Chris Jericho Walks Off Into the Sunset.....again

It's starting to look like the upcoming Night of Champions PPV will be the last time that we see Chris Jericho on WWE programming for at least a little while. As of today, the WWE and Jericho have not reached an agreement to extend his contract, and Jericho himself is looking to take time off to tour with his band Fozzy. Based on these known factors, and Jericho saying in a kayfabe interview last week on RAW that he'd quit the WWE if he didn't win the WWE Championship at Night of Champions, signs point to Jericho taking some extended time off from the company after the September 19th PPV.

My only hope is that this isn't an extended absence from the WWE like we saw from Jericho after he left the company in 2005, only to return more than two years later. While 2006 and 2007 were great years for WWE programming, Jericho has more than proved his worth and held his own during his three year run since he returned. He's held multiple World Title's, set a record for the most Intercontinental Championships held ever, had one of best runs as a tag team champion we've seen in recent memory with Big Show, and literally held RAW together when most of the roster was hurt or taking time off. All the while he finally evolved his character into what I thought it should have been back in 2003-2004 when he was first being pushed a main event talent - an ego driven man so blinded by his own beliefs and values that he truly believes everything he says and does is for good. It really has been a remarkable run for Jericho.

All that said, Jericho isn't a guy who can carry a wrestling promotion on the big stage. He isn't a guy that will reinvent the wheel with his ring work. But what is is a guy who fits in all over the card, can step into the main event when needed, and really anchor the upper mid-card/lower main event scene for a company. Yes, Chris is getting up there in age, but he's still performing at a level that most dream of. Truthfully, I think he's at a higher level, performance wise, than Shawn Michaels was when he was Jericho's age. Which leads me to believe that Chris Jericho has at least a few good years left in him.

That's what I am hoping for. A few more years from Chris Jericho. The fans love him. The WWE loves what he can do for them. The industry loves, and needs, guys like him. So Chris, here's my request to you. Enjoy touring with Fozzy. I get that you love your band. I also get that you have a lot going on in your professional life outside of wrestling that could keep you financially secure for years to come. But, I'm hoping you still have enough in the tank to give us one more run in the WWE. You've been too good for too long to walk away after your contract expires. I hope you have enough passion left for one more run. Best of luck to you, and I hope we get to see you in that ring again sometime soon.

Revamp

I'm back and ready to go. I'm here to talk about the lighter side of life. The things that we fill our free time with and use to escape from the doldrums of every day life. Those who know me know that I am a huge professional wrestling fan. Over the past few years my interest in wrestling hasn't diminished as much as it's been put on the backburner. The past two weeks I watched RAW on Monday Night and really actually had an opportunity to sit down and enjoy it. The current storyline with the Nexus has been one that I have to tip my hat to the WWE on. They've managed to strike a degree of balance and freshen things up when it was going stale. However, I will be interested to see where it goes after SummerSlam on Sunday. It's been going on for a few months now, and I am not sure it has much steam if Nexus loses on Sunday, unless of course the creative team plays up a revenge angle.

That said, I can't believe Summerslam is this Sunday. I thought we had another week to go. Then it hit me that the show is this weekend. I had a momentary debate as to whether or not I should get the Pay Per View. Then it just kind of hit me that this is one of the biggest shows of the year for the WWE. I have to get Summerslam. Besides, the next several Pay Per Views they've got going on are all gimmick Pay Per Views, and lord knows I'm not a fan of that.

I am finally starting to wrap up Suikoden V. I started playing the game back in January and took a break to basically devote three months of my life to Mass Effect, then another 6 weeks to Final Fantasy 13. I have to say that I was glad I put down Suikoden V to play Mass Effect and Final Fantasy 13. I started playing video games last summer and enjoyed it as a hobby but never really got drawn into a game the way I remembered from my childhood. Mass Effect changed that. I cannot remember playing a game that drew me into the universe, the gameplay, the characters, and the story the way this game did. Final Fantasy 13 was similar in that respect, but different. It was the first time I can ever remember being drawn into a game to where I was in love with the universe, storyline, characters, and gameplay, but still able to step back and say "man, this game has some problems".

And that will be my next post. My thoughts on Final Fantasy 13, and the Final Fantasy series in general.