photo courtesy: wwe.com
There has been a lot of chatter about Chris Jericho recently, as many fans think that his current WWE run or even his wrestling career could be coming to an end in the near future.
We haven't gotten a definitive ending date from Jericho, but with his band Fozzy and all of his outside ventures, it's not totally crazy to think that he might finish up with the WWE soon.
Given that he seemed to start a program with Randy Orton on last night's Raw, though, I'd say that we're jumping the gun on thinking Jericho's gonna leave the WWE as soon as next month.
That being said, I don't think Jericho's current run is going to be a lengthy one, though the selfish part me of me really wishes that that it would be.
Here are seven reasons why Jericho should remain in the WWE as a full-time performer.
7. He Deserves a Proper Sendoff
Chris Jericho has maintained in interviews that he doesn't want the big WrestleMania sendoff like the one Ric Flair got and that he'd rather just slyly sneak off into retirement.
But even though that's what Jericho says he wants, he deserves to have an incredible sendoff that recognizes him for all of his incredible accomplishments in the industry.
The problem is, though, that if he's not staying in the WWE full time, he's probably going to get a less than stellar departure, much like he got in 2010 when Randy Orton punted him in the skull..
If Jericho's only back for a short run and is leaving the WWE sometime later this year, then he may get a departure that leaves the door open for his return.
But what if that return never happens? Is Jericho's career going to end just like Batista's did?
Even if that's how Jericho wants to leave the WWE, I don't think it would be a proper ending to what has been one of the best wrestling careers of all time.
Y2J deserves better than that.
6. We Still Haven't Seen "The End of the World as You Know It"
The cryptic videos that hyped Chris Jericho's return and even Jericho himself said that his comeback would result in "the end of the world as you know it."
OK, so when is the end of the world coming?
Presumably, Jericho meant that the end of the world would be him winning a world title, either the World Heavyweight or WWE Championship. But he's had four opportunities to do so and has fallen short each time.
The great thing about Jericho is that he's better than anyone at constantly losing without it having a detrimental effect on him, but it would be nice to see some follow-up on all of this "the end of the world" stuff.
Jericho's promise to end the world as we know it was essentially the basis of his return, but he's failed to live up to that promise.
As much as I applaud Jericho for being able to suffer virtually no consequences while consistently losing, I don't think his latest WWE run will be complete until we experience "the end of the world as you know it."
In other words, he needs to win a world title before he goes bye bye.
5. His Run Will Likely End Up Being Too Short
Like I mentioned before, we really have no idea exactly how long Chris Jericho is going to stick around the WWE.
But given what he has going on with his band Fozzy, I think it's safe to say that he probably won't be around in 2013.
Y2J returned in January 2012, and it's likely that his contract was somewhere between the six-month and one-year range, meaning that his WWE run is going to be a short one.
Too short, in fact.
It's a lot easier for someone to have more feuds and story lines and/or make a bigger impact in the WWE when they stick around for the long haul, and we just don't know if Jericho is going to do that.
I'm not saying he hasn't made an impact either, because he most certainly has.
It's just that staying for two to three years as opposed to less than one would ensure that.
4. He Can Play Music Forever, but He Can't Wrestle Forever
Generally speaking, musical talent stays with someone for almost his entire life.
But wrestling ability? That fades with time.
This isn't to say that Chris Jericho's wrestling skills have suffered (they haven't). But he obviously can't wrestle for another 10 or 20 years at an elite level.
With his music, though, he can play it forever.
Jericho's singing skills aren't just going to disappear tomorrow, and he has the rest of his life to focus on his music career.
That's obviously not the case with his wrestling career.
Jericho is in his 40s now, and his time in the ring is running thin. Perhaps he should wrestle while he still can and then focus on his music when he no longer can.
3. All the Feuds and Rivalries We Haven't Gotten to See
In one sense, Chris Jericho has accomplished anything and everything there is to accomplish in the WWE.
But just looking at the company as it currently stands, there is so much left for Y2J to do.
There are a number of intriguing story lines for him just waiting to happen, and there are a boatload of rivalries involving Jericho that we still want to see.
How about Jericho vs. Sheamus? What about Jericho vs. Cody Rhodes? How about Y2J vs. Daniel Bryan?
I may be being a bit selfish here, but it's just that I feel like Jericho working as a full-time performer for another couple of years would allow him to do so many great things for the WWE.
Y2J can feud with the company's rising crop of young stars, and more importantly, put them over like he always does.
But he can't do that if he's gone.
2. The Lack of Top Stars (More Specifically, Top Heels)
The WWE needs Chris Jericho.
Why? Because there is a lack of top heels and a general lack of top stars in the WWE.
This isn't to criticize the other talent on the WWE roster. This is simply to point out how much Jericho means to it.
He is one of the—if not the—top heels in the WWE at the moment, and is also one of the biggest and most recognizable names in all of professional wrestling.
When Jericho leaves the WWE, he's going to leave a gaping hole in the roster.
The WWE will lose someone who is currently a top heel, but can also work as a baby face and brings the company some name value that it desperately needs.
That can't easily be replaced. In fact, it won't be.
1. He's Still Got It
"You still got it! (*clap, clap, clap, clap, clap*)"
I think it's been pretty clear since Chris Jericho returned in January that he, in fact, still has "it."
He had a great showing at the end of the Royal Rumble, two great matches at WrestleMania 29 and Extreme Rules and then a really impressive performance in the Fatal 4-Way at Over the Limit.
Jericho also had some memorable TV bouts against guys like Kofi Kingston and was on the absolute top of his game in the promo department.
Even though Y2J had been away from the WWE for roughly a year-and-a-half, he has proved that he can still do anything and everything you want to see out of a pro wrestler.
If he's still got it and will likely still have it for another few years, why call it a career?
source: bleacherreport.com
