How Chris Jericho Can Help Improve the WWE Product

After months of speculation, the wait is officially over: Chris Jericho is back in the WWE. 

The return of Y2J could not have come at a better time, either. 

The WWE experienced a rash of injures in the second half of 2011, with big-time names like Rey Mysterio, Randy Orton, Christian and Alberto Del Rio all ending up on the sidelines with some sort of ailment, and Jericho brings with him another veteran presence that the WWE is sorely lacking at the moment. 

With those names I mentioned currently on the shelf and guys like Triple H and The Undertaker now nothing more than part-timers, the WWE needs some more veterans to work in the main-event scene along with John Cena, CM Punk and The Big Show. 

That’s precisely what Jericho will be able to do. 

He can immediately step up and become one of the WWE’s go-to guys, someone who will bring an undeniable credibility to the table that only a few select WWE veterans have. 

Of course, Y2J comes along with more than just that veteran presence. He is one of the most well-rounded wrestlers on the planet and can help improve the WWE in a number of different ways. 

For starters, Jericho will provide an instant lift to the quality of matches we see on Monday Night RAW. Jericho’s getting up there in age now, but as evidenced by some of Y2J’s matches during his last WWE run (especially his ones against Shawn Michaels and Edge), there’s still a ton of gas left in his tank. 

Just looking at the WWE roster as it currently is, there are a boatload of superstars I think Jericho could tear the house down with—The Miz, CM Punk, Cody Rhodes, Dolph Ziggler, Randy Orton and Alberto Del Rio, just to name a few. 

The great thing about Jericho, though, is that he’s not only a tremendous wrestler. He’s one of the best promo guys in wrestling history, too. 

There aren’t many wrestlers around who I’d rather see cut a promo than Jericho, and now that he’s back on RAW, I think we can expect to see some great promo exchanges between Jericho and the top stars on Monday nights. RAW already has some great talkers (like Cena, The Miz and Punk), but if you throw Jericho into that equation, the promos on RAW will really be taken to the next level. 

Jericho’s so good at working the crowd on the mic that he can’t help but put on great feuds as well. 

As long as the booking of Jericho’s upcoming feuds and rivalries make sense, I have high expectations for all of them. It’s just that, when you combine Y2J’s skills on the ring with his skills on the mic, you can do nothing but anticipate great feuds from Jericho in what should be his final WWE run. 

He doesn’t even have to be feuding over titles, either. Jericho is one of the few wrestlers around who can make a feud that doesn’t involve a title matter or seem important. 

That’s really going to help the upper mid-card and main-event scene in the WWE going forward because, instead of fast-forwarding through some feuds that may seem pointless, we’ll be anxiously waiting to see what Jericho has in store for us next. 

I know it may seem like I’m just tooting Jericho’s horn for him right now—and it does to an extent—but Jericho really is that damn good at what he does, and there’s no doubt that the wrestling, the promos and overall quality of the feuds in the WWE will improve now that he’s back. 

But that’s not even what has me so excited about Jericho’s return. What I’m most anticipating is what I’ve appropriately titled “The Chris Jericho Effect.” 

During Jericho’s last WWE run, he made an incredibly selfless habit out of putting over some stars that he had no business losing to. 

We saw Randy Orton do this throughout 2011, as “The Viper” helped Christian, Cody Rhodes, Wade Barrett and Mark Henry all reach the highest levels of their careers by losing to every single one of them in high-profile matches. But before Orton ever did that, it was Jericho who was doing the same. 

Who remembers when Jericho actually lost to Heath Slater on NXT (a show that hardly anyone watches) during his last run? How about when Evan Bourne beat him? 

Jericho lost those matches, sure. But he was so good in all those other aspects that he did not suffer from these losses whatsoever. 

He could follow up a loss to a mid-carder or lower-card worker one week by wrestling in the main event the next week, and no one would even think twice about. I’m hoping that’s exactly what Jericho does this time around, too. 

While Y2J definitely deserves to stay in that main-event scene, the No. 1 way he can improve the WWE product is by helping elevate some of the company’s up-and-coming stars. 

Imagine what it would do for someone like Zack Ryder or Cody Rhodes to get a victory or two over Jericho. It would instantly up their credibility, while Jericho would likely bounce back from the loss immediately. 

That’s what sets Jericho apart from most other legends: He’s selfless. 

In what should be his last run, I think he’ll be selfless once again. And the WWE will be a better place because of it.

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