2013 Pro Wrestling Thread

I think it's because Jericho is so beloved by the smarks. It's not quite equivalent to Jordan leaving the NBA to play baseball, but I think it's the same principle.

 

I would say that people shit on Jericho (not me, because God knows he busts his ass every time he's in the ring) because he's not quite at the level of the Rock or Lesnar, when you combine their wrestling personas and their out-of ring activities.

Rock has been in a large number of movies and Lesnar was UFC champ. Jericho's biggest thing out of the ring was Dancing with the Stars. Good, but not great, especially with male fans. Fozzy is a popular band, but not that huge. And while Lesnar hasn't done as much in the ring as Jericho has, he's still seen as a special attraction because of his UFC background.

Jericho also hasn't taken as long a hiatus as the others. When he's gone for a year or two, you tend to not miss him so much. If he was gone for 5-10 years, like Rock and Brock, fans would miss him more, and be more happier that he's back.

 

Actually, I'd say the opposite is true in my observations. Smarky fans I know actually respect Jericho for coming and going as he pleases because a) they love him and b) they understand not wanting to work 300+ days a year without an intentional break. The Rock pissed them off because he made a big grandstand show about never leaving again, then proceeded to leave, holding up his end of the Cena feud via satellite. Nobody's angry that Lesnar isn't running a full schedule (maybe not happy that he wastes three of his matches on HHH, but what can you do?)

The other thing is that for as great as Jericho is, he's no Rock and he's no Lesnar. He's a mid-card to upper-mid card guy at most. He's no longer a gamechanger when he returns. It's like, "neat, Jericho's back", but it's not like the return of the conquering hero or the prodigal son.

 

He was also smart to change up the persona. As much as I loved the WCW heel crybaby Jericho, that just wouldn't work for a guy around 40. Great for a brash young talent, but he's too old for that now. Even as a face, he evolved. The immature guy who posted funny Photoshopped pics on the Titantron is gone, but I think that's more because he doesn't have to work hard for a face pop. He's at the stage where fans will pop unless he pulls blatant heel tactics.

 

I've often thought his best work came when he started acting like Nick Bockwinkel, with the suits and the long words.

 

Agreed.

The feud he had with Punk in 2011 was excellent. The way he re-debuted on Raw, by mocking the fans, was pure gold.

 

Well, I can't remember how RAW tapings go as I haven't been to one of those in a couple years but Tuesday's Smackdown taping went like this: Doors opened at either 5:30 or 6 (I got there at 6:30), we got a dark match of Sin Cara vs. Ted Dibiase Jr at 7 p.m. followed by three matches for Main Event and, at 8 p.m. we got the usual Smackdown taping for two hours and the night ended at a little past 10 with a main event dark match of the Shield vs. Orton, RVD and Daniel Bryan.
Overall I'd say I was there for about four hours total but it seemed to fly by, probably because the last show I went to was Mania and that was practically an all-day affair.

 

That definitely showed during his feud with Punk. It took him almost a month before the fans stopped cheering him and started booing like he wanted.
I think the character evolution you're talking about is the biggest reason why he's over with the smarks. It shows he's not coasting as a part-timer. He's trying to do something different, putting the work in both in and out of the ring, and taking it seriously. Contrast that with Lesnar (who has a "the check has cleared, right?" look on his face most times), and Rock (who is still hitting the same notes he did 10 years ago and thus feels stale), and the smarks can't help but develop an appreciation for Jericho. Even if something isn't working, they know he'll figure it out or at least do his best to salvage it.
What it comes down to, I suppose, is that Jericho is a professional wrestler. At his core, it's what he does.
Rock and Lesnar are spectacles. They entertain or they fight, but they do other things. Pro wrestling made them famous, but they've moved on and coast a little more when they return to their roots.
It's like the difference between seeing a movie with William H. Macy, and one with Adam Sandler.

 

When you think about it, Jericho's had a lot of personas:

The Lionheart/young gun

Whiny crybaby/Monday Night Jericho

Y2J/Heel and Cool babyface

Romantic lead (with Trish!)

Undisputed champion!

The "Save Us!" Y2J

The Bockwinkle/Best in the World at What I Do

The I'm poking fun at you for cheering me Y2J

The, ah, what the heck, go ahead and cheer me Y2J.

(Did I miss any?)

Contrast that with Cena:

Young inexperienced guy.

Thuganomics

Hustle/Loyalty/Respect guy

Even the times they've tried to have him be a romantic lead (Mickie, Eve) has sucked.

 

That about sums it up. Nice job.

 

Don't forget "Stephanie and Triple H's dogwatcher"

It's easy to rag on Cena for not having a lot of character development, but it's pretty rare for major stars to reinvent themselves often. Hogan was Hulkamania from 1984 to the nWo turn in 1996. Sting was either radical blond go-getter or broody brood for most of his time in the majors (go home, TNA, this doesn't concern you). The Rock and Steve Austin played the same character for most of their top-card runs, excepting brief heel remixes of the theme and Austin's very brief needy heel phase. Triple H has only had two characters -- DX and The Game, with face and heel uniforms for both. In that sense, Jericho is kind of a rarity.

 

Kane is the only other one I can think of that's had as many personas. And even he generally switches between the "monster heel" and "monster face" role. It's only been during his time with Bryan that he's really added the comedy element and some true depth.