Does WWE Really Need Chris Jericho to Return?

It’s crazy to think that it's been 14 months since Chris Jericho left the WWE, yet the chatter about when he will return to the company has been going on for, well, 14 months. 

The moment that Jericho and the WWE parted ways, wrestling fans were wondering when—not if—he would ever step foot in a WWE ring again. The widespread consensus was that Jericho would be back within a year at the very latest. 

Instead, here we are nearing 2012 and Jericho is nowhere to be found. 

There have been numerous conflicting reports on Jericho’s status. One day, he’s in negotiations with the company. The next day, he has no interest in returning. What's more, he recently shocked us all when he said he “will never wrestle for the WWE again.” 

Many of us realize that Jericho could be playing us with tricky wording there, but it looks like—at least for the time being—a Jericho return isn’t in the cards.

Some wrestling fans will be upset with that news. They will be heartbroken over the fact that one of the better overall performers in WWE history may never perform for the company again. 

However, while I would like to see Jericho back in the WWE, I honestly don’t think the company needs him. 

Sure, it would be great to see Y2J feud with CM Punk, The Miz, Dolph Ziggler or Alberto Del Rio. However, the WWE has not fallen apart without Jericho for the last 14 months and it will not go down the toilet if he never comes back. 

With all due respect to Jericho, the WWE is in fine hands as it is. 

On Monday Night Raw, we have a number of main event and upper midcard faces. These include John Cena, Triple H, CM Punk, Rey Mysterio, Kofi Kingston, Evan Bourne, Mason Ryan, Zack Ryder, John Morrison (at least for now) to name just a few. The same can be said for the heel side. Included is The Miz, R-Truth, Dolph Ziggler, Kevin Nash, Brodus Clay (whenever he debuts), Jack Swagger and so on. 

Meanwhile, over on Friday Night Smackdown, there are a bunch of midcard and main event names as well. These include Big Show, Booker T (coming soon), Christian, Cody Rhodes, Daniel Bryan, Hunico, Epico, Primo, Kane, Mark Henry, Randy Orton, Sheamus, Sin Cara, Ted DiBiase, Undertaker and Wade Barrett. 

The rosters aren’t super deep like they were during the Attitude Era, but thanks to the fact that Raw is now "Raw Supershow," the WWE has a lot more options when booking feuds because it can have them between two guys from different brands. 

The WWE has a ton of options for new feuds that it can put on at the moment. For example, Alberto Del Rio vs. Randy Orton or Dolph Ziggler vs. John Cena. Despite the fact that Jericho would give the WWE more options there, he isn’t necessary. Jericho may be desired and wanted, but he isn’t needed. 

He’s a luxury at this point—an expensive add-on that you might want and that might help you, but not one that will kill the future of your company if you don’t get it. 

In fact, there in no one man that could ever kill the WWE. Cena could bolt the company tomorrow and it would still survive. The same can be said of Punk and Orton. 

Every big-name wrestler could help the WWE in some way, shape or form, but that doesn’t mean that they have to be a part of the company for it to succeed. 

That includes Jericho. 

Every time someone like Jericho parts ways with the WWE, someone else will step up in his absence. Maybe it’s a Dolph Ziggler, a CM Punk or a Sheamus, but—no matter who the hell it is—someone will always do it. 

That’s being proven right now. 

Guys like The Undertaker and Triple H are purely part-timers now, while huge stars like Batista and Shawn Michaels are no longer with the company. Even so, the WWE has stayed afloat, largely thanks to people like The Miz and Mark Henry, who took the ball they were given and sprinted away with it. 

As big of a Jericho fan as I am, his ball has been stolen, split into a bunch of different pieces and now 10 different guys are running with it. 

We don’t need Jericho to take it back, even if we want him to.