5 Reasons Why Bray Wyatt And Chris Jericho's Feud Is A Failure (So Far)
5. Less Chris Jericho And More Chris Irvine
At this point, the man born Chris Irvine has likely spent more of his life playing a pro wrestling character and rock star than actually getting to be himself. That's the problem with this feud. There's something in Bray Wyatt's delivery - namely, in his ability to convey brutal honesty without seeming over-the-top in his claims - that really sets him apart. Whereas Chris Jericho is perpetually bombastic and ostentatious in tone, Wyatt sounds more like an honest man speaking honest words, not the typical sound and fury of pro wrestling promos. Maybe to make this feud connect better it's time to get to the core of Chris Jericho, aka the 43-year old Chris Irvine, the son of a hockey journeyman who is achieving his dreams too, but may be at the end of the line. It may be possible that a large percentage of the WWE Universe potentially cares about this notion, too. To put this in rock and roll terms, Jericho may need to be more The Band having their Last Waltz than Led Zeppelin at their prime believing that The Song Remains The Same. Jericho's "cool rock star" delivery doesn't really matter if he's wrestling a guy with a "devil-may-care" attitude about even being cool at all. It takes two people to argue, and if one party really doesn't want to scream, it may be time to speak plainly and cut to the heart of the matter.
Besides having been an independent professional wrestling manager for a decade, Marcus Dowling is a Washington, DC-based writer who has contributed to a plethora of online and print magazines and newspapers writing about music and popular culture over the past 15 years.