Marking Out: Chris Jericho Returns Along with the Big Red Machine

Welcome all to the first edition of what may hopefully be a weekly column here. The goal here is to look at and break down the big angles from a show and how well (or not) it was done.

This past Monday saw the first Raw of 2012, and boy was it a show of note for wrestling fans.

For starters, the story growing between John Cena and Kane took a very nostalgic turn this week as Cena continues to try and rise above the hate while Kane tries to bring him down—something that was meant both literally and figuratively.

As Kane wants Cena to embrace his hate—like any good Sith Lord would—Kane's gimmick has gone back to what it once was when he first entered the WWF, with a little dash of the Undertaker thrown in for extra flavor.

As Cena tries to remain a top face for his fans, it is becoming more interesting as he plays up his increasing agitation to the boos and the “Cena Sucks” chants. It will be interesting to see how far the WWE is willing to take this story before easing up and putting Cena back into his normal gimmick. It's unlikely that they would have him turn heel so close to his fight with the Rock at Wrestlemania.

The night ended with a classic nod to early monster Kane as he tore through the ring, attacked Zack Ryder and tried to drag him back into the hole before being stopped by Cena.

This was where I smiled at the story.

It reminded me of being a child fan watching wrestling and seeing more fantastical aspects to a wrestling show. If the WWE keeps this going without becoming too campy, this angle could end up being surprisingly good.

But that story is nothing compared to the return of Chris Jericho—the person talked about in the vague videos that have been playing in the past few weeks on Raw.

This could have been the most obvious return in WWE history.

While many fans in attendance and watching on TV were surprised, many who either read news sites or followed Jericho's Twitter could have put money on his return: He was trying too hard to say that he was never coming back to the WWE and bashing other wrestlers.

Yet one thing I will give Jericho credit for is that he knows how to make an entrance. Many writers and fans—myself included—have said the biggest pop that they ever heard was when Ric Flair returned to Monday Nitro in his hometown to restart the Four Horsemen after he settled his lawsuit with WCW.

The closest I've ever heard to that night was when Jericho first debuted for the WWF and then this last Monday. As the lights went out and Jericho hit his signature pose decked out in a jacket that would make Dynamo from The Running Man envious, the fans went crazy.

Then it got weird.

Jericho played to the crowd numerous times—running around the ring giving high fives, mugging for cheers and posing for the crowd. He appeared to start talking only to drop the mic and continue pandering to the crowd, which caused the cheers to turn slowly to boos.

What made me sit up was the near Shockmaster moment when on Lap 50, Jericho almost tripped in front of the ramp before he went to grab the camera off a crew member. Then without saying a word, he left. Everyone in attendance was probably wondering what the hell they just saw.

This could end up being a brilliant move for the WWE and Jericho, or a massive failure. The whole idea of the segment was for Jericho to show the power that he had over the crowd and audience by making them both cheer and boo him without ever saying a word.

It is to show how much they are hypocrites for cheering him upon his return when he left as a major heel, as well as how fickle they are when they don't get what they expect.

The only problem is is that most fans don't follow Twitter like the WWE likes to promote, or follow wrestling sites where people could have read how Jericho feels he's the best in the world and about his issues with the wrestling landscape.

It will be great fodder for his first spoken promo, but it may have to come sooner than later: Wrestling fans will turn away from the same silence week after week.

Another interesting aspect is where the angle will go—especially after how the videos were made. A feud with fan favorite, CM Punk, seems almost inevitable as both men claim to be the best in the world and the identity of who “she” is will hopefully be revealed soon enough.

So with that I close out this edition of Marking Out and hope that you enjoyed reading and expect another edition next week.