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VIP - KELLER: Y... 2... Sequel - Can Jericho live up to the hype and fill Cena's shoes? (Torch #999) Nov 20, 2007 - 8:13:59 PM
Chris Jericho got the best type of return anyone could ask for. He received weeks of build - up (or was it months?) with mysterious, cryptic videos. He walked onto the stage with a massive special effects show with a new video, remixed music, and plenty of time to soak up cheers. He also happened to be immediately booked against the World Champion and top heel, Randy Orton. Can Jericho live up to the hype?
Part of that he has control over, part of it he doesn't. There are people in high positions in WWE who aren't sold on him being a full - time top tier player to build around. There are doubts about his height, his promos, his in - ring style that some believe limits him to a second tier role with occasional visits into main events. Nobody in WWE can be picky at this point, though, with the roster depth what it is.
Jericho has a lot of pressure. He has to live up to John Cena, whom he is essentially replacing as the top babyface feuding with Orton, now that Orton has moved past the Shawn Michaels feud. Cena, despite his weaknesses and shortcomings, really stepped up and became comfortable with carrying himself as a true top tier star. Cena had epic matches with Orton in a 2007 disciplined, realistic style. Jericho, meanwhile, has been out of the ring for years. Timing, never Jericho's strong point, can take a while to get back.
My concern with Jericho isn't that politics will cut the legs out from under him. The deck has been cleared. Shawn Michaels is moving into a secondary feud with Mr. Kennedy, Triple H is not going to get in the way and try to rush into another feud with Randy Orton. Jericho vs. Orton is on, and it will reveal a lot about the 37 year old Jericho.
On Raw, he looked young, refreshed, healthy, vibrant, almost pretty. Maybe too pretty. He had gotten himself all dolled up for an aspiring career in entertainment outside of wrestling. Other than a really embarrassing performance on a reality celebrity singing show, he didn't do much that landed on any mainstream pop culture radar. Is the look and style that he has now conducive to being taken seriously as a tough fighter? With size working against him already, will a disco ball glitter vest and a $150 haircut with highlights get over with the target market?
The early indication is yes...
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AND NEW FOR 2009! Monthly "Vintage Audio Torch Talks." We are releasing for the first time ever audio versions of our text Torch Talk updates, the historical first series of insider interviews ever. Wade Keller's newsmaking in-depth interviews with wrestling's biggest names are now being made available exclusively to VIP members. But you must be a member each month, as these are not archived, so they are replaced with a new one each month! This debuted in January 2009 with a 68 minute interview with the late "British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith. Who's next? Hulk Hogan? Eric Bischoff? The Rock? Goldberg? Jeff Hardy?
