WWE Monday Night RAW: Analyzing Chris Jericho's Return

Y2J is back.

Last night on the very first episode of Monday Night RAW of 2012, the mystery man behind the "It Begins" promos was revealed to be none other than Chris Jericho himself.

He came, he saw...and he didn't say one word.

Chris Jericho had nothing to say? Apparently the world really is ending.

To sum up Jericho's return to WWE in one word, it was bizarre. He was wearing an electrified jacket that was an ugly, futuristic nod to his previous sparkly vest and shirt. He ran around the ring slapping hands with his loyal Jerichoholics, ascended the turn buckles, bounced around the ring, stole a camera, reveled in his welcome from the WWE Universe—and then he left, without saying a thing about why he had returned or the meaning of the cryptic promos.

There's obviously more to this story.

Jericho never has nothing to say. Using big words is part of his gimmick, for crying out loud, and he's never at a loss for new ways to brag about himself. He's certainly one of the top talkers in all of WWE history.

And he certainly knew that we wanted to hear him talk. Which is precisely why he didn't.

By the time Jericho returned to the top of the entrance ramp, people were booing—and the giant grin never left his face.

He's not here for us this time. He's here for something else.

But what?

Because of the presence of the boy and the girl in the "It Begins" promos, many expected a dual return last night. Now that we know the boy is Jericho, it seems fairly likely that the girl could be Stephanie McMahon, who has been an ally of Jericho's in the past.

However, another theory is that the girl could represent not a person, but a thing: the WWE Championship. This goes hand-in-hand with another theory that Jericho will go on to face CM Punk at WrestleMania XXVIII.

Currently, CM Punk has his plate full with Dolph Ziggler and John Laurinaitis. A WWE Title match has already been set for the Royal Rumble, with Johnny as the special guest referee. Throwing Jericho into the mix at this point seems like it would be overkill.

But, as we all know, after the Royal Rumble anything can happen in the daunting Elimination Chamber. 

There's still more to be said about Jericho; he certainly has some explaining to do. Not everything was revealed all at once in the "It Begins" promos, and the same goes for Jericho's return.

Last night was only the beginning.

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