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WALKING THE AISLE: CAN CHRIS JERICHO SAVE HIMSELF?  

I guess WWE has decided to give its fans a great pay-per-view card during what is heralded as the giving season, with this Sunday’s Armageddon.  I expect the event to distract my attention from the predicted Nor’easter in my whereabouts on Sunday night with an enjoyable night of wrestling.  From Hardy vs. HHH to M VP vs. M ysterio, and everything else in between, it promises to be worth my $40.00.  What I’m most interested in, however, is the reaction of the live crowd during the WWE Championship Match.

Before I write any further, I’d like to admit that Chris Jericho has, is, and will always be, one of my favorite wrestlers, performers, entertainers, workers, etc.  I can remember sitting in front of my television with an assortment of important people in my life at the time, when Y2J made his unforgettable WWE debut in August of 1999.  I also remember standing in front of my television with a couple of important people in my life, when Y2J made his comeback on November 19^th of this year.  Unfortunately, I also will remember sitting down and watching the past three or four Raws and being a bit unimpressed with Y2J’s fan reaction.

There are a number of aspects that you could blame this on I’m sure, starting with the Waiting for Godot-like Save_US.X29 campaign, but that’s a whole other column to be written.  If it hasn’t already been done.  Instead, I’d like to look at the significance that this Sunday’s match has in regards to Jericho’s near future with the company.

By just placing Jericho in the main event of his first pay-per-view match in over two years, it’s obvious that McMahonagement sees the superstar returnee as a major piece of the puzzle.  However, will that change if Sunday’s headliner results in little fan reaction?  Will Jericho be blamed for not getting the fans frantic, or will the creative team have the finger pointed at them for their approach in handling his comeback?  Will Y2J slide down the card as quickly as he was placed on top or will he be given another chance?

All these questions will be answered after Sunday’s presentation and you can bet Jericho knows this.  Jericho needs a great showing, with near perfect ring psychology and drama built throughout.  Orton will do his part, because in the ring he’s shown that he has the ability to work an impressive match with the right opponent.  But will Jericho be able to go 18-20 championship-like minutes without getting gassed and no gimmicked match to fall back on? 

I believe he will.  I believe Jericho is too good at what he does to not give the fans a very good to great effort on Sunday.  There’s a reason why Jericho was the first Undisputed Champion of the World.  He knows the crowd, he reads the crowd, and he will eventually get the crowd to react in a big way Sunday night. 

Moreover, if the past is any indicator, when Y2J is asked to deliver in a big moment, he does.  From verbally sparring with The Rock during the aforementioned WWE debut to stealing the show with Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania, Jericho has performed at the apex of his abilities on the biggest stages.  And even though Armageddon doesn’t seem to be a “big stage” moment as far as the WWE stands, it may be one of the biggest challenges of Jericho’s career.  A challenge I think he’ll meet head on and turn into one of his finest outings.  If he doesn’t, it’ll be interesting to see what waits for him on Monday night.