Over the past year of WWE programming, Chris Jericho has been showing the WWE Universe exactly why he is the best in the world at what he does. His run in 2016 has been arguably the best of his career, which is saying a lot for a six-time World Champion and a future WWE Hall of Famer. Jericho has said himself that his run this year has cemented him as one of the top guys in the business over the past twenty-five years.
He’s not only performed great matches in the ring, but he’s consistently been one of the most entertaining guys on the microphone. “The List of Jericho” shtick caught on with the WWE fans in a surprising way, but the true greatness of his run is the longevity he’s had because few people expected him to stay on WWE TV through Wrestlemania 32 . Not many thought he’d be featured on WWE programming for the entire year.
Originally, Chris Jericho and Vince McMahon were only planning on him staying through April. However, April turned into July, which turned into October. Now, he’s set to face Seth Rollins at WWE Roadblock in a little less than two weeks. Unfortunately, Jericho’s run is going to have to end eventually. It’s been extended longer than anyone expected, but his commitments outside of WWE are going to force him to leave soon.
According to a new report , Chris Jericho will be returning to Fozzy shortly after Wrestlemania in April. The band will begin touring on the summer festival circuit. Apparently, Jericho’s tour schedule with Fozzy will start at the “Welcome to Rockville” Festival in late April, and they’ve also been announced for other festivals in May. Fozzy will be recording a new album thanks to deal with Century Media that was signed in October.
The belief is Jericho’s run with WWE will be extended through Wrestlemania season, but the tour dates and busy schedule for Fozzy will force him to take another hiatus from WWE. As of this writing, Jericho’s return to WWE programming is unknown, but it’s also far too early to start speculating on that. If Y2J is going to stay on WWE television through Wrestlemania , his excellent run should end with a big exclamation point.
However, it’s being said that since Jericho’s status for Wrestlemania is still technically up in the air, WWE officials haven’t planned anything specific for him heading into next year. I t has been reported that Jericho could be winning the WWE Royal Rumble match to finally begin the feud with Kevin Owens for the WWE Universal title at Wrestlemania . Right now, those seeds are beginning to grow on WWE television.
There is a rumor going around that Roman Reigns will defeat Kevin Owens for the WWE Universal title at WWE Roadblock next Sunday , which means Jericho versus Owens may not be for the championship. Next week’s PPV is going to be a big building block for WWE programming heading into 2017, and it seems that no matter what happens in the WWE Universal title scene, Chris Jericho is going to be involved in a big way.
Other than Kevin Owens, big names such as Shinsuke Nakamura or even Finn Balor have been tossed out as potential opponents for Y2J on the grandest stage of them all next year in Orlando. If Jericho is on his way out the door shortly after the event, it’s very likely he’ll be putting over whoever he faces at Wrestlemania .
The most important thing for Chris Jericho is to put the finishing touches on his run, which could cement 2016 as the best year of Jericho. That’s a bold statement for him considering he was only supposed to be around for four months, originally. Now that we know he’ll be sticking around through April, that means we still have roughly four more months of Jericho left. The pressure is on WWE to use the time wisely.
[Featured Image by WWE]