Nobody really knows when Chris Jericho’s current WWE run will end. As of this writing, he’s booked through the end of the year, and one would assume that he’ll stick around until WrestleMania 33 .
Jericho’s 2016 WWE run is arguably the best run of his entire career, and it’s definitely the best run he’s had with the company since his program with Shawn Michaels back in 2008.
Over the last couple of years, Jericho has returned to WWE as the same old “Y2J” that we know and love. He was still great in the ring, and he was definitely one of the company’s top guys. But, in his opinion, he was never truly looked at as a true top guy until this year.
BREAKING NEWS: @WWE World Champion @AJStylesOrg JUST MADE THE LIST! #RAW @IAmJericho pic.twitter.com/W6GggUGexm
— WWE (@WWE) November 15, 2016
While speaking with the Toronto Sun , Jericho was asked about his professional wrestling legacy, and he said that his 2016 WWE run didn’t cement his legacy, but it cemented him as a top guy.
“I think this past year in the WWE has really cemented my, not legacy, but cemented Jericho as one of the top guys in the business 26 years later.”
It’s only a matter of time before Chris Jericho splits up with his tag team partner Kevin Owens, as WWE has been slowly building towards their breakup for several weeks now. They’re going to be partners at this Sunday’s Survivor Series show, so we could see some friction between the two in that match, but the breakup probably won’t happen until after next month’s Roadblock show because they’re both booked in singles matches.
During an interview with 120 Sports , which was conducted last month, Jericho said that his storyline with Kevin Owens was just getting warmed up. He also added that the storyline just happened out of nowhere, much like his aforementioned feud with Shawn Michaels in 2008.
“I think the storyline with Kevin Owens and Jericho is just beginning. I think there’s a lot of legs to this storyline and it’s one of the rarest of things. It’s a storyline that basically built organically that was never supposed to be a storyline. I think there’s a lot in the tank for Jericho and Owens. Especially from what’s transpired so far.”
As previously mentioned, Jericho is booked in a match at next month’s Roadblock show , and his opponent will be Seth Rollins. The match will be the show’s co-main event, behind the Roman Reigns vs. Kevin Owens match for the WWE Universal Championship.
A warning from @AJStylesOrg that @FightOwensFight shouldn’t be surprised to wind up on @IAmJericho ‘s LIST! #RAW pic.twitter.com/UDogoir2ny
— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) November 15, 2016
Team Chris and Kevin, or, “Jeri-KO,” will probably split up sometime in January, and, who knows? Maybe they’ll end up wrestling each other at WrestleMania 33 .
There are a few other options for Jericho at WrestleMania 33 if WWE doesn’t decide to put him against Owens, and one of them is Finn Balor, who is expected to return from injury in early-2017. Jericho was originally supposed to be Balor’s first big opponent when he was called up from NXT over the summer, but plans were changed, and “The Demon King” got inserted into the WWE Universal Championship mix. Then, they were scheduled to work with one another again after Balor won the Championship, but the idea was scrapped because Balor suffered a shoulder injury. So, WWE could book that match after Balor returns.
As of right now, though, it seems like WWE is building towards a Chris Jericho vs. Kevin Owens match at WrestleMania 33 . Will Owens still be the Universal Champion in that match? It’s possible. In fact, he probably will be the champ when WWE heads to Orlando next spring. Will he lose the title to Jericho? That depends on how long “Y2J” will be around following the event. If he plans on sticking around for a while, we could see Jericho become the Universal Champion next April.
[Featured Image by WWE ]