Posted in: Ro is War Ro is War: Lionhearts and Heartbreak
By Romeo
Jan 4, 2012 - 8:23:21 AM
January 2 has come and gone. If you were right, then you were right – it was Chris Jericho after all. And if you were wrong then you were wrong, but at least it wasn’t the Undertaker. It was almost impossible to be wrong, though, given the picture of Jericho arriving at the airport in Nashville which spread like wildfire on the Internet.
However, Monday’s RAW has left us with a completely new dilemma, and it’s not about what Jericho is playing at with his little stunt. (For those who haven’t seen it yet and are looking for a quick explanation, Jericho basically came down as the man behind the “It Begins” videos to a huge pop, but intentionally overstayed his welcome by trying to get the audience to cheer for him even more, as well as leaving without any sort of explanation. By that point, the cheers mostly turned to boos.) Most smarks easily figured that one out not very long after the segment aired – and surely Jericho himself will explain it all soon enough – which is why the aforementioned dilemma has mostly nothing to do with the meaning of it all.
You’ve got most fans praising the wordless segment for an entire spectrum of reasons, ranging from the fact that it was indeed different – not just from a good 99 percent of pro wrestling promos, but from Jericho’s own history of debut/return segments as well – to the fact that the man proved that he is a master of having the crowd at the palm of his hands, using a grand total of zero intelligible words, no less.
On the other hand, you’ve also got some fans, including my own ROH Friday wingman Jeff and LOP’s favorite son Hustle (who scrapped his entire RAW Running Diary and replaced with a well-done parody of the segment in utter disappointment), who have drawn their reaction from a different, negative spectrum. These reasons mostly center around the fact that the wonderfully-produced “It Begins” videos, which did a good job of building up speculation for weeks on end, were basically wasted by Jericho’s intentionally anti-climactic return.
For now I am neutral towards all of this, but slightly leaning towards optimistic because my interest has been picqued by the unusualness of it all. I had never put too much thought and emotion into the videos; I just waited for January 2. I saw the first video and immediately thought Undertaker, but later I read a post that expertly analyzed the monologues of the videos which were supposedly clues that it would be Jericho. Because there were at least two different answers (the world added one more possibility after Brock’s retirement from MMA last Friday), I decided to wait and watch it unfold instead, without letting my mind be tainted with the bias of many concrete arguments. So because I hadn’t invested that much of myself into it, I wasn’t disappointed with who it was and how it turned out. But again, the dilemma is not either of those.
Instead, the question is: was Jericho’s trolling really worth dividing the fanbase on his return, and on Jericho the man (and/or character) himself?
My answer is yes, it is worth it – for now. For now, while the opportunity is open for Jericho the character and his particular storyline to make the most out of it, while Creative hasn’t failed it yet. It’s a rather utilitarian approach to storytelling in general the way Jericho betrayed and vehemently defied everyone’s expectations, but the company needs this, this betrayal and defiance which is still so controversial that it ended up becoming interesting and intriguing (as if it already wasnn’t from the beginning, though). This is essentially another shot in the WWE’s arm, an arm which could use more such shots even after a year that saw a lot of them. The WWE can’t just rely on the same few people, such as CM Punk and John Cena, who have the talent and are given the time to start and cultivate the more intriguing storylines on the show. (Love or hate Cena, you have to admit that whoever’s behind the Cena/Kane feud is doing a compelling job so far.)
Another interesting question to ask ourselves, as fans of pro wrestling, the narrative of which is ultimately governed and (attempted to be) held together by the concept of suspension of disbelief (which people increasingly wish to defy in a neverending push to assert their intelligence as fans), is that what was the proper way for us to react to the entire angle?
Was it right for those who felt disappointed by the segment to feel disappointed – the traditionally markish reaction – because that was the exact emotion Jericho wished to evoke from the audience? Or was it really better to rise above the marks and utilize your intelligence to figure out that particular fact? Are we merely justifying and trotting out our knowledge and superior analysis because we wish to avoid suffering the pain and humiliation a mark suffers for his feelings toward what happens onscreen?
Of course it was right to feel disappointed. Of course we smarks are just hiding behind analysis and debate and punditing. Feeling disappointment, anger, and other negative emotions towards Chris Jericho for what he did and didn’t do is a sign that he successfully did his job and portrayed his character as he intended, and this wrestling world would be a better place if we (myself included) didn’t condescend those who feel real emotion. Pro wrestling is an emotion-driven sport; champions and jobbers are made by emotion.
But at the same time, those who mostly choose to forego such emotion in favor of analysis and “intelligence” (again, myself included) can see that in this intriguing, time-wasting, head-scratching, speculation-laden madness, there is renewed hope for a system that has fallen into the traps of blandness and apathy. All of those, gleaned just by looking ahead, and that optimism is what passes for emotion.
As for my emotions, I’m glad Jericho’s back, one way or another. All of this discussion without even saying a single word – that’s just brilliance, I’ll have to admit.
If you’re an ROH fan, then you’d do well to read my coverage of the recently re-debuted ROH television show. It comes out sometime every week (as much as possible).
Also, for my fellow Filipinos, please tune in to my buddy Stan’s radio show S&M: The Morning After every weekend from 6 to 9 am (10 am on Sundays) on Mellow 94.7. If you find yourself up early on a weekend, do check it out!
