Does RAW Need Chris Jericho?

All indications are that Jericho will be off on another hiatus with his band Fozzy, in an ongoing attempt to fulfill his other childhood dream of becoming a rock star. Good for you, I hope you sell out lots of high school gymnasiums.

I confess to being somewhat selfish and bitter given I’m a fan of his work. So forgive me for poking some fun at his relative lack of success in the music world given it DOES come at the expense of my being able to watch him perform in the squared circle.

In terms of credentials, Jericho was the only guy to unify WWE’s two heavyweight belt’s, and hands down, from a technical perspective, has been one of the key upper card wrestlers of the last 15 years. He’s Bret Hart good.

When allowed to be himself (ie. when he’s NOT spouting off at the mouth with his suit wearing self righteous gimmick inspired by actor Anton Chigurh in No Country For Old Men), he can be both dangerous and hilarious on the stick.

And most would agree, he can, like Michaels, make a greenhorn look far better than they are in the ring. When paired with opponents near his calibre, it’s pure magic (think Steamboat back in 2009, Michaels both in 2003 and 2008, and Mysterio culminating most recently in 2009).

He’s a wrestler many of his peers actually REQUEST to work with (with the exception of Goldberg). So there’s no arguing the guy has talent.

But the question remains, does RAW need Jericho?

Let’s not forget, he has left us before. And while we all initially felt worse off for it, prior to his return, the fans had moved on. Flashback…

Jericho’s absence spanned the general period of 2005 through 2007. During that time it offered guys like Jeff Hardy (who had previously always been paired with his brother), Dave Batista, and John Cena to become regular headlining main event singles wrestlers fighting for the top two belts.

Some of the elder statesmen like Undertaker and Edge also got to carry the gold on numerous occasions.

The US title was used almost as a proving ground to groom future greats and was worn by guys like MVP, Mr. Kennedy, and The Gold Standard, Shelton Benjamin. And you know what?

They seemed to be doing just fine thank you very much. Between the hard working veterans and the young stars being developed, WWE was experiencing a period of growth and promise that in my opinion, still exists today.

Third generation stars from the Hart, Rhodes, and Dibiase families continue to make their mark alongside newcomers like Dolph Ziggler and The Miz (who has probably been the most impressive of the lot given what limited expectations were placed on him early on).

When Jericho is IN the business, although it pains me to stroke his ego to say this (as he has stated himself) there will likely always be a main event spot waiting for him whenever he returns.

But at the same time, Jericho, if you should choose not to come back, we’ll all still watch wrasslin, and we’ll all still put our pants on one leg at a time.

Does RAW need Jericho? You tell me.