WWE Night of Champions Preview: What Role Will Chris Jericho Play?

This Monday night on Raw, wrestling fans breathed a sigh of relief when Chris Jericho was reinserted into the Six Pack Challenge at Night of Champions.

Sept. 13, 2010 would not be the last time that Chris Jericho graced our screens on WWE programming.

But what about Sept. 19? Or Sept. 20?

Will one of those days be the last time we see Jericho in a WWE ring?

We all know that that his contract expires this month. We all know that he has vowed he will leave WWE if he doesn’t win the WWE Championship at Night of Champions.

What we don’t know is whether he will win the title in the Six Pack Challenge. What we fear is that he won’t re-sign with the company.

It wouldn’t be the first time we saw Jericho leave WWE. He was “fired” in 2005 after losing a “You’re Fired” match to John Cena.

But the wrestling gods were nice to the fans this time. Jericho came back in 2007, and has arguably been on the greatest run of his career ever since.

He truly has been the best in the world at what he does.

Now?

It’s déjà vu all over again.

Just months after WWE lost Shawn Michaels, the company could be without the one, the only Chris Jericho.

We will find out this Sunday if that is the case.

But let’s take a look at the reasons why Jericho will leave and why he will stay.

Why Jericho Will Leave

1. Jericho wants to work a limited schedule.

This doesn’t tend to go over too well with WWE Chairman Vince McMahon. It’s his company, and he wants the wrestlers to follow his rules.

It’s Vince’s stubbornness that is probably the main reason we’ve never seen Sting in  WWE or why Rob Van Dam and Jeff Hardy signed with TNA. OK, maybe drug testing has something to do with it too.

But if HBK can work limited dates, then Chris Jericho can too.

I’d argue that Jericho is the closest thing the WWE has to Shawn Michaels. He’s gold in the ring, and on the mic.

Will Vince McMahon give Jericho the same treatment as HBK? If not, that could be the biggest factor in Jericho’s decision.

2. Jericho wants to pursue opportunities outside of WWE.

We’ve already seen Jericho foray into opportunities outside of wrestling.

He’s hosted ABC’s “Downfall,” and a boatload of other shows on VH1. He also is the lead singer of his band, Fozzy.

If Vince doesn’t allow Jericho to have a more flexible schedule, then Y2J may miss out on several other opportunities.

It’s also important to note that Vince hasn’t given into the demands of people who wanted to work outside of WWE in the past (Mickie James, anyone?).

3. Jericho wants to spend time with his family.

You might be thinking, “Well, Jericho has all these other projects he wants to pursue, so he won’t be spending much time with his family anyway.”

I’d disagree based simply on the fact that, as a member of the WWE roster, Jericho is on the road four or five days a week for an entire year.

If Jericho were to be hosting a TV show or touring with Fozzy, he’d have much more control over his schedule. That would allow him to spend more time at home with his wife and three children.

Why Jericho Will Stay

 1. The WWE is stable money.

Now I’m not sure how well Fozzy does, but I do know that “Downfall” slipped in the ratings every week and likely won’t be picked up for another season.

Jericho could obviously make money from other projects, but he wouldn’t earn the type of money that Vince pays the top guys in the company.

As long as he can still perform in the ring, he’ll probably take home anywhere between $500,000 and $1 million per year.

Call me crazy, but that’s just too much money to pass up for uncertain opportunities elsewhere.

2. Jericho still wants to wrestle and contribute to the company.

In recent interviews, Jericho has stated that he feels like he has another two to three years left as an in-ring performer.

He could go longer than that if he wanted to, but much like Michaels, he wants to leave WWE while he’s still still at the top of his game.

And unlike many superstars, Jericho doesn’t mind putting other guys over. John Cena should take notes.

No one (and I literally mean no one) in the business today puts other wrestlers over like Jericho.Jericho can lose to a mid-carder one night, and then win the World Heavyweight Championship the next night without anyone even thinking twice.

He lost to Heath Slater on NXT, for God’s sake.

3. WWE could help Jericho in other ventures.

Jericho has a three-disc DVD set and an autobiography coming out, and he needs WWE to promote them if they are going to be successful.

It’s also a good idea to secure a spot on national TV every week if you want people to remember to go to your concert or buy your album.

4. Jericho turned down a spot on “Dancing with the Stars.”

 I personally think it would be epic to see Jericho salsa dancing or doing the tango on one of the most popular shows on TV.

But Jericho turned it down. Why?

Because DWTS films on Mondays. Of course, Raw is also on Mondays.

Coincidence? I think not.

5. Jericho is the best in the world at what he does.

 Oh, it’s true. It’s damn true.

Chris Jericho is the best in the world at what he does.

My Thoughts on how WWE can write Jericho off of television.

Whether Jericho decides to re-sign with WWE or not, this is how I think WWE can go about preparing for both scenarios:

If he chooses to stay with the company, Chris Jericho still does not need the WWE Championship.

Yeah, I know that Jericho said he will leave the company if he doesn’t win the Six Pack Challenge, but there’s no set time for him to be able to make his return.

If he’s gone for a month, he “left.” If he’s gone for six months, he still “left.”

So at Night of Champions, I’d have Chris Jericho get down to the final four competitors along with Sheamus, Wade Barrett, and Randy Orton.

I find it hard to believe Cena would be eliminated that early, but I’m sticking with it.

Once we are down to the final four competitors, I’d have Barrett eliminate Jericho. The two already have plenty of history between each other because Jericho was Barrett’s NXT pro.

Jericho will be going nuts outside of the ring before he distracts Barrett, causing him to get eliminated with an RKO from Orton.

That’s it. Jericho is “gone” from WWE.

Whether Jericho has re-signed with the company or not, it doesn’t matter. If Jericho hasn’t re-signed and is actually retiring, then nothing comes out of the events between him and Barrett at Night of Champions.

If Jericho has not re-signed but will come back in the future, he has a perfect feud already set up. After length layoffs, top superstars almost always return as faces, so Jericho could return (maybe at Survivor Series or the Royal Rumble) and cost Barrett his match to reignite the feud.

If Jericho has re-signed, WWE can do the same thing. We all know that someone saying they are quitting isn’t always final.

Jericho could simply return the same way at some point down the road. After all, he would have “quit” the company.

Your Thoughts?

As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts on my article and my proposed way to write Jericho off of WWE programming.

Comment away!

And don’t be afraid to ask me any other questions about wrestling at http://www.formspring.me/BOestriecher.

I will include the questions and my answers in the Random Ring Remarks mailbag I’ve been doing. You can check out the latest installment here.

One last thought: Let’s hope the Chris Jericho era in WWE doesn’t end this week!