While Chris Jericho isn't in the league of top stars like Steve Austin or The Rock, his WrestleMania resume puts him in the upper echelon of performers at the event. Despite his unspectacular 4-8 WrestleMania record, he's put on some of the best matches on the shows he's been a part of. His battle against Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 19 was a classic, and he also competed in the first Money in the Bank match, defended the Undisputed Championship at Mania 18, and won the European Title in a three-way against Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit at Mania 16. From opening match to the main-event, Jericho can be placed effectively anywhere on the card and he won't feel out of place. But it's his role in more recent years that makes his absence more glaring. Jericho's job has switched from full-time star to that of a respected veteran putting over younger talent, which is something he's great at. He helped make CM Punk's WWE Title reign more legitimate by losing cleanly to him at Mania XXVIII, and last year he was used to try and jump-start Fandango's career. He does what's asked of him and gives it his all. This year it seemed like a given that he would return. Even though he's one of the few wrestlers to find big success outside of wrestling, he always comes back because of his passion for the sport. But not this time. There is no Y2J at WrestleMania XXX, and it just doesn't feel right.
As Rust Cohle from True Detective said "Life's barely long enough to get good at one thing. So be careful what you're good at."
Sadly, I can't solve a murder like Rust...or change a tire, or even tie a tie. But I do know all the lyrics to Hulk Hogan's "Real American" theme song and can easily name every Natural Born Thriller from the dying days of WCW. I was once ranked 21st in the United States in Tetris...on the Playstation 3 version...for about a week.
Follow along @AndrewSoucek and check out my podcast at wrestlingwithfriends.com
