Analyzing Chris Jericho's Current WWE Run Up to This Point

If all T-Pain does is win, then all Chris Jericho does is lose. 

Well, at least on paper, that’s definitely been true in his current WWE run. 

Since returning to the company on Jan. 2, Jericho has lost just about every big match that he’s been in. Sure, he’s picked up a few solid TV wins, but he’s winless (0-6) on pay-per-view. 

Many wrestling fans have noticed this and, as a result, said something along these lines: “Jericho’s return was pointless. He just keeps losing at every pay-per-view.” 

And to those fans, I say this: You’d probably be complaining even more so if it were the other way around. 

Had Jericho come in, buried young talent and won multiple world titles, you’d be moaning and griping about how he’s selfish and in the business only to further his own agenda. 

But Y2J has done the exact opposite. 

Fans aren’t going to remember what is likely Jericho’s last run because he racked up a ton of accolades and won a bunch of matches. 

They’re going to remember Jericho’s last run because it is a prime example of what a 40-something year-old, major star should do at the end of his career. 

In an industry that’s full of guys who go into business for themselves, Jericho continues to do what has largely defined his career: be selfless. 

He’s leaving his mark on pro wrestling in his current run, and he’s doing it by putting other stars over at every opportunity. 

Here are Y2J’s pay-per-view losses so far in 2012: 

• Royal Rumble: Last person eliminated by Sheamus, who won the match 
• Elimination Chamber: Lost an EC Match for the WWE Championship 
• WrestleMania 28: Lost a WWE title match clean to CM Punk 
• Extreme Rules: Lost a Chicago street fight for the WWE Championship to Punk 
• Over the Limit: Lost a Fatal 4-Way match for the world heavyweight title after being pinned by Sheamus 
• Money in the Bank: Lost the WWE Championship contract Money in the Bank Ladder match 

On paper, yeah, Jericho is a loser. 

In reality? He’s so much more. 

The wrestling industry—and more specifically, the WWE—simply wouldn’t work if there were no big-named veterans who were there to make the young up-and-comers look good. 

If established stars weren’t around to put rising ones over, then it would be much harder for those young guns to get elevated. 

But thankfully for the WWE, it has Jericho around. 

If you want to define Y2J’s current WWE run by wins and losses, then go ahead and do that. But just know that you’re making a mistake. 

You can’t define a scripted sport by W's and L's to begin with, but that’s even truer when it comes to Jericho. 

Win or lose, he stays over. Win or lose, he’s still viewed as a top star. Win or lose, he still looks good. 

Although Jericho has wound up on the losing side of each and every PPV match (and almost every big match) he’s had so far, we shouldn’t be worried about what those losses did for Jericho. We should be worried about what they did for everyone else. 

For Punk and Sheamus, Jericho’s losses made them look like even bigger stars. Although they’re already two of the biggest names in pro wrestling, having them defeat a surefire Hall of Famer goes a long way in proving that they belong at the top of the WWE. 

For the WWE, the company got to put on some entertaining programming. 

And most importantly, for us the fans, we got to see a handful of great matches that wouldn’t have happened had Jericho not returned. 

So, say what you want about Jericho's being a failure or a flop since his return. If you’re looking just at the surface, then I can’t say that isn’t true. 

But look beneath the surface, dig down deep, and you’ll see the real story. 

Jericho’s current WWE run may not be the one we all remember. But I’d argue that it will end up being the most important. 

And that’s for one simple reason: The WWE will be better off when Jericho leaves it than it was when he arrived.

Drake Oz is a WWE Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter and ask him any wrestling-related questions on Formspring.