Y2J Returns

At Wrestlemania 18, Chris Jericho lost the Undisputed Title to HHH. Afterward, he was sent back into the midcard. He kept busy with his talk show, the Highlight Reel, and winning the Tag Team Title with Christian, as well as winning the Intercontinental Title a couple more times. He was at his peak, many would say, though he was stuck in purgatory. With HHH on top, there was no room for Jericho in the main event scene. His career seemed quite pointless. By 2005, he appeared to be going through the motions. He had turned face and chopped off much of his hair. He was putting over less talented wrestlers, while the main event was filled with people like HHH, Batista, John Cena and so on. He seemed to be turning heel, in his short feud with Cena, but it didn't seem to take. He lost his title match and disappeared. It was a very unceremonious ending to a great career.

In late 2007, the rumours began. Word was that Y2J was coming back. It was telegraphed long before the actual return, making it seem a little lackluster. Immediately, I wanted him to turn heel and win the title back. These things were unrealistic, but it's what I wanted. But, in truth, I was just glad to see him back in the ring. So many had died. Just in the time that he had been away, Eddy Guerrero, Mike Awesome, Bam Bam Bigelow, John Kronus and Chris Benoit had all died, among others. The curse of ECW was claiming victims, left and right. I made many assumptions upon Jericho's return. I figured that he would come in and be jobbed out to everyone in the locker room. Naturally, I thought he was just back to promote his book and lay on his back a few times. Within a few months, I thought, he'd be long gone. A year from now, most fans would have already forgotten that he ever returned. Still, I didn't care. With so many dead, I was just relieved to see him in the ring again, healthy and alive. I wanted a lot for his return, but expected nothing.

In the time that he has been back, he has already headlined a PPV in the main event, for the WWE Title. Of course, he was screwed out of that, but it led to another feud, so the booking made sense. Well, now, he is an 8-time Intercontinental Champion, breaking his own record. It's not what I wanted, but it is more than I expected. It's a pleasant surprise to see him back and doing well. Hopefully, things only go up from here.