Cryptic "01/02/2012" Video - Chris Jericho Returns- KEEP IT IN HERE! - NO SPAMMING!

[Sheamus' Suntan]

I said this in a previous thread, but I just feel totally confused by the whole of the 1/2/2012 RAW. But, sticking to Jericho, he didn't help things make any sense at all. He came out and slapped fives with just about every fan at ringside, picked up the mic, dropped the mic and ran enthusiastically back stage. If they are going to have him be a heel, which is what i'm sure of now, he should have established that then and there. When he picked up the mic he should have said something along the likes of, "Is that what you ingrates wanted?" and THEN he should have walked out. It just doesn't make sense for him to do what he did, no matter what is planned out for him.

Going to cut you off there man. At the point I highlighted.
Doing what you say after is...far too predictable. We know Jericho is to be heel...so the BEST way is to not say anything at all. How so?

We as humans pick up 8% words, 24% how the words are said then the rest as body language. Jericho picked on that, using his body language. He came out, crowd was red hot. Everyone cheers. He amps the crowd for about 10 mins, playing to them, wanting EVERYONE to cheer for him...

Then drops the smile and walks out, clearly disappointed. He didn't have to say anything because next week all his words will explain everything from this week. He's already set up as heel.

 

[Lion's Sacrifice]

When it first happened I was very disappointed because it just seemed like a waste of time. However, the more I thought about it and then went back and watched it again I was like okay. He's good. Was there much there, no, not really. However, Jericho was able to show us something. He can get the biggest pop of the night and then turn a lot of the people against him without even saying a word. That's impressive.

Though I must admit I'm very interested to see what happens now. Because the Y2J we saw last night did not line up with the character portrayed in the promo's leading up him returning. Also, WWE has mentioned the girl in their article. Who is the girl that has spoken. She's real and not just the image of something. So I think it will be interesting to see what happens in the next couple of weeks.

 

[Huey]

Genius and palm of his and must be trending world wide right now.

I get that they wanted to solidify him as a heel after his return and it makes sense. The vignettes were good and I hope they can slow build a good story of this but so far I'm underwhelmed. One more step to disinterested. For me it's more Michael Cole turn the channel heat than boo Ziggler cause he's that damn good heat.

The buildup was hot and they had a lot of momentum going, now I think they lost it. You can call that genius and say he had the crowd in the palm of his hand but what's left to show for it? At least we got to see a decent Ziggler/CM Punk match.

 

[stunna1773]

Jericho played the fans right in the palms of his hands last night, its so obvious as to what he was doing last night. He rallied the fans up like sheep causing them to cheer over and over again. He picked up the mic and dropped it and if you notice he had this disgusted expression on his face. Then continued to play the fans even more up to the point he was on the stage and stopped. The fans started to boo him as he was showing a sadistic smile on his face showing he proved his point. He made the fans look like sheep and complete idiots. He mocked the fans for turning to CM Punk.

 

[Poop Master Flex]

No, but they will still tune in because of John Cena, CM Punk, Kane, Dolph Ziggler, Zach Ryder, and all of the other things going on. That is my point. One wrestler confusing people is not going to be a dealbreaker for anyone other than angry little IWC Smarks who think the WWE should cater to them exclusively and are pissed off because they didn't get that Jericho was mocking them.

Not arguing with that fact but the fans may very well switch the channel when Jericho is on the television. RAW is a 2 hour show and most people don't watch the whole thing, they only watch when they see someone they like and change the channel or go on their laptops when its something they don't want to see.

Let me give you an example, my girlfriend is a casual fan and only watches at certain parts. She is a fan of CM Punk, John Cena and Beth Phoenix. Whenever one of those 3 people are on she watches, even if a US title match between Ziggler and Ryder is on the TV she isn't watching it, even if its guaranteed to be the most exciting match of the night. That is how your average fan works, some of us pay attention and watch the whole 2 hours every minute but most fan's don't. If I wasn't home and my girlfriend was watching wrestling, the second Jericho came on she would turn the channel only to return when its something she likes is on as does most fans. The fact is even though Jericho showed great psychology last night it turned off a lot of people from it and if he was going to be heel again he could have done it in a more direct way so the masses understood that fact.

Although it got some people excited, it didn't get your casual fan excited and your casual fan isn't very forgiving, if Jericho is on a lot of people won't watch his segment and see Jericho a few months down the road saying "I haven't seen Jericho in a while, is he a bad guy now?" even if he's been on TV every week.

 

[StevieJ]

True, it does make more sense the next day after I realized what was going on, but even the entire deal with the The End Begins videos isn't a fit for Jericho, heel or face. Thats more like creepy 'Taker stuff. Then Jericho comes out with his light up jacket and does his thing. Wierd. Regardless, I look forward to seeing Jericho taking it to CM Punk.

 

[Davi323]

Not arguing with that fact but the fans may very well switch the channel when Jericho is on the television. RAW is a 2 hour show and most people don't watch the whole thing, they only watch when they see someone they like and change the channel or go on their laptops when its something they don't want to see.

Let me give you an example, my girlfriend is a casual fan and only watches at certain parts. She is a fan of CM Punk, John Cena and Beth Phoenix. Whenever one of those 3 people are on she watches, even if a US title match between Ziggler and Ryder is on the TV she isn't watching it, even if its guaranteed to be the most exciting match of the night. That is how your average fan works, some of us pay attention and watch the whole 2 hours every minute but most fan's don't. If I wasn't home and my girlfriend was watching wrestling, the second Jericho came on she would turn the channel only to return when its something she likes is on as does most fans. The fact is even though Jericho showed great psychology last night it turned off a lot of people from it and if he was going to be heel again he could have done it in a more direct way so the masses understood that fact.

Although it got some people excited, it didn't get your casual fan excited and your casual fan isn't very forgiving, if Jericho is on a lot of people won't watch his segment and see Jericho a few months down the road saying "I haven't seen Jericho in a while, is he a bad guy now?" even if he's been on TV every week.

I think you are giving too much credit to fan's usage of remote controls. I think more people won't bother to change the channel and just sit through a segment they may not necessarily understand than will change the channel and then have to make a conscious decision to keep checking back in to see if the segment in question is done yet or not. Most people are just too lazy to bother changing the channel for just one segment unless they have something specific in mind to flip to, not just to avoid something.

 

[bxbigshow]

I won't weigh in the on promo's/return's 'brilliance' (or lack therof) just yet, I'm at work and if this is still going when I get home, then fine..

What I was hoping for: A Y2J return with a promo explaining why he's back, why he tried to swerve us about coming back, and challenging CM Punk.

I got none of that. But I was content because I know in time I will get those wishes fufilled.

I won't give him the "palm of his hand" credit, I feel he had 10 minutes to do what he pleased and he ate up the response. I don't blame him. I won't make him out to be some diabolical genius for playing to the crowd.

I won't analyze every second of footage to pinpoint what his face read when he dropped the mic or turned around or heard boos.

I'm a huge Jericho fan and I believe that instead of a typical promo, he soaked in the reaction and made the call to leave. He mentioned with admiration in his 2nd book the reaction/10 minute ovation that Hulk Hogan got when he returned...maybe he wanted some of that for himself.

I know that all he has to do is say one sentence, cut one promo, throw on punch...and he's back on the heel side just as easy. Everyone KNEW he was gonna be cheered upon his return...why not eat that up?

 

[Poop Master Flex]

I think you are giving too much credit to fan's usage of remote controls. I think more people won't bother to change the channel and just sit through a segment they may not necessarily understand than will change the channel and then have to make a conscious decision to keep checking back in to see if the segment in question is done yet or not. Most people are just too lazy to bother changing the channel for just one segment unless they have something specific in mind to flip to, not just to avoid something.

Yeah but that same fan could very well leave the TV on and go do something else while its running in the background (or change it). Considering in today's world that person who didn't care for the segment might pick up their iPhone and play Angry Birds for 10 minutes, or pickup their laptop and browse the web. How many times have you done this same thing when watching something on TV you don't like or simply don't care for? For myself (and pretty much anyone else I've seen) it happens all the time. I've seen my girlfriend do it, my parents, my siblings, my uncle, most of my friends, ect. Just because the TV is on doesn't mean they are watching. Hell I will sit down while my girlfriend or dad is watching a show they love, doesn't mean I'm watching it and I'm certainly not going to bother with it if they aren't around.

 

[boywithbluehanger]

In an age where everything in wrestling is over-examined, its nice to get called out and exposed by someone like Jericho. By pandering to us for a few moments, he exploited just how gullible we really are. And even though I'm a fan of his heel work as well, I will admit that for a little bit, he fooled me too. There's a lot of truth in his heel persona's words. We are a bunch of sheep in many ways..we flock to whomever's ideas speak best to us at the time.

Well done, Y2J..perhaps this is why you're "the best in the world at what [you] do"! haha

 

[Jabroni Drive]

When i first watched it i was pissed off i wanted him to explain the whole end of the world stuff and who the girl was. But after watching it a few times it just shows how much of a genius Jericho is.

Also for anyone saying it was awful you are still going to tune in next week to see where the story goes which is exactly what Jericho was supposed to do.

What would be interesting would be if Jericho didn't make another appearance until the royal rumble. Then after winning the rumble match he could explain what the whole end of the world stuff is and "she" could be reveled on the run to wrestlemania. No matter what happens i think everyone has to appreciate what a great job Jericho did last night and i just hope that the wwe don't drop the ball on this Jericho return like they did with his last one.

 

[shanezam203]

What was Jericho's last match in WWE? was it a stipulation if he loses he left WWE I forgot.

 

[Poop Master Flex]

What was Jericho's last match in WWE? was it a stipulation if he loses he left WWE I forgot.

I believe he was taken out by the Nexus and left the WWE on a stretcher, that's how he was written off of television. In '05 he got fired for losing to John Cena by Bischoff. Anyways I hope that helps.

 

[lenguy]

I believe he was taken out by the Nexus and left the WWE on a stretcher, that's how he was written off of television.

No his last wwe appearance was when Orton punted Jericho, thus "ending" his career. Its funny because when he first came back I recall Orton saying it would only be a matter of time before he punts Jericho in the head and ends his career and that's exactly what happened.

Anyway, on to his return. I'm sure I wasn't alone when I say that I too was a little bewildered by his return at first. Throughout his entire return I was just waiting for him to say something...anything. Then once he started to jerk the crowd around I figure there was something more his return. Then when he dropped the mic I knew we weren't going to get to hear him. Then he proceeded to walk up the ramp and out of the arena with nothing but a little grin on his face and at first I was pretty upset and I thought like the rest of you. Worst.Return.Everr!

It was then I began to ponder about it and I began recalling all the updates, that if Jericho was to return he wanted to do something different. Well,that was different wasn't it? How many times have we seen somebody return from an injury or time off to give a long ass speech about how its good to be back,how he missed it all blah blah blah. Jericho didn't do that, he only gave you the impression that he was. His return was nothing short of deceiving. It started off very similar to the first two times he debuted but by the end of it it left us scratching our heads,which is what I think he was going for. I mean it got all of you talking didn't it? The purpose is to make you want to tune it to find out where it all leads to. I mean I get it, most in the IWC want immediate gratification. Most of you were expecting him to re-debut,give a speech,call out Punk,go back and forth with him for a bit,challenge him to a match,then proceed to beat him down thus turning him heel..all in one night. What fun is it when we are given all the answers right away?

Now that I go back and think about it,his re-debut was brilliant. I think WWE knew that when he did return that he would get a face reaction,so why not indulge the live crowd? He was cheered upon his return then proceeded to be booed as he was making his leave. If I recall somebody saying in the LD. Arrive.Milk crowd.Leave. It's all leading to something and I wouldn't be surprised if he continued to do this over the next few weeks effectively turning the crowd on him without ever opening his mouth. People seem to look at the WWE as if they are all a bunch of feeble-minded morons who know nothing. That we are all knowing, we know the WWE better than they apparently know themselves. Last night proved it, it sent the IWC in an uproar and everybody then steamrolled over to their computers in dissatisfaction to bad mouth the WWE for not properly handling a return that they had no control over to begin with.

I just say, don't jump to conclusions. Wait for things to play out because you just never know folks.

 

[donutman]

Wait, so the big payoff here is he's going to turn heel by pissing off fans? WHAT?!?!?! Wow, that's never been done before. Talk about being creative. I would have never thought that a good way to go heel is by turning on the fans. I mean, what geniuses we have here. Seriously, this is something we have never seen. Heel turn via fan heat.......unheard of!

 

[avi01]

^I think the difference is that the heat is generated by simply trolling instead of the usual shocking actions or verbal insults. Plus the fact that there was so much anticipation, he used that to seriously pissed people off, not your usual big return with the "it`s great to back ..i came back because of you people..this is home". Of course a heel turn will involve fan heat , what a pointless thing to say.
I just love that post-raw "interview" he gave...couldn`t stop laughing when he stopped for the sparkling jacket..priceless stuff. Really excited to see where he brings this. People need to be patient and wait for the payoff, I`m sure there will be one. Jericho has a great wrestling mind and will make the best out of it. In a way, it`s actually a good thing the Internet spoiled his return, it adds to the whole troll act.

 

[weird86]

GOLD! His post "interview". This right here adds to why Jericho is brilliant!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0fc...ry-manq-chris-jericho&feature=player_embedded

 

[The Big Red Machine]

Wierd thing is that wasnt chris jerichos second-coming it was his third :/

 

[arttagboy]

GOLD! His post "interview". This right here adds to why Jericho is brilliant!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0fc...ry-manq-chris-jericho&feature=player_embedded

rofl "Sparkle time!" The man is golden!
I marked out so badly when I saw him, and by the end he had me furious! Exactly what a major heel needs to do. The hilarious thing is that he turned heel by being SUPER FACE. The irony of it makes me giggle.

 

[Sheamus' Suntan]

When it first happened I was very disappointed because it just seemed like a waste of time. However, the more I thought about it and then went back and watched it again I was like okay. He's good. Was there much there, no, not really. However, Jericho was able to show us something. He can get the biggest pop of the night and then turn a lot of the people against him without even saying a word. That's impressive.

Though I must admit I'm very interested to see what happens now. Because the Y2J we saw last night did not line up with the character portrayed in the promo's leading up him returning. Also, WWE has mentioned the girl in their article. Who is the girl that has spoken. She's real and not just the image of something. So I think it will be interesting to see what happens in the next couple of weeks.

Actually it DID line up with the videos...think about it.

On the 2nd day of the year (check)
A familiar force (check)
Will come to take back what is rightfully his. (the WWE Universe.)

On that day, it will be the end of the world as we know it.

This last part...
Jericho came back and the TYPICAL routine is an explanation as to where theyve been, and why they came back before turning heel a few months after. Jericho has just KILLED ANY and ALL come backs in the future. My mind now, when someone returns..."Shit, are they ACTUALLY coming back to be the good guy?"

The WWE universe stood still and watched him walk away with a grin on his face so as to say "Ive got all of you in the palm of my hand and just watch as I crush you all." That's the same in WWE as having the world on his hand.

What did you think when you heard - the end of the world as we know it? A gothic Jericho? The same as what he was before?

Before hand, Jericho gave a HUGE rant about being the savior and about being the man who would save WWE. He then became his own savior. Now? Now he's the man who will destroy the idea of the WWE universe by making them question him and themselves - if they're not sure they can cheer for Jericho...who CAN they cheer for?

 

[arttagboy]

Actually it DID line up with the videos...think about it.

On the 2nd day of the year (check)
A familiar force (check)
Will come to take back what is rightfully his. (the WWE Universe.)

On that day, it will be the end of the world as we know it.

This last part...
Jericho came back and the TYPICAL routine is an explanation as to where theyve been, and why they came back before turning heel a few months after. Jericho has just KILLED ANY and ALL come backs in the future. My mind now, when someone returns..."Shit, are they ACTUALLY coming back to be the good guy?"

The WWE universe stood still and watched him walk away with a grin on his face so as to say "Ive got all of you in the palm of my hand and just watch as I crush you all." That's the same in WWE as having the world on his hand.

What did you think when you heard - the end of the world as we know it? A gothic Jericho? The same as what he was before?

Before hand, Jericho gave a HUGE rant about being the savior and about being the man who would save WWE. He then became his own savior. Now? Now he's the man who will destroy the idea of the WWE universe by making them question him and themselves - if they're not sure they can cheer for Jericho...who CAN they cheer for?

Laughing at the idea of Chris JerichEMO.. Black hair and whatnot. That would've been fail.
WWE is heading in the right direction with this guy. People keep getting mad that he f*cked with the audience, but that's exactly what he's supposed to do. Better than that, when he does start talking he can tell the WWE Universe that they're hypocrites, because he literally didn't do anything heelish. All he did when he came out was cheer, and high five the crowd. that doesn't sound like a heel to me.

 

[gank]

One interesting part is last night he entered without the countdown , he said in the last DVD that when he became heel in 2008 and got the suit gimmick he wont use the countdown anymore. Beside that even his theme lyrics describe the scene from last night.

I wake up from a deep sleep
You're all weak
You're living in the agony of defeat
I am the master of your whole heap
I am the pack that flock ya like sheep

Pure genius ! He played the crowd like mindless sheep , cant wait for next week maybe he comes with his suit and call us hypocrites .

 

[JarredDClements]

Chris Jericho has said that when he comes back, the gimmick will be something different. Just like he changed in 2008. I find this interesting, and I am excited to see where this goes from here.

 

[ae_wrestler123]

Do you guys agree that people would tune out because of Michael Cole? So wouldn't people tune out cuz they can't stand that pompus prick Jericho? He wasn't getting heel heat, he was getting "Is this what i paid my money to see?? F this shit and the WWE" heat. The return didn't live up to the hype. And how do you expect pple to have patience and wait on build when they have a build every two weeks for a PPV and now they don't even know what they are waiting on and the way it looks, it is gonna be very annoying and disappointing. Only the Ratings will tell. And then the Jerkaholics are gonna say "well the ratings were always sliding".

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Effective.

This is the one word I use to describe Jericho's return. At first, it seemed like Jericho was in full Y2J mode. He looked happy and he was proudly wearing that very bright and colorful jacket. He was smiling, excited, and he was enjoying the warm reception from the live crowd. Jericho fully embraced the fans, and this is something we haven't seen in a few years. Most recently, we've seen the cold and superior heel version of Chris Jericho, who despised the fans. But he wasn't wearing a suit last night, the emotionless look on his face was gone, and he didn't have that angry scowl on his face.

Jericho put one over on the fans. There's no denying that. The fans in the arena were clearly expecting some sort of "I'M HAPPY TO BE BACK!" return face promo from Jericho, but it didn't happen. Instead, Jericho left without saying anything. It was a total dick move, and he managed to piss everyone off. Jericho's return does raise plenty of questions. Why did he come back? Will he explain the bizarre and awkward nature of his return? Why didn't he want to say anything? Who does he want to target? There are a lot of questions that need to be answered, and there are plenty of reasons to tune into next week's show. This was just the beginning of an obvious build towards a Wrestlemania storyline, and we'll have to wait and see how everything develops over the coming weeks.

As far as the return itself goes.....I wasn't impressed at all. Don't get me wrong, I was glad to see Jericho back inside a WWE ring, but the return just felt so annoying at times. Yeah, I get it. Jericho didn't want to give the fans what they wanted, and he wanted to make fools out of everyone, but still, the entire return just dragged on for too long. I grew tired of Jericho's constant antics after a while (running around ringside, playing to the fans for cheers, etc.), and everything just felt so damn tiresome and lame after a while. Also, I didn't see anything masterful or brilliant during Jericho's return last night. It served its purpose. That's all. Jericho came back, he suckered the crowd into thinking he was the loveable good guy Y2J again, and there are reasons to tune into next week's show, because you want to learn more about the storyline. It's one thing if you're excited to see Jericho back in WWE again, but to label this return as some kind of great display of heel brilliance seems kind of farfetched to me, and I do think some people are overreacting here.