Does Jericho Have A Wrestling Future?

[Dave]

So, as we all very likely know, Chris Jericho is still touring with the WWE and performing in a lot of their house shows. It was reported that Jericho was only working the shows because it kept him active and he had some time off between touring with his band Fozzy. But my question is this, will we ever see Y2J back in a wrestling ring full time? And if we do, what should we expect from the legend?

Personally, I reckon that Jericho won't ever return full time with the WWE, even though I'm positive that he can still be entertaining and a credit to the WWE roster. For me, his time in wrestling is coming to an end in favour of other endeavours that mean, perhaps, more to Jericho. When you couple that with the fact that a part time schedule wouldn't work for a guy like Jericho, I really don't see gym ever returning to the WWE ring.

If he did, I'd like to see him put some of the younger guys over. Jericho is a guy that would have no problems working with the likes of Owens, Wyatt, Rusev etc. And what's more, he would make them look like utter stars. Jericho is comfortable as a face and a heel, meaning that he's pretty much the perfect foil for almost anyone.

Now you go.

 

[stingray11214]

Why should he return full time? He has more money than God. He has more projects going on than The Rock. Trips reportedly hates him. So, why is he back at all? AT this point in his life, Y2J needs WWE like he needs AIDS. It is more VKM going "Dammit, Chris, I need your help. I'll owe you one. Please, can you do this schedule for me? Please?"

 

[Dave]

Why should he return full time? He has more money than God. He has more projects going on than The Rock. Trips reportedly hates him. So, why is he back at all? AT this point in his life, Y2J needs WWE like he needs AIDS. It is more VKM going "Dammit, Chris, I need your help. I'll owe you one. Please, can you do this schedule for me? Please?"

I doubt this is true actually. If all of the first part of your post was indeed true, then why would Jericho say yes to helping Vince in that situation? He wouldn't. He definitely doesn't need the money and he doesn't need the popularity, that much I agree with you on. That said, it seems to me that the only reason he is working for the WWE at this point is because he loves to wrestle and has a passion for it. With that in mind, is it really outside the realms of possibility that he would want to come back to TV? I don't think so.

 

[justinsayne]

Jericho has said the reason he came back for the European tour & the last run of house shows was but didn't work any TVs is because the house shows are more fun, TV is meticulously planned out to the second, where as on the house shows they just send you out there & let you do pretty much whatever you want in your match, you're given a lot more freedom to work with. I think this is Jericho's future in wrestling, maybe a possible stop down in NXT where he'd be able to work with the younger up & coming guys, which I'd be fine with.

Jericho doesn't have "more money than God", that's just a stupid & absurd statement, I'm sure he's well off & has no need to ever work again. I doubt he has more projects going on than the Rock, who has multiple TV shows on air & filming right now, as well as multiple major film roles ready to go as well, Jericho has Fozzy, an occasional stint in WWE for a few months, a podcast (which I'm sure is another reason he likes coming back to WWE, access to the talent for his pod), & maybe a commercial or game show hosting gig every now & then. Triple H hatine Jericho is by far teh most stupid & absurd thing I've ever heard, if Triple H & Jericho hated eachother then do you think Jericho would've asked Triple H to do his podcast? do you really think is the hated each other either one of them would want to sit down for an hour long conversation with each other, & laugh & tell stories? Come on man. They're may have been some tension between them years ago when Jericho first came to WWE, but that's all been squashed now, & they get along fine.

 

[Softcore Holly]

Y2J can probably stick around for as long as he likes, having a big name for house shows is nice and creative-wise they don't need to do anything for him. His non-wrestling projects are most likely more important to him right now anyway and he's no longer the draw that he was that they would be willing to go through the headache of revolving big storylines around his band's schedule. I really don't see him ever back in the main event picture unless he's willing to go full time and that's not happening either.

 

[Navi]

I'm going to the house show here in Toronto tonight, and he's supposed to be there. He's always put on good matches, and we Toronto fans love him. His matches with the Miz are always great. Miz can heel it up a storm here and the fans soak it up.

I did read that this might be his last round of shows as he contract is expiring soon and he might not resign. If he says anything about retirement I'll let you know.

 

[justinsayne]

I think his last contract was just for this round of house shows, & when/if he decides to comeback down the road they'll sign him to a new contract for those dates.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I don't think we'll see Jericho as a full me member of the roster again. One reason why he's working house shows right now is that he still loves wrestling and house shows are generally all about the wrestling matches. By staying off TV, Jericho isn't a part of any sort of angle or storyline, meaning that any sort of prolonged absence due to touring with Fozzy or other outside projects won't conflict with any significant happenings with WWE because he won't be part of any said happenings in the first place. According to celebritynetworth.com, Jericho's net worth stands at $18 million, so he obviously has no worries in his life when it comes to finances.

If Jericho returns to television, which will happen at some point, it'll most likely be along same lines as we've seen in which he works one or two high profile feuds in which he ultimately puts over a younger guy. He's working with someone he wants to work with, making a decent chunk of change and ultimately doing something to help out the career of a younger wrestler. All things considered, it's probably the best use for him as he's known to be extremely unselfish and he's already long since done everything there is to do. At some point, I imagine he'll decide to 100% retire from the ring and it might result in a longer run in which he has his final match at a big event like WrestleMania in which he ultimately gives a young guy some major rub.

 

[rmp0012002]

Even thought he's still very popular I doubt he will return full time. Fozzy is doing real well and for the last five years his wrestling has been scheduled around his touring. He gets to do both things in addition to his other activities so he's got to be happy in that kind of situation.

 

[cornerdon26]

Chris Jericho has always seemed very goal orientated. He has won pretty much everything possible in WWE except the Royal Rumble. Unfortunately I think he should have won it in 2012 rather than Sheamus and I doubt that he will get it again. It seems extremely unlikely he will come back full time, but what is the point? When he returns for short spells he has a lot of creative influence and that suits him.

There are a few things I would like to see from him before he retires -
- Get a 10th reign as Intercontinental Champion
- Face Daniel Bryan in a submission (I want heel Jericho for this one)
- Lose to Wade Barrett in a Intercontinental title vs Career match.
- A match with Finn Balor. Don't mind where or when. I just want to see this.

 

[LBGetBack]

Jericho has said himself that he has not been a full time wrestler in 5 years, and will never be again.

He has said he will come back at times when he can fit it in his schedule, as long as he feels like he can perform well in the ring and if they have something that he's interested in doing(he came back last summer because he wanted to work with Wyatt....he didn't come back at last year's Mania because they didn't have any angles/matchups for him that he was interested in)

He's been pretty straightforward about that. Given that he seems very health oriented(he has often talked about doing DDP yoga, Paleo diet, etc) these days, I would bet that we see at least a couple more several month runs out of him in the next few years. Eventually he'll get too old, as time catches up to everyone.

And to the guy who said HHH and him hate each other......not true. Jericho has been pretty open about that too! He said they didn't like each other back in the day in Jericho's first few years in the WWF, but they've gotten along well for a long time now. Jericho went through HHH for his last few comebacks, and HHH was on Jericho's podcast for like an hour long interview not too long ago.

 

[Mustang Sally]

Y2J can probably stick around for as long as he likes, having a big name for house shows is nice and creative-wise they don't need to do anything for him.

Which makes him an ideal part-time employee, don't you think? He'll come around when he wants, yet once aboard, he'll do whatever WWE management wants in terms of making younger talent look good. Even as he ages, a victory over Chris Jericho is still a terrific resume builder for a young talent. How long that will last depends on his desire to wrestle and his ability to keep in reasonable physical shape.

Plainly, then, unless Y2J's body grows so feeble that he can't work a decent match, he will be the one who decides when to pack it in; the company will keep having him back, leaving the big question: Is it better to be an aging wrestler or an aging rock star?

As to the latter, I don't know whether Jericho can sing or not, but can you picture a 75-year-old Chris Jericho parading around the stage like a 75-year-old-Mick Jagger? Heaven help us.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

The problem WWE has with Jericho now is the "bulletproof" aura he once had has been depleted to the point of him just being "another guy". It worked so well in the past cos he'd get those random title reigns every now and then, facing Fandango worked cos he'd not that long been fighting for the title at Mania... he's not had any real success or wins in a LONG time.

Having him full time is not viable as he has other things he does... but he does commit fully to them when he does come in which is very valuable. That being said, his "I will not be at Mania" is a little bit like "the lady doth protest to much", if there's a multi man ladder match at Mania it seems highly unlikely Jericho won't try to be in it, tour or not.

It would then set up the thing that they CAN use to recharge him... the quest for that 10th IC title. I am pretty sure the logic of giving Barret the belt and having him drop and regain it is to get him "up there in reigns" so that when they do eventually pull the trigger on a Jericho/Barrett feud, it'll be for the first 10 time IC title holder... or even if Barrett isn't on 9 as well he can challenge Jericho to a career rematch which he wins... thus getting BNB finally over as the main eventer he could be.

Jericho has a role to play, but no a huge one now... they burned that flame out sadly.

 

[goalieman31]

I think Jericho is still very valuable at this point in his career. Not many guys with his resume are willing to do business the way he does. His ego doesn't get in the way of the importance of putting over young talent. He's a very intelligent man and sees the bigger picture unlike a Hogan or Goldberg. Plus the guy can just flat out still do good things in the ring.

 

[DCLXVI]

If he did, I'd like to see him put some of the younger guys over. Jericho is a guy that would have no problems working with the likes of Owens, Wyatt, Rusev etc. And what's more, he would make them look like utter stars. Jericho is comfortable as a face and a heel, meaning that he's pretty much the perfect foil for almost anyone.

Now you go.

His program with Bray Wyatt last year sucked...

Jericho has said that when he comes back he does it because he still has fun wrestling and it fits in with his schedule. As others have said, he has a pretty busy traveling band, a podcast and is an author. I don't see him ever returning full time again but I'm perfectly happy with him popping up a couple times a year for a feud. He can still do his thing and he adds to the company.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

If Jericho returns to television, which will happen at some point, it'll most likely be along same lines as we've seen in which he works one or two high profile feuds in which he ultimately puts over a younger guy. He's working with someone he wants to work with, making a decent chunk of change and ultimately doing something to help out the career of a younger wrestler. All things considered, it's probably the best use for him as he's known to be extremely unselfish and he's already long since done everything there is to do.

Yeah, I think you are right. Jericho is unlikely to go back on the road for another full-time run at this point in his career. He has alot of stuff going on outside the wrestling business and probably doesn't want to put his body through the grind of a full-time WWE schedule for several years again. He's achieved everything there is to do pretty much in wrestling- bar a Royal Rumble or King Of The Ring win, so using him in the way they have been doing- with a 6 month run or so facing up-and-coming talent is great. I wouldn't be against him having another title run of some kind, but he's not going to be a long term roster member again.

At some point, I imagine he'll decide to 100% retire from the ring and it might result in a longer run in which he has his final match at a big event like WrestleMania in which he ultimately gives a young guy some major rub.

Yeah, that sounds like a good possibility. I wouldn't expect a quiet retirement from Jericho, it's not his style. I'd like to see him do one of the things he's never done in his career- win the Royal Rumble and then go on to WrestleMania, where he'd JUST come up short in the title match against the Champion, who he endorses and raises the arm of after the match, before heading off into the sunset.

Jericho is a legend and deserves to go out with some fanfare. But, I hope that isnt for a good while yet, he's still got alot in the tank.

 

[MrTDG]

Considering what the WWE has done with Brock Lesnar and the WWE title, they could've given Jericho a final run with the title. He certainly would've defended the title more than four to five times (or is it four to five matches) and could have really given some guys the rub. I felt his best work was towards the tail end of his WWE career (his second run) and I thought he would've done an excellent job as a heel champion. He still could truth be told.

Brock Lesnar probably results in more PPV buys for whatever ones he appears on, but the WWE has failed to create any new stars as a result of Brock giving them a rub. You want to see an example of WWE taking a big star and using that person's star power to give one of their own the rub? Look no further to their use of Mike Tyson leading up to WrestleMania XIV with Steve Austin. Stone Cold was already a big name in terms of wrestling, but getting him mixed up with Tyson put his name out there in the mainstream and jumpstarted Austin to becoming a household name. I don't foresee anything similar happening with Roman Reigns because he hasn't crossed paths enough with Brock Lesnar.