Reinventing Chris Jericho

[@smarkmouth]

Chris Jericho is one of my all time favorites. I've loved the Lionheart of the WCW Cruiserweight Division. I've loved the first ever Undisputed Title reign, I've loved the Best There Is at Everything He Does, the Savior of the WWE, the harbinger of the apocalypse. More than anything, as suggested by my little tangent above, I love how Chris Jericho has always evolved his character. For better or worse, he's not afraid to change his own formula and reinvent himself.

My biggest issue with him, and I think this resonates with many people on the forum, is how often he loses. It's a double edged sword, really. I admire how willing, dare I say eager, he is to put over others. But with a steady stream of putting others over in his series of comebacks, it's hard for him to develop solid momentum from his last run. This storyline with AJ Styles is a notable exception, and I think it's better than his last 4-5 major feuds combined. Nonetheless, I think it's time for another reinvention to freshen up the value of Chris Jericho returns.

Lately, I've been thinking about what a better use of Chris Jericho looks like. Something that would fit both his limited schedule, and his desire to give younger talent a proper rub. Much of this is inspired by previous threads, so I'll try to credit who got my gears spinning in the first place;

The Gatekeeper of NXT
MTL22 asked who fits the role of the Gatekeeper of NXT (seen here). I won't elaborate too much because you can find my reply to the topic, but Chris could play the "Gatekeeper" in a very literal sense. Enforcing his strength of playing heel or face seamlessly, his 'goal' as a character could be to ensure that the future of the WWE is in the hands of the very best talent. Without using him as a rule, he could show up to challenge the occasional NXT star who is poised for the main roster.

The one issue I could see with this is if beating Jericho suggests someone like Finn is heading to Raw, Full Sail will NOT get behind that. Finn would be a de facto heel.

Stable Leader/Figurehead
I discussed the merits of a Team Canada in WWE with filthyanimalz (here). I disagreed with the idea, but I'm a little enchanted with the idea of Jericho as a stable leader, and how it could work with his part-time schedule. If Jericho was treated by his followers with the same reverence that the Family follows Bray Wyatt (though ideally, much less cryptic), all the while Jericho is not on WWE TV, Jericho is less of a character than he is an idea. A concept. The general of this stable constantly talks up the man he follows and his teachings, and when Jericho DOES show up, he's not just relevant again, he's advancing a plot that's already moving along. Have Jericho return at key moments in the stables history, such as a title victory, the climax of an important feud, igniting his own feud along with his goons, or just a plain old Survivor Series match.

Want to make this angle particularly twisted? Make Cody Rhodes the leader of the 'Sons of Jericho', and have him adopt Chris as a father figure.

An absent Mr. Money In The Bank
I always thought it was a shame that they haven't integrated the MITB briefcase more directly into Chris Jericho's history. He did invent the match, after all. This one is short and sweet; Chris Jericho wins a Money in the Bank match, then gets written off of TV by injury or self exhile. The suspense of the MITB has been diluted over the years, but an absent Mr. MITB might bring that back. Not only are we asking when he's cashing in. We're asking when he's coming back.

What do you all think? Are you satisfied with the value of the Chris Jericho comebacks? Could he be put to better use? Do you have your own ideas on how Chris Jericho should be used, if at all?

 

[thebarber]

I don't see another World title run in Jerichos future so MITB win for him is off the table. And as you said he loses enough on TV, so having him win MITB to unsuccessfully cash in will further the current issue you say he has.
Jericho "gets" it, he knows he is best used to elevate quality guys coming in whilst he still has name value and is still in great condition for his age. 45/46yo part timer.....Jericho leading a stable has plenty of merit though. I like that a lot. Brilliant on the mic, and he wouldn't need to wrestle with a younger crew around him

 

[LionheartY2J]

Chris Jericho is similar to Mick Foley in that he no longer needs the WWE, however he understands and appreciates that without them, he wouldn't be in said position. And like Foley, he's willing to put over up and coming superstars, whereas guys like The Rock and Hogan before him would show up for short stints to rack up more unneeded wins.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I think the one reason why Jericho continues to come back every so often is because he enjoys it, he's having fun in the role of ultimately helping to elevate younger talent and I think he'll be content to do that until he feels he reaches an age where he's no longer a viable force inside the ring. Once that's over, I can see him stepping in as sort of the mouthpiece or veteran hand of a young stable of heels once his in-ring career is done, though I think it'd have to be the right combination of guys who have the talent and the proper booking so that they don't look like a bunch of dullards who need Jericho to be their charisma for them; you know, sort of a J.J. Dillon type of figure in that someone who fills a role but doesn't overshadow the talent.

Jericho won't be World Champion again, nor do I think he has any desire to be World Champion again. He's had his big moments, he's won his big championships and is content with his place in the grand scheme of things. Personally, I also have little to no desire seeing Jericho in that spot because it just seems like something of a waste to me. When it comes to wrestlers who no longer need championships as a means of helping to define who they are, the only reason I can see them winning another title is for the primary purpose of trying to give a big rub to someone else.

 

[Deoxyribonucleic A.C.I.D.]

Of all these ideas I like the gatekeeper one. He doesn't need to be a heel or face. He will just be the one guy to beat if you want to make it big time.

I think that Y2J is done in the main roster. I don't see another main run for him and his whole purpose is to give us dream matches. In reality, all of the dream matches for him atm include him vs the guys from NXT.

Also if people think this might be a step down for Y2J, it really isn't. This is major character development for him. It's a win-win for anyone involved and it even gives NXT a great story to run with and a a great star to use.

 

[Aquaman6686]

As great as Chris Jericho still is, I can no longer feel excitement when he's around, because I know he's just going to lose 95% of his matches. They've diluted Jericho to the point of complete irrelevancy by his never-ending losses. If they booked Jericho correctly, where he won 99% of his matches and then lost only when it really meant something, I could really get behind him again. But since Jericho only exists to put over anyone with a heartbeat, there's no reason for him to be around at all.

 

[kadroan]

Chris Jericho is one of my all time favorites. I've loved the Lionheart of the WCW Cruiserweight Division. I've loved the first ever Undisputed Title reign, I've loved the Best There Is at Everything He Does, the Savior of the WWE, the harbinger of the apocalypse. More than anything, as suggested by my little tangent above, I love how Chris Jericho has always evolved his character. For better or worse, he's not afraid to change his own formula and reinvent himself.

My biggest issue with him, and I think this resonates with many people on the forum, is how often he loses. It's a double edged sword, really. I admire how willing, dare I say eager, he is to put over others. But with a steady stream of putting others over in his series of comebacks, it's hard for him to develop solid momentum from his last run. This storyline with AJ Styles is a notable exception, and I think it's better than his last 4-5 major feuds combined. Nonetheless, I think it's time for another reinvention to freshen up the value of Chris Jericho returns.

Lately, I've been thinking about what a better use of Chris Jericho looks like. Something that would fit both his limited schedule, and his desire to give younger talent a proper rub. Much of this is inspired by previous threads, so I'll try to credit who got my gears spinning in the first place;

The Gatekeeper of NXT
MTL22 asked who fits the role of the Gatekeeper of NXT (seen here). I won't elaborate too much because you can find my reply to the topic, but Chris could play the "Gatekeeper" in a very literal sense. Enforcing his strength of playing heel or face seamlessly, his 'goal' as a character could be to ensure that the future of the WWE is in the hands of the very best talent. Without using him as a rule, he could show up to challenge the occasional NXT star who is poised for the main roster.

The one issue I could see with this is if beating Jericho suggests someone like Finn is heading to Raw, Full Sail will NOT get behind that. Finn would be a de facto heel.

Stable Leader/Figurehead
I discussed the merits of a Team Canada in WWE with filthyanimalz (here). I disagreed with the idea, but I'm a little enchanted with the idea of Jericho as a stable leader, and how it could work with his part-time schedule. If Jericho was treated by his followers with the same reverence that the Family follows Bray Wyatt (though ideally, much less cryptic), all the while Jericho is not on WWE TV, Jericho is less of a character than he is an idea. A concept. The general of this stable constantly talks up the man he follows and his teachings, and when Jericho DOES show up, he's not just relevant again, he's advancing a plot that's already moving along. Have Jericho return at key moments in the stables history, such as a title victory, the climax of an important feud, igniting his own feud along with his goons, or just a plain old Survivor Series match.

Want to make this angle particularly twisted? Make Cody Rhodes the leader of the 'Sons of Jericho', and have him adopt Chris as a father figure.

An absent Mr. Money In The Bank
I always thought it was a shame that they haven't integrated the MITB briefcase more directly into Chris Jericho's history. He did invent the match, after all. This one is short and sweet; Chris Jericho wins a Money in the Bank match, then gets written off of TV by injury or self exhile. The suspense of the MITB has been diluted over the years, but an absent Mr. MITB might bring that back. Not only are we asking when he's cashing in. We're asking when he's coming back.

What do you all think? Are you satisfied with the value of the Chris Jericho comebacks? Could he be put to better use? Do you have your own ideas on how Chris Jericho should be used, if at all?

I think what he's doing now is great. He actually beat AJ once which makes things less predictable about him for once. I loved the fact they turned him heel.

I just wonder how much longer he's going to be around and if he's going to be around WM, what's next

 

[TDFG]

I like the idea of Y2J winning the MITB Briefcase and then leaving everyone guessing when he's going to cash in as he would probably be doing stuff with his rock band etc.

The problem with Y2J winning the MITB is that Jericho has had too many defeats to consider him a real threat & it is perhaps a waste of the briefcase.

I can see why Y2J would be used as an enhancement talent, but I still can't figure why Fandango went over Y2J at WrestleMania XXIX.

Jericho has been on the losing end of too many feuds for my liking.

 

[yourdamnluck]

I like the MITB thing. He invented it and he should at least win it once. I'd like to see him have at least one more big moment. May be lose the belt to cena and let him equal Flair

 

[EastCoastFan]

Chris Jericho is over enough and has enough personality that losses don't really effect his crowd standing. It's a perpetual cycle in wrestling that the old guard puts over the new guys to keep everything moving forward.

 

[dsotm5150]

Chris Jericho has always been one of my favorites, back in his prime was a great all around ring worker, you could stick him in the ring with anybody from the likes of a high flyer like a Rey Mysterio or Billy Kidman to a more mat oriented Dean Malenko to a brawler like Benoit on up. He's definitely lost a bit over the years due to injuries and wear and tear but I wouldn't expect a 45 year old to move in that ring the same way he did at 25. Assuming Jericho wanted to work full time again, I'd put him in an enforcer type role for a heel group, kind of like Ric Flair did with Evolution. Granted that route has been so overdone over the years, but I think Chris is tailor made for it, big enough name that he could elevate anybody without stealing the spotlight.

 

[King Patrick Star]

I love this thread and I love all of these ideas. I would execute all 3 ideas.

First, have Chris Jericho win the 2016 Money In The Bank briefcase. This shouldn't be too difficult, and hearing the announcers say, "finally, the creator of the Money In The Bank match is now Mr. Money In The Bank!!" would be wonderful to hear.

Second, I'd have him create a Stable consisting of Triple H, Kevin Owens, Kalisto, the New Day, and Charlotte, or whoever are the Champions of the WWE are at the time. Of course the Faces would turn Heel and / or the Heels would turn Face, and just get everyone on the same page. Y2J doesn't have to lead the Stable, but he and HHH could be active co-leaders and have Nature Boy manage all of them.

Third, I would have him go to NXT unannounced. This way, his transition is seamless, and his absence on Raw and Smackdown goes unnoticed. I wouldn't have him walk around with the Gold briefcase on NXT, just to subtly have the Universe forget about it.

Who almost kidding, I just want more Jerichohol!!

 

[Sexcellence of Sexecution]

I actually really like the absent Mr. Money In The Bank idea, but I think it only works if you go all the way with it and he wins the belt when he makes his surprise return. The MITB concept is so stale and watered down they need to do something different with it, so that alone makes this worth considering. Jericho can still help people get over without losing every match. A cash-in title victory would be believable and I think Jericho deserves a final run as champion. So few people on the active roster are genuinely capable of holding a world title, it makes Jericho a viable option. By giving Jericho a prolonged run in which he is booked more strongly than he has been in recent returns, you set him up to put over a new star that much more strongly on his way out. If it's going to be his final run, he'll definitely want to put someone over big time, and giving him this last reign as champion would help to do that.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

Jericho's best title runs have been shocks - so the MITB idea does work, but it's more likely now he gets the 10th IC title record than another World title. Where he is now is like Randy Savage back when he was between reigns, you never knew when he could leap back to the top, but with his pedigree you'd never bet against it. A shock win over AJ at Mania (which could happen) and he's instantly a contender for both the IC and World titles...

Of the ideas mentioned, the NXT one is quite interesting, but with a twist... What if he won the NXT Title for a spell? For example he beats Samoa Joe or Finn Balor in a shock, maybe tying in with the next season of Breaking Ground... He's around the Performance Centre for a while and even gets the NXT title defended on WWE PPV more regularly... he can play a tweener character almost, he belittles the "rookies" but is doing it to make them better... it then means one "chosen star" can step up and defeat him, perhaps Nakamura or similar. Him spending some time with the trainees would only benefit them, particularly promo class and it means he could have a much reduced schedule for a period for his gigs.

The other thing I'd like to see is Jericho in more of an authority role, particularly if Shane did beat Taker. He'd be a good candidate to be Shane's #2 onscreen or his enforcer in the ring,

 

[Sexcellence of Sexecution]

Jericho's best title runs have been shocks - so the MITB idea does work, but it's more likely now he gets the 10th IC title record than another World title. Where he is now is like Randy Savage back when he was between reigns, you never knew when he could leap back to the top, but with his pedigree you'd never bet against it. A shock win over AJ at Mania (which could happen) and he's instantly a contender for both the IC and World titles...

Of the ideas mentioned, the NXT one is quite interesting, but with a twist... What if he won the NXT Title for a spell? For example he beats Samoa Joe or Finn Balor in a shock, maybe tying in with the next season of Breaking Ground... He's around the Performance Centre for a while and even gets the NXT title defended on WWE PPV more regularly... he can play a tweener character almost, he belittles the "rookies" but is doing it to make them better... it then means one "chosen star" can step up and defeat him, perhaps Nakamura or similar. Him spending some time with the trainees would only benefit them, particularly promo class and it means he could have a much reduced schedule for a period for his gigs.

The other thing I'd like to see is Jericho in more of an authority role, particularly if Shane did beat Taker. He'd be a good candidate to be Shane's #2 onscreen or his enforcer in the ring,

I think you could have the best of both worlds.

Have Jericho win the MITB Ladder Match and disappear with the briefcase. He says he'll return to become Champion when you least expect it.

Give it a few months, and have him show up at NXT Takeover and cash in MITB against a babyface NXT Champion. That would be a swerve, and it would also establish the NXT Championship as a legit World Title. Jericho cashes in the MITB out of nowhere on the NXT Champion and wins the belt. He cuts a promo after saying he said he would become Champion, but he never said which Champion. Give him a solid heel run as NXT Champion with the babyface chasing the Title, with Jericho eventually putting him over. You could even build to an NXT Title match at a WWE PPV with Jericho as the NXT Champion. It would be a cool way to really put over the babyface as a huge star.

 

[BestSportsEntertainer]

Chris Jericho is fine in the role he's in now.

His recent feuds have been great - Wyatt, Styles, now Ambrose.

If something isn't broke, don't fix it. Nothing is broken here.

 

[@smarkmouth]

Chris Jericho is fine in the role he's in now.

His recent feuds have been great - Wyatt, Styles, now Ambrose.

If something isn't broke, don't fix it. Nothing is broken here.

Jericho's current run has indeed been remarkable. I'll always admire the man himself, but since he got back just before the Rumble, his run has put the character back in my own good graces. I disagree entirely calling the Wyatt feud great, but to each their own.

This run has had the advantage of being prolonged. I don't know the numbers, but it feels like his longest comeback to date. It's indeed been part catalyst to how good his programs have been. However, if he leaves and comes back for more runs that last as short as a cup of coffee, then the character needs freshening up to stay relevant in that context.

I had another role idea for Jericho that might work with his sporadic short term runs;

The Y2J Farewell Tour
Catering to his rock star persona, hype a Jericho comeback like you would a farewell tour for Motley Crue or Black Sabbath. Even have his merch resemble musician touring merchandise, with a detailed list of all the dates and cities he'll be hitting with the WWE. By doing so, WWE instantly creates a date for fans to look out for, being the last night of the "tour". Fans won't be able to help but speculate on what the build to that last date will be. Sometimes, knowing when something is going to end is valuable, and audiences will be intrigued to watch the story unravel.

Also, book it as a farewell tour, but Jericho can easily troll and continue to work, getting heat that way.

 

[MERPER]

What is Jericho's contract status, does anyone know?

I ask because I feel like that will play in to what he's doing this run through.

Last I heard he was signed to do limited TV/PPV work and mainly house-show work and that only changed because of the flurry of injuries and they felt like they had to get a big name on TV more often.

If that's true, then with injured guys returning... Cesaro, Cena soon and then Orton/Rollins eventually... wouldn't it stand to reason that by mid-summer he'd be gone again?

 

[ShinChan]

Chris Jericho is fine in the role he's in now.

His recent feuds have been great - Wyatt, Styles, now Ambrose.

If something isn't broke, don't fix it. Nothing is broken here.

Exactly.

Although I still despise Jericho for defeating AJ in his Wrestlemania debut, yet it wasn't his fault.

I think that feud with Ambrose would be awesome and is much needed for Ambrose after he was destroyed by Brock. And Ambrose should really win this feud.

Also I feel that at WWE's Japan Tour this year, Jericho is gonna have a bout with Nakamura. So atleast he isn't going anywhere till June-July.

 

[LBGetBack]

Anyone checked out Jericho's twitter since he went heel? He's really heeling it up on there too, constantly insulting people. It's hilarious. Keep kayfabe alive!

 

[akathelaw]

Chris Jericho should become the leader of the Social Outcasts. He creates edgy rock music that caters to social outcasts because he understands their frustrations. Jericho uses the Social Outcasts as his personal entourage of attack dogs. Roman Reigns insults Jericho for making lousy friends and Jericho has his group jump the champion backstage, setting up a World Title feud. Slater and the Social Outcasts (substitute Adam Rose with Stardust or Zack Ryder) back up Jericho all the time and have one singular focus on ensuring Jericho is the WWE World Heavyweight Champion. The stable would begin to have an nWo "clique" vibe where the guys are casually superior to everyone and brag about their successes. Eventually Jericho would lead the stable to capture almost all of the titles in WWE, creating a scenario for a babyface group to take them down.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

I definitely think that Jericho still has worth to WWE, and can still go in the ring. He's never going to be a World Champion again, and nor should he be but there's still plenty of roles for him to play.

I think the best idea suggested by the OP is the leader of stable- has Y2J ever been part of a stable before? I can't think of any time he has, other than short term alliances in tag teams- he's never been in a big faction as far as I can remember? He's gold on the mic so he'd be the perfect mouthpiece for a stable of up and coming wrestlers, stepping into the ring when need be, and even could play this role when he's not around via video link, recorded promos etc. It would help to elevate the other talent in the group, who would eventually turn on Jericho leading to a feud.

But if he does keep wrestling...PLEASE stop wearing trunks, it's not a good look for him any more (and never was in my eyes).

 

[LBGetBack]

Jericho is STILL arguably the best guy in the company. It was pretty pathetic the way so many IWC nerds turned on him in recent years. All the guy needed was a decent angle. He can do the rest. He's the best heel in the company right now.