Best Booking Options for Chris Jericho After WWE Return

With Chris Jericho back in the fold again, WWE's hand has improved, as the company now wields another ace.

WWE has a number of choices of just where to play that card. An old rivalry awaits to be restarted, a pair of high-flyers need Jericho's verbal expertise and a faction would move up a tier with him involved.

To maximize the power of Jericho's return, WWE has to use him to improve both the present and the future. 

Jericho marched back onto WWE on Monday's Raw. The New Day was in the midst of one of its usual self-congratulating sessions when Y2J stepped in, promising to save the company. 

Before laying into the tag champs, he announced he would compete in the Royal Rumble.

How much more he will be around beyond that is unclear, but it appears that this is no one-off. PWInsider's Mike Johnson reported that "Jericho is expected to be working live events very shortly, possibly as soon as this weekend." And his rock band obligations may not be pulling him away anytime soon.

As Dave Meltzer noted on F4WOnline, "A key is that there are no touring dates for Fozzy listed going forward."

So what should WWE do with Jericho while he's around? The focus should be on finding appealing in-ring adversaries with whom he can produce something special but also to use his star power to bolster the roster.

One surefire way to do just that is to allow the Breakout Star of the Year Slammy winner to have a second crack at him.

Revisit Neville Rivalry

Last July, Jericho knocked off Neville in a tremendous match to open the Beast in the East special in Tokyo.

It's a no-brainer to let these two go at it again. For one, as indy wrestler El Ligero pointed out, the result was excellent the first time around:

Second, Neville would benefit from rebounding from that loss. The Man That Gravity Forgot looked strong in defeat, but WWE would help him along in a big way if it were to let him topple Jericho a handful of times.

Neville's career thus far has been marked by near-victories. A couple of wins against a future Hall of Famer would be his career highlight to date.

And they would undoubtedly have a stellar clash. Their chemistry was top-notch last time.

Credit: WWE.com

Pit them against each other at Raw, and allow Neville to even things up at one win apiece. Then have the rubber match at a pay-per-view. Along the way, the two could advance their feud at the Royal Rumble, with one of them eliminating the other.

WWE would get some full-throttle entertainment out of it all, plus some major momentum for one of its rising stars.

Continue to Antagonize The New Day

Jericho's first targets on his return were the tag team champions. That's a smart path to follow.

While the banter between them was childish at points and cookie-cutter at others, there is great potential for future showdowns.

The New Day's primary rivals, The Lucha Dragons, don't offer much in the way of mic skills. Any verbal exchanges between the squads promise to be one-sided. WWE could counter that by having Jericho be a manager of sorts for Kalisto and Sin Cara.

Have Jericho take issue with The New Day running the yard. Let him pair up with The Lucha Dragons in an effort to take the champs down.

He could provide the spoken part of the equation, serving as The Lucha Dragons' mouthpiece. During the course of their collisions, WWE could have Jericho and Big E go at it in singles action, let Kalisto and Jericho team up for some eye-catching double-team moves and create a memorable moment where The New Day throttles Jericho at ringside.

There's a real chance here to increase New Day's heat and help kick-start The Lucha Dragons' road to the top of the tag division.

Join The League of Nations

As much as they claim to be, The League of Nations doesn't feel like a supergroup. Blame WWE for treating King Barrett, Rusev and at times Sheamus as low-level threats this past year.

Adding Jericho (who could represent Canada) would lend an air of legitimacy to the group. He could be the missing piece and instantly take over as the faction's top talker.

That move would also help WWE to build on the teased friction he had with his allies the last time we saw him. He was Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns' mystery partner at Night of Champions against The Wyatt Family. Miscommunication hurt the trio's chemistry, and Jericho angered his teammates by costing them the match.

Jason Powell asked on ProWrestling.net what many a fan must be thinking: "Will he pick up where he left off, as far as having tension with Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns?"

If that's the case, it makes sense to put him in a crew that is at odds with Reigns. It's an easy narrative to continue and affords WWE a number of options.

Eventually, The League of Nations can get a boost by bashing Jericho into the mat. Whenever he's ready to go back to playing music, the heel stable can turn on him and leave him out cold, in need of a stretcher. 

Going this route sets up a possible Reigns-Jericho bout that would be mighty appealing. It would elevate The League of Nations, especially after it feeds on Y2J to grow even stronger.

All three paths will lead to some thrillers in the ring. Beyond that, WWE would have harnessed his championship pedigree, leaving Neville, The New Day or The League of Nations armed with more momentum than before he made his return.