WWE SummerSlam 2012 Overhaul: Chris Jericho's Big Win

Undercard Overhaul is a fantasy booking series born of one fan's intense frustration with WWE's creative direction, pitching ideas that may better serve the Three E's of Good Wrestling: Each performer has a place, every match matters and even the midcard can draw.

Today's episode: "Chris Jericho and the Rock Star Regime" in three simple steps.

3. Ziggler Cashes in

Without spoiling tomorrow's SmackDown entirely while still confirming what many of us already suspected, Sheamus will indeed defend his World Heavyweight Championship at SummerSlam.

The match ends. It doesn't matter who won or lost, as long as the bout was competitive and whomever's left standing sells an injury to save face for what happens next.

Dolph comes down, referee in tow, and wins the title after cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase.

He's ecstatic. Vicki pops a champagne cork. Ziggler, a guy who could sell shoes to a fish, then puts on a championship celebration unlike anything this side of Kurt Angle's first big win.

2. Booker T Does Not Approve

Later in the show, we cut backstage to see Ziggler and Vicki getting into a limousine, wineglasses in hand. The world is their oyster.

Before the two can take off, however, SmackDown General Manager Booker T arrives and "axes" him what he thinks he's doing.

Ziggler replies, "Anything I want! I'm the champion!"

Booker T tells him that he's still got a match against Jericho. Dolph tells him, "Get lost! I already had a match tonight!" but his boss is insistent. Ziggler signed a legally binding contract.

Dolph tries to leave again but Booker puts his foot down, raising his voice. He says, "You got a match tonight, dawg, and for disrespecting the Booker Man, it's gonna be for the World Heavyweight Championship! Can you dig it, sucka?"

Ziggler and Booker T are locked in a glare. Vicki pours another glass of champagne and slams it before going to our next segment.

1. Jericho's Big Win

After months of futility and a contest that has "Potential Match of the Year" written all over it, Jericho finally picks up a pay-per-view win against Dolph and claims the World Heavyweight Championship.

Maybe there are some shenanigans—a couple of ref bumps, Booker has to restart the match or the debut of Matt Morgan as Jericho's bodyguard, clearing the ring of Dolph's associate Jack Swagger.

Either way, the door's open for Jericho to go full-on heel, to do what he's best at, emphasizing his rock-star career over wrestling and treating the championship like little more than an excuse to promote his band Fozzy. Jericho could even celebrate the title win with a concert on SmackDown.

In the following weeks, Ziggler stands up for the sport, defending its honor and integrity against Jericho's malicious remarks. Suddenly everyone's rooting for him to shut Jericho up (and win the title back) because hey, we all really like wrestling (and especially like guys who still treat championships like they matter).

Ziggler could turn a monumental corner here, shoot straight into the super-face stratosphere, if Vickie and Swagger were to betray him to join Jericho (and his bodyguard Morgan) in the Rock Star Regime.

THE AUTHOR

Jeremiah Allan is a sometime comic book writer, 2009 graduate of Ottawa University (Ottawa, KS), and senior staff writer at Wormwood: A Serialized Mystery. Check the article archive for previous installments of Undercard Overhaul.