WWE Mailbag: Answering Your Questions on Chris Jericho, Kofi Kingston and More

It's Friday, so you know what that means—I'm back with another edition of the WWE Mailbag.

You probably know the deal by now: You ask any wrestling-related question (well, assuming it's appropriate), and I'll give you my answer.

You can ask questions through Twitter or Formspring, and I'll answer any question that isn't absolutely ridiculous. 

But I'll pick the best ones to answer right here on B/R.

In this week's installment, we tackle a number of topics including Kofi Kingston's quest for a World title, Chris Jericho's future in the WWE, who the next "face of the company" may be and more.

Alright, let's get to it. This is the May 18th edition of the WWE Mailbag. 

How Will Jericho's WWE Departure Go Down?

How do you think y2j will leave? If he does leave when he is supposedly leaving after the summer, for example, do you think he'll get an "injury" or just come out and say he's leaving?

There has been a lot of speculation regarding Chris Jericho's departure from the WWE, and many think it's coming up soon.

But it's just that: speculation. No one really seems to know when Jericho's actually leaving, and for all we know, he could be around for another few years.

I personally think that he'll take a hiatus to tour with Fozzy at some point this year, and he'll likely be written off of TV with an injury and then return for a feud with whoever it is that injures him (Randy Orton again, perhaps?).

Since Jericho's a heel and the WWE just did the "quitting" angle with Brock Lesnar, I don't think we'll see Jericho quit and I don't expect him to just say, "Hey, I'm going away for a while."

The easiest thing to do is write him off with an injury and then have him return for what will likely be his final run in the WWE, one that I wouldn't be surprised if it ended next year.

As for Jericho's actual retirement, I don't think we're going to see a big sendoff because he's said in interviews that he doesn't want one. 

I think he's going to put someone over in his final match (that's classic Y2J) and then simply announce his retirement the next night.

While I have no actual idea when Jericho will be done for good, I'd expect it to happen relatively soon. That being said, I don't think that he'll be going away forever if he's written off of TV to tour with Fozzy later this year.

What's the Most Unintentionally Funny Thing I've Ever Seen in a Ring?

What's the most unintentionally funny thing you've seen in the ring?

There have been so many unintentionally funny things I've seen happen, from sexual innuendos to pretty much any John Laurinaitis promo ever.

But the one that always stands out to me is Vladimir Kozlov's ridiculous top rope botch from a couple of years ago.

There are a lot of funny botches out there, but this occasion was rare because Kozlov botched it so horribly that it was actually mocked by the announcers, which almost never happens.

Clearly, the spot was for Kozlov to go over the top rope to the outside of the ring. But instead of trying to figure a different way to get over, he stuck with it and hilarity ensured.

This was one of those moments when you could really tell that pro wrestling is scripted, and though I'm sure Kozlov got an ear full for what is one of the worst botches ever, I would personally like to thank him for this botch because it has brought so much joy into my life.

If you're ever having a bad day, just watch Kozlov try to go over the top rope and fail miserably on national TV.

It's bound to cheer you up.

The Miz a One-Hit Wonder?

From @idb1888: Is The Miz a one-hit wonder?

Hmm. That's an interesting question.

The Miz is obviously a one-time WWE Champion, and since he hasn't held the title for roughly a year now and has largely been booked like crap lately, there is a lot of speculation that his first WWE title run could be his last.

Truth be told, he could go one of two ways: He could be like CM Punk, who won his first World title in 2008 but didn't really become a bona fide, full-time main-eventer until 2011, or he could go the Jack Swagger route by winning that one World title and then falling off the face of the earth.

Which will it be? I think it's more likely to be the former.

Now, I'm not saying that I think The Miz will reach Punk's level. What I am saying, though, is that I think The Miz will win another World title at some point and isn't done as a main-eventer. 

Although The Miz has been the victim of some bad booking in 2012, I think his recent burial stems from the fact that he's about to head off to film The Marine 3, because creative likely doesn't want to push him just so he can go away.

When he comes back, however, and especially when the movie is about to be released, I'd actually expect a sizable push for The Miz to coincide with the release of the movie as an attempt to increase sales.

That's not a definite, but it seems like a very good possibility.

Plus, when you look at the WWE's roster as it currently stands, it's not loaded with stars like it has been in the past, and The Miz could easily return to his late 2010/early 2011 form as a top heel or perhaps even as a baby face.

Clearly, The Miz is being de-pushed, but guys go up and down all the time, so just because Miz isn't in the main event now, that doesn't mean he won't be eventually.

I think he'll win another World title or two before his career is over with, though I don't see him racking up a whole bunch of them.

Will the Cruiserweight Title Come Back?

Do you think WWE will ever bring back the Cruiserweight Title? It could help guys like Kidd, Gabriel, Kingston, Bourne, R-Truth, Sin Cara, etc.

I think it'll likely be back at some point, but not anytime soon.

Why? Because the WWE can't properly book the titles it already has, and adding another title to the mix would only make matters worse.

There's chatter that we'll see a Cruiserweight show on the WWE Network, but that doesn't mean the Cruiserweight Championship will be back with it, nor should it.

While I like the style of wrestling we get from Cruiserweights and agree that a Cruiserweight title could work well with some of the guys you mentioned, the WWE just doesn't put much of an emphasis on Cruiserweights, and I don't see that changing anytime soon.

I'd actually be in favor of the WWE replacing the United States Championship with the Cruiserweight Championship if it weren't for the creative team, but I have almost no faith in creative's ability to properly book the WWE's smaller wrestlers.

Still, I wouldn't totally rule out the possibility of the Cruiserweight Championship returning, especially if that show on the WWE Network actually happens.

Giving Tag Teams the Main Event?

Do you think wwe should start putting the tag team champions in the main events on raw like they did a few years ago over on smackdown, when they had matches like mnm vs. angle and undertaker?

Putting tag teams in the main events of Raw and SmackDown is a great concept, but not as the WWE roster is currently constructed.

Quite simply, the tag team division doesn't matter all that much these days, and there aren't enough tag teams that would garner huge ratings in the main event time slot.

I mean, could you imagine how miserably the main event time slot would fail in the ratings department if it featured Darren Young and Titus O'Neil vs. Kofi Kingston and R-Truth?

While this is an idea that could have worked in the late 1990s or early 2000s, it couldn't work today because of that lack of star power in the tag team division. 

The only way this would really work is if we had tag teams that were able to draw big-time ratings, and that would mean seeing main-eventers in the tag team division.

Obviously, that doesn't seem like it'll happen anytime soon, so seeing tag team main events (I'm talking legitimate tag teams, not throwing four wrestlers from two feuds in one match together) is probably a pipe dream at this point.

What One Wrestler Would I Like to See in WWE?

What one wrestler outside of the WWE would you like to see preform in the WWE?

I really wish Kurt Angle would come back to the WWE for one last run because potential matches with guys like CM Punk, Daniel Bryan and Dolph Ziggler could be fantastic.

But if we're talking about someone who has never been a full-time WWE star, I would have to go with AJ Styles.

While I am certainly not sure that the WWE would book him well, Styles has proven to be an incredibly reliable and consistent performer for TNA and is arguably the best wrestler in the history of the company.

Yet he's never had the opportunity to face some of the biggest names in the business for the biggest wrestling promotion in the world, and that's a shame.

Styles has had a career that's been defined by countless great matches, but if you don't or never have watched TNA, then you probably have no idea just how good he is.

Put him in a WWE ring, let him go and I think we'd see that he's one of the stars that the WWE should have hired a long time ago.

Will Kofi Kingston Ever Win a World Title?

Do you ever see Kofi Kingston being World Champion? He has tremendous in-ring skills but needs improvement on the mic. He has shown that he is main event talent based on recent performances and his Randy Orton feud a few years back.

Unfortunately, I don't think Kingston will ever win a World title, which is a shame because I'm a big fan of his.

The problem with Kofi obviously isn't his in-ring talent (he has a ton of it), and I honestly don't think he's nearly as bad on the mic as most people seem to. Rather, it's a problem with the booking.

Kingston is such a reliable baby face performer that the WWE essentially sends him wherever he's needed, whether it be to the tag team or mid-card title scene. The thing is, he's usually needed to help make the WWE's heels look good.

Just look at how he was booked before he won the tag team titles. He faced Chris Jericho and Daniel Bryan on two straight Raws because those heels needed to put on a good match and get a nice victory before their title shots on pay-per-view.

That's the role that Kofi has settled into almost by default, and it's been both a blessing and curse all in one.

The WWE is so comfortable with Kofi where he is that I don't think they want to take a risk with him by trying to move him to the World title scene or even turning him heel.

It's almost as if their way of thinking is, "Why change a good thing?"

I can see why they would think like that. Unfortunately for Kingston, that's likely going to result in a career that sees him constantly put on good to great matches, but still fail to win a World title.

Has Y2J's Return Been a Failure?

Do you think Chris Jericho's third coming has been a failure?

No, I don't.

A lot of wrestling fans seem to think that Jericho has flopped because he's largely been booked like a loser since he returned. After all, he hasn't won very many matches and is 0-4 on pay-per-view.

But this is classic Jericho. I've maintained that he's one of the most—if not the most—selfless superstars ever, and since his return, all he's done is prove that by putting Sheamus over at the Royal Rumble and CM Punk over at WrestleMania and Extreme Rules.

Had Y2J returned and won all his matches, we'd be complaining that he's preventing the younger guys from rising to the top of the WWE. Thankfully, though, Jericho has done the opposite.

While there may have been minor booking details I would have changed for him, he's put Punk over twice, put on two great pay-per-view matches, cut great promos and given Raw (and now SmackDown) a top heel when it desperately needed one.

How can that be considered a failure?

I think some fans are putting far too much emphasis of Jericho's wins and losses. Wrestling is a scripted sport, where wins and losses don't really matter.

Jericho is a prime example of that.

Who's the WWE's Most Underrated Wrestler?

Who's the most underrated wrestler in wwe?

Since you said "wrestler" and not "superstar," I'm going to answer this question based primarily on in-ring ability.

My answer would be Tyson Kidd, but I think most fans realize how good he is, and in a way, he's become so underrated that he's overrated (I'm still a big Kidd fan, though).

That being said, I think I have to go with Jack Swagger.

Swagger isn't really taken seriously because of his lisp (which has gotten better, by the way) and the fact that he's been booked terribly for more than two years now.

But I think, if given the chance, he could be one of the WWE's best pure wrestlers.

His background in amateur wrestling—much like Cody Rhodes and Dolph Ziggler—has really helped him develop into a very good technician. The problem is that he's been booked so horribly that he hasn't really been given much of a chance to show it.

When he has, however, Swagger has actually put on some solid matches with guys like Christian, The Undertaker and John Cena on TV, and he's even had very good bouts with guys like Rey Mysterio as well as Chris Jericho and Edge.

Swagger has yet to have that career-defining match, but the matches he is involved in (at least the ones that get enough time) are usually pretty good.

If this guy had a gimmick change, a face turn or a push, I think he could be the best big man in the WWE.

Who Will Be Vince's Next Hand-Picked Face of the Company?

From @georgec1982: Who will Vince's last hand-picked "face of the company" be?

For those wondering what this question is referring to, read this.

But the basic gist is that many within the WWE think that the next "face of the company" picked by Vince McMahon will be his last.

So, essentially, this question asks: Who will replace John Cena as the WWE's next "top guy"?

I honestly don't know if Cena's successor is even on the WWE roster right now because, realistically speaking, Cena probably has three to five years (if not more) as the face of the WWE.

Therefore, his "replacement" is going to have to be someone who is relatively young and isn't quite a main-eventer yet.

There are really only a few options that fit that bill, and the one I'm gonna go with shouldn't be surprising: Cody Rhodes.

While I know Rhodes seems like the easy answer, it's just that he really is incredibly talented and still young enough that he'll be in the prime of his career when Cena starts slowing down a bit.

Rhodes is still just 26 years old, has five years of experience under his belt, is charismatic, can work the mic and can actually wrestle.

What more do you want from a top guy than that?

I think Rhodes could be huge within the next year or two and will be around the top of the WWE for the next decade or so, which gives him as good a chance as any to be the next face of the company.

To be clear, though, that's if and only if someone who's yet to debut in the WWE doesn't surpass him.

Drake Oz is the WWE Lead Writer for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter and ask him any wrestling-related questions (to be answered in the B/R Mailbag) on Formspring.