He "snuck in the back door" to win the title, a month ago. Within a week or so, he went over the former champ, CM Punk, who he'd already beaten a couple times. This legitimized his position, I think. He went over HBK at No Mercy, lending even more credibility to his reign. He hasn't taken the position that someone like HHH did, in the past, but he's not being treated like a fluke, similar to the way Punk was.
So, how does this compare to his Undisputed Title run, so far? Better, worse, same? Is he a placeholder or is he finally getting the respect he deserves? The Batista match could be the ultimate point to decide this. If Jericho makes it past him, then that will do a lot for him. If he loses, he may be remembered as a transitional champ.
After winning the Undisputed Title at Vengeance 2001, he went on to defeat Austin in a cage match. Then he beat Angle and Rock in a 3-way, on Raw. He had a mini-feud with RVD and came out on top. He beat Rock, again, at the Royal Rumble, followed by a victory over Austin at No Way Out. Then he ran into the brick wall that was the returning HHH. In between, he also managed to get victories over people such as Taz, Maven and Big Show, none of which really mattered. He was even engaged in a verbal feud with Ric Flair. It really wasn't that bad, except that they began treating him like a transitional champ and made it very obvious, after the Rumble, that HHH would be getting the title at Wrestlemania 18.
I'd say that, if he can get past Batista and keep the belt through a few PPVs, this will definitely be huge for him. I'd like to see him hold the World Title at least as long as he held the Undisputed Title. Hopefully, we won't have to wait until 2014 for him to win the belt again, after this.
As for the change in personality, I went through this in 2001. I wanted the WCW heel Jericho, back then, and took a little while to get used to his new persona. It's the same this time. I wanted 2002 Jericho back, but I decided to just roll with it. We all want the long hair, the long tights and the "Jericho Shuffle" to return, but sometimes it's best to enjoy things for what they are. That's what I'm doing.
So, how does this compare to his Undisputed Title run, so far? Better, worse, same? Is he a placeholder or is he finally getting the respect he deserves? The Batista match could be the ultimate point to decide this. If Jericho makes it past him, then that will do a lot for him. If he loses, he may be remembered as a transitional champ.
After winning the Undisputed Title at Vengeance 2001, he went on to defeat Austin in a cage match. Then he beat Angle and Rock in a 3-way, on Raw. He had a mini-feud with RVD and came out on top. He beat Rock, again, at the Royal Rumble, followed by a victory over Austin at No Way Out. Then he ran into the brick wall that was the returning HHH. In between, he also managed to get victories over people such as Taz, Maven and Big Show, none of which really mattered. He was even engaged in a verbal feud with Ric Flair. It really wasn't that bad, except that they began treating him like a transitional champ and made it very obvious, after the Rumble, that HHH would be getting the title at Wrestlemania 18.
I'd say that, if he can get past Batista and keep the belt through a few PPVs, this will definitely be huge for him. I'd like to see him hold the World Title at least as long as he held the Undisputed Title. Hopefully, we won't have to wait until 2014 for him to win the belt again, after this.
As for the change in personality, I went through this in 2001. I wanted the WCW heel Jericho, back then, and took a little while to get used to his new persona. It's the same this time. I wanted 2002 Jericho back, but I decided to just roll with it. We all want the long hair, the long tights and the "Jericho Shuffle" to return, but sometimes it's best to enjoy things for what they are. That's what I'm doing.
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