Royal Rumble 2012: Chris Jericho's Wacky Return Shouldn't Lead to Rumble Victory

Chris Jericho's return to the WWE after weeks of speculation and subsequent silence on consecutive Monday Night RAW shows has led to a lot of questions about his character.

One thing that should not be included in the redevelopment of Y2J is a Royal Rumble triumph.

Jericho immediately became one of the favorites to win the 30-man battle royal when the cryptic videos were confirmed to be for him (see below). The winner, of course, claims a chance to challenge for a championship of his choice at WrestleMania.

While that would seem like a logical next step in his return, the Royal Rumble is typically used to push a wrestler to the next level. Jericho doesn't need that extra boost. He's already drawing more crowd reaction than nearly every other worker even though he hasn't said a single word.

He's firmly in the main event picture without needing a marquee victory to get him there, so why waste one of the year's biggest opportunities to help a rising star reach the next level on a returning veteran who doesn't need it?

It's doubtful that Jericho would have agreed to a return unless Vince McMahon had a pretty clear vision on what to do with him. He wasn't coming back to be just another face in the crowd.

Since he's utilized the silent treatment so far, I think it would be a major mistake for him to speak before the pay-per-view. There is a lot of tension each time he comes down the ramp, and wasting what could be an epic promo on RAW wouldn't be worth it.

So the best course of action would be allowing CM Punk to retain his WWE Championship against Dolph Ziggler at Royal Rumble, followed by Y2J coming out to lay down the promo everybody has been waiting for.

The WWE is often criticized for giving away its best material on the weekly shows and therefore leaving nothing fresh for the PPV audience. Jericho on the mic to start a feud with CM Punk would put all of those worries to rest in a matter of minutes.

Since The Rock and John Cena are already slated to steal the show at WrestleMania, Jericho and Punk could serve as the bridge between this month's marquee event and the ultimate show in early April.

Neither guy would want to play second fiddle to Rock and Cena. So it's better for them to have a tremendous two-month feud beforehand, where they can hog the spotlight, instead of letting Jericho win the Royal Rumble and having to tease the match for a couple months.

The excitement surrounding Jericho's return is palpable. McMahon and Co. need to capitalize on that hype immediately to help struggling ratings.

So, although Jericho is the obvious Royal Rumble choice, he's far from the best one. Hopefully the WWE doesn't fall into a predictable trap.