WWE News: Why Chris Jericho Needs to Return Sooner Rather Than Later

I chose the above video to see if it was familiar for any of you fans. It is one of the many videos involving Chris Jericho that have been repeated by the WWE in their current storylines.

Tonight's weekly edition of Monday Night Raw should be interesting. Last Monday, millions of fans watched the mass walkout of WWE superstars, referees and other personnel after a no confidence vote in COO Triple H.

If these superstars don't return to work as they have stated, how will Monday Night Raw function tonight? Yes, superstars like John Cena, Randy Orton, CM Punk and others did not walk out on the COO, as they were absent from ringside.

Chris Jericho has been physically removed from the WWE for a significant stretch of time. However, he is still an active follower and observer of the current storylines and overall WWE product. He is a Twitter addict and has actively tweeted about the conspiracy theory and "walkout" angle. Here are just some of Y2J's many tweets on the subject.

"

@IAmJericho Headed to the studio to do tonights Nancy Grace show on HLN. I was gonna go to Raw but apparently nobody is gonna be there... 52 minutes ago

@IAmJericho Typical.... RT Why is everyone onboard with the petitioning now, but nobody was when @IAmJericho did it? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8CfOxXRxsI 1 hour ago

"

Obviously, Jericho is just toying with the many individuals who speculated over the weekend that Jericho has intended to return to WWE in late 2011 or early in 2012. However, I am going to speculate a bit and explain why I feel Jericho needs to return.

Jericho obviously has done this before. He has been a victim of conspiracies and has complained about the direction of the company and many others things the superstars of WWE are doing now. However, he never got anywhere with his gripes and grievances.

What better way to bring Jericho back than with this feud. He could come back as a baby face and side with the Superstars or as a heel and side with Triple H.

In this angle, it is pretty clear that the roles are reversed. The Superstars have a legitimate gripe, or at least they appear to have one. Triple H has made many good changes since taking charge of the company.

He has revitalized the tag team division. He has given Zack Ryder tv time and has made the diva's division a bit more entertaining to watch.

By bringing back Chris Jericho now, there are a multitude of feuds he could enter. He could be interjected in this current feud, or he could feud with the man we all have waited for him to feud with. This man is CM Punk. 

When thinking about CM Punk and his shoot promos on Monday Night Raw, it reminds me of times in WCW where Jericho was given roughly about a minute to speak his piece.

In his documentary that can be streamed instantly on Netflix, Jericho goes through explaining on how he wanted to diversify himself. He wanted to incorporate all the wrestling he learned from overseas and polish it off with good mic skills.

Jericho would accomplish this by asking Eric Bischoff for a promo. This would consist of Jericho maybe saying a one liner or two before his opponent came down to the ring.

It was these promos that gave fans the fuel to create signs based of his rambles. One week, Jericho would be a "Paragon of Virtue." Another week, he would take never, combine it with ever and add some over exaggeration in annunciation.

Jericho started getting over with the crowd, and it was magic before my eyes.

He, in my mind, is the original "Best In The World." He was a solid technical wrestler, he was a high flyer at times, he was well versed in the Mexican and Japanese styles and he was a great mic man.

Looking at CM Punk, I see some major similarities. When Punk debuted, his signature move was the Anaconda Vice, a technical move. 

Jericho had the Walls of Jericho.

Punk would continue to evolve, and he would use his straight edge gimmick to prove how he was so much better than everyone else.

Jericho did this when feuding with Dean Malenko by saying he was the man of 1,004 holds. He had four more, so he was better. It was this swagger and cockiness about Jericho that made him likable.

Who else could take Jericho's tweets and use them against him? CM Punk has had many active Twitter feuds with Jericho, Stone Cold and various fans and other superstars.

This feud would give WWE the shot in the arm it needs. The current angle is a promising one, but it lacks major players. The rebel Superstars group needs someone with a bit more star power than David Otungato to lead them.

Ideally I would love to see Jericho tonight, raise hell and end the show with the fans wanting more. Most fans are crossing their fingers and praying that this doesn't die the same death that CM Punk's major feud did.

WWE has this knack of generating interesting storylines, building them up and then rushing them to a close at the end. Does anyone need reminding how quickly Kevin Nash came and went?

With Survivor Series next month, the WWE needs to draw a strong dividing lines for its top faces and heels. If there can be a big enough divide with enough star power, the constant struggle for power on Raw each Monday Night could make for some must see television.

Bringing back Chris Jericho now would benefit WWE in the long run. He is a big name talent who can still put on a great 15 to 20 minute match. Jericho is a good worker with an extensive skill set who could help many current talents.

Ultimately, Jericho is on the minds of WWE constantly. Each week, they bring their signs, cross their fingers and pray that they are going to witness the third coming of Y2J Chris Jericho.

Wrestling is for the fans and we have a voice. We want wrestling, and I feel this is a great way to air out some ideas.

If you have any other ideas, comments, suggestions or whatever, leave them in the comments section below.

Tom Urtz is an NHL Featured Columnist, a New York Rangers Featured Columnist and a lifelong wrestling fanatic.

Tom can be found on Twitter by clicking the button below.