho returns and gets the same reaction. As the old saying goes - "silence is golden" and it's been proved by Punk and Jericho in recent weeks. To me Punk not saying anything was just fantastic for the situation and is much better than some verbal sparring where Punk gets a huge fan reaction, he just stands there, gets the reaction and effectively is saying to Jericho "yeah you can come out and be silent and get a reaction well so can I".

Just wait until EC and watch this feud really heat up. There's no need for anyone else to get involved, both men can get over exactly how they need to, they can draw and engage an audience with ease, just leave them to it and don't throw in anyone else. Let both men appear strong and lone-wolf like if you really want to make the "best in the world" feud believable.

 

[jeritroll94]

Anything involved with Y2J is great TV. The silence promo was classic - playing the crowd and he is up there in the best at doing just that. Not many can just turn heel by walking in and out the ring and doing nothing else. When he broke his silence, he did it in style and it looks like we are going to get this Punk/Jericho match at WM28 that a lot of us wanted.

As for the Royal Rumble, I didn't think he needed to win it. It might be one of few things he has yet to accomplish but I think Sheamus was a good pick to win since it will further his career. But I see Jericho going to WM by winning the chamber match becasue of some higher power influence. The whole "she holds the mystery" hasn't been answered yet so could Stephanie McMahon return perhaps to screw Punk? There are still many unanswered questions according to the It Begins promos. These unanswered questions are also what makes us tune in each week and keep the story running.

 

[con-chair-to]

Hey everyone, long time lurker and decided to finally sign up to say I thought Jericho's promo on Raw was brilliant. From the point where he came out and talked about everyone plagiarizing him, to admitting to trolling the audience/calling them pathetic, to CM Punk coming out and tauntingly mimicking Jericho on purpose by doing what he had been doing for weeks and not speaking, then walking out.

Loved it.

 

[boywithbluehanger]

I think it's strange that Y2J gives clues about the purpose of his returns and yet when people figure them out, many consider the return a failure simply because the code was broken. While I respect he and CM Punk's wrestling abilities, I'm not put in awe by their matchup. I like both of them but their feud doesn't geek me out because CM Punk's character gimmick (were he's a typical IWC member) is really one-dimensional and Jericho has already worn out this heel persona where he talks down to the crowd and considers himself the best in the world.

However I cannot consider Jericho's return a failure because of not being extremely excited to see his feud with Punck. I think he effectively reestablished himself as a top heel in the company and retained his talents on the mic in the past week.

 

[WolfNyte]

Jericho returns on 1-2-12 he toys with the crowd messing with them showing his dominance over them by having them do as he wishes without saying a word

he has litterally been back 6 weeks for a long jericho style fued. Do you forget the HBK fued how many MONTHS that went on? This is going to be a drawn out fued SWEET FINALLY.

So here is my question....how in the blue meanie hell can after only 6 weeks call his return a failure? It has not even really started yet. You cant count the first two cause he was screwing with everyone so now you have 4 weeks that equils 4 shows and a PPV. So please explain how at this point in time you can call it a failure. Maybe Jericho is right the IWC is full of idiots who are never eeeevvvvvvvvrrrrrrr happy.

 

[WunNightStan619]

I honestly dont see any legitimate reason why Jericho's return would be considered a failure. It really baffles me to hear that people think that Jericho was "buried" just cuz he didnt win the royal rumble. Besides Shawn Michaels, Chris Jericho is the only wrestlers whos credibility cant ever be lowered. I think that he was brought back and is going to do this program with CM Punk and its going to be great. It already is. Jericho did NOT need that royal rumble victory. Even if he did, you'd get a forum full of people saying how predictable the WWE is. He's doing what he does best, putting the young talent over and making them look good, period. 5years from now, it will be CM Punk and Sheamus who are still wrestling, not jericho.

 

[Ellye]

The one thing disappointing me so far is that the promos hinted at something dark and creepy.

While the mute Jericho was indeed a bit unsettling and creepy in a quite unique way, now that he speaks it seems like this will be just a generic feud. No "end of the world", no creepiness.

But aside from that, no, I don't think it was a failure.

 

[ZiggingThenZagging]

I agree that Y2J's return was a little disappointing, and I agree that it was mainly due to the Royal Rumble.

Jericho came in as the 29th participant in the Royal Rumble. He lasted 11:34, but that was mostly due to the 1 on 1 fight he had with Sheamus at the end of the Royal Rumble. I heard that WWE originally planned to have Jericho win the Royal Rumble, but changed it due to everyone believing Jericho would win. I don't have a problem with how WWE changed this, but only with their execution for the following reasons:

1. It is good to surprise your fanbase, but not when it doesn't make a lot of sense. Jericho was the biggest return from hiatus in recent memory (I'm not counting Rock only appearing when he feels like it). He should be building steam and following up on his promises.

2. With the loss, WWE restricted themselves more on surprises building up to Wrestlemania. We basically know what the card looks like heading into the big event. If Jericho had won, the Smackdown side of things would be wide open. WWE could be spending these weeks teasing different possible matches for Wrestlemania, due to anyone being able to win at elimination chamber. Now, we know that it will most likely be DBryan (or at least another heel) vs. Sheamus. Without Sheamus winning the rumble, anyone could win at elimination chamber, setting up any number of possible title feuds. Orton vs. Rhodes revisited? Henry vs. Sheamus? Bryan vs. Orton? Barrett vs. Sheamus? etc. etc. etc.

3. Even if they did decide to have Sheamus win, they could have dealt with Jericho a lot better! One, they could have Jericho start out as one of the first entrants in the Royal Rumble and lose to Sheamus as the last two competitors. Here, you wouldn't have the current thought that Sheamus is better than Jericho (Sheamus entered before Jericho and wasn't eliminated) as opposed to Jericho possibly still being better (Jericho lasted at least 40 minutes and then was eliminated by a fresh Sheamus, so it could have been due to fatigue).

Or, they could have gone with my favorite idea of Jericho making it to the final two with Sheamus, them about to lock up, then Jericho smirks, turns around, steps over the top rope and eliminates himself. If you want to have the storyline of "trolling the fans", what's a bigger troll than eliminate yourself at the Royal Rumble? What's more smug than, "I don't even need a win at the Royal Rumble, I'll still earn a title shot, because I'm the best in the world at what I do."

 

[NormanSmiley]

love jericho and I think the feud with CM punk is going to be good but this is how I wanted it to be

jericho returns, does the same things he did, plays with the crowd does this for 1-2 weeks and also the crying jericho and so on..well we all remember his last appereance was when he was punted by orton. now the perfect new gimmick for him would have been that he lost his memory due orton's actions and can't remember whether he's a heel or a face(that answers also why he cried) then the woman in the video promos would remind him who caused him the memory loss and most and for all remember him that he is the best in the world at what he does, and slowly jerichos memory comes back, he defeats orton clean(I know I ask a lot here ) and then here it comes the feud with cm punk. perfect gimmick imho.

 

[ECW Dan Selby]

Some people will never be happy. Yes, IWC, I look directly at you! (including myself in that I guess?)

Nah, in all seriousness, would people rather scripted promos from guys they enjoy complaining about?

Jericho has been first-class since his return. And this is coming from someone that was disappointed at first with the lack of talking, but give it time. It's all made sense thus far, so why should we think any different for the remainder?

Jericho is a smart guy, and so is CM Punk. Even if he has fallen out of favour with many in the IWC, who, once again, just seem to enjoy going against the grain.

They'll have a briliant feud, because they both clearly have a passion for what they do and care about how they're presented. We know that Jericho has alot of influence in his promos, and it dearly shows. I'd hazard a guess that Punk has a large say in what he says in his promos, too.

What i'm saying is, sit back, relax, and enjoy the show. We're in safe hands with these two, and they'll no doubt steal the show at Wrestlemania, to boot.

 

[ECW Dan Selby]

b) The face-off with Punk last week wasn't great. Jericho came across as too whiny and didn't back up anything. I understand what they were trying to do but I think it failed.

Why didn't you like it?

It didn't give too much away, it gave a reason for Jericho's comeback (and what an INCREDIBLE promo that was - credit where it's due), and set up the feud people have asked for for a good few years.

There's still time until WM, let us remember. They can't do everything in their introductory promo.

Stick with it, it'll be great.

 

[JaylisJayP]

I currently consider it a huge failure. I don't care what people were expecting or what they thought about how Jericho came back, to me that's all irrelevant.

Jericho's comeback is a failure because it hasn't proven to be the least bit entertaining. He whined a little bit and started a feud everyone knew was coming. I also currently find Punk to be a little bit annoying, he's turning into more childish fool than rebel lately with his facial expressions and mannerisms, which adds to the complete lack of interest that's building with this Jericho/Punk feud.

And, ultimately, Jericho calls everyone out for doing exactly what he does or did, and the bottom line is that Jericho is going right down that bitchy heel path again very quickly, so it's pretty ironic and hypocritical of his character, which I have to only assume he had the majority of input on how it was going to be.

 

[D-Man]

Guys, he's been back barely long enough to drink a cup of coffee. What is the purpose of this thread?!

I know that unless he comes back, walks in, and challenges the WWE champion or delivers a staggering, monumental promo, none of you will be satisfied but this is ridiculous. We're one week removed from the promo that explained his current intentions... can we at least give it a little bit of time to marinate and build before we start chopping it all down?

Unreal...

Anyway, to answer the question I say it's neither because none of you have given him a chance to build his current position. Give it some time. With the promo skills that he and Punk possess, I'm sure you're all going to eat your words in due time. Expect some killer promos from these guys leading up to Wrestlemania and possibly involvement by Jericho in the Elimination Chamber match.

 

[ECW Dan Selby]

I currently consider it a huge failure. I don't care what people were expecting or what they thought about how Jericho came back, to me that's all irrelevant.

Jericho's comeback is a failure because it hasn't proven to be the least bit entertaining. He whined a little bit and started a feud everyone knew was coming. I also currently find Punk to be a little bit annoying, he's turning into more childish fool than rebel lately with his facial expressions and mannerisms, which adds to the complete lack of interest that's building with this Jericho/Punk feud.

And, ultimately, Jericho calls everyone out for doing exactly what he does or did, and the bottom line is that Jericho is going right down that bitchy heel path again very quickly, so it's pretty ironic and hypocritical of his character, which I have to only assume he had the majority of input on how it was going to be.

I do see some of where you're coming from, but what about the incredible promo he did talking through each of his Elimination Chamber opponents as examples of Jericho wannabes. It was so well done.

How rare in wrestling to get such raw (excuse the pun) examples to back up promo material?

That's what you get with someone as naturally talented as Chris the Jerk. He has his finger on the pulse and has the creativity to put feuds down the right channels.

Pair him up with CM Punk and what have you got? A great feud!

The basis works fine. 'Best wrestler in the World' and the 'Best in the World at what I do' makes sense.

I do feel where you're coming from with everything feeling a slight anti-climax at first, but I also felt like this initially. Try and step back and appreciate its execution. It's a slow-burner, but I can almost bet money on the fact people will look back on this one with a smile.

 

[justin71]

Success hands down. It was 100 times better than the 07 comeback where the return was both predictable and no pay off with Orton what so ever. The presentation was unique and different than any other return and it leads to a marquee match up with Punk at Wrestlemania. The only way this fails is if it's a dud match or WWE downplay this match as the distant 3rd banana on the card.

 

[The Crock]

I can't say yet, he hasn't been around nearly long enough for me to judge that. I mean, it looks like it'll be a success. He's gone directly into the main event, he's getting a significant reaction from the crowd, he's working his character well -- all signs point to this being a success. I honestly don't see why people would see this as a failure, I mean, unless they are completely impatient. Most people won't allow his gimmick and his character to evolve; people judged him a few weeks in, just because people wanted him to say something on the microphone. Isn't that absolutely asinine?

Like I said, I can't judge yet, but I'm leaning toward calling this a success. He'll probably be main eventing WrestleMania with CM Punk, fighting for the WWE Championship. I mean, they have gotten everything they can out of him. Chris Jericho went from sitting on the sidelines to being a main eventer in a matter of weeks -- to me, that's clearly a success. I'll give it more time to play out, as things can change, but I doubt they do.

 

[Mustang Sally]

Jericho's return didn't live up to the hype and I consider it as a fail return after seeing the Royal Rumble.

It's ironic that many of the members of this forum have been writing that storylines aren't given a long enough time to play out; that WWE rushes everything.

Now, compare it to what the OP is saying; he's taken a month of Chris Jericho and decided the return has already failed. This, in spite of Y2J's proven record of providing great character work over many years. If he's signed with the company for another 3-year hitch, there's plenty of time for him to work his magic.

If you don't like that Jericho didn't win the Royal Rumble, then leave it at that, but it's hardly indicative of the notion that his entire return has been a failure, for gosh sake.

 

[Fear&Loathing]

If Y2J doesn't have a kick ass match with Punk at mania then it would be an epic fail, win or lose as long as its a good match and Jericho can still pull off an amazing match and entertain us in one of the main events at mania and give what we have all wanted since the summer then it would be a successful return.

However it would have already been a successful return if HHH hadn't had pulled some strings backstage and got his gym buddy Sheamus the rumble victory and messed up the original plans

 

[darbare]

This seems to be the trend with every Jericho return...his debut was probably the top debut of all time, yet he fell into the midcard and tag team after going up against Rock in his prime..couldnt even get the strap from Triple H...then he reinvented himself after winning the Undisputed title...he leaves in 2005, comes back in 2007...he comes back and hes corny and predictable...feuds briefly with Orton and then all of a sudden with JBL? Totally out of left field...then comes the feud with HBK where he reinvented himself..I see that happening this time...he comes back quite predictably, but I see him reinventing himself in a few months if he decides to stay..plus its way too early to even tell yet