5 Things That Should Be on Chris Jericho's List
Chris Jericho and Braun Strowman, WWE.com
Chris Jericho and his list have taken the WWE by storm. What other people and/or things should be added to the iconic List of Jericho?
Chris Jericho is the master of getting the simplest of things over in WWE. Look no further than the phrase “stupid idiot” or the single word “it” for proof of that. But perhaps the best thing Jericho has integrated into his character is the List of Jericho; a list to which he adds the names of whoever crosses him on a given night.
So far we’ve seen several names added to the list including Mick Foley, Seth Rollins, a cameraman, a fan, Xavier Woods (twice) and numerous others. Jericho even had the gall to put Braun Strowman on the list this past Monday. There’s no telling who will be put on the list next, but this got us wondering. Who/what else deserves to be on this list?
There are plenty of people and things that deserve to be criticized for one reason or another. Whether it’s a poorly designed championship belt, an online community that spews negativity, or a commentator that makes you want to mute the television, the wrestling world has a number of list-worthy entities. With that said, here are five things that should be on Chris Jericho’s list.
WWE.com
5. Alberto Del Rio’s Finisher
I know, I know. Alberto Del Rio is not in WWE anymore. But that doesn’t change the fact that the finisher he used during his second stint with the company was absolute garbage.
The most important thing for a wrestling fan to have is the ability to suspend disbelief. In order to get truly invested in the storylines and matches, you have to disregard some slight lapses in logic or reason, particularly when superstars seem to be overly cooperative when their opponent is trying to hurt them using some convoluted move. However, there is one move that is simply so ridiculous that it goes beyond any reasonable suspension of disbelief: Alberto Del Rio’s double foot stomp.
There’s simply no logical way to explain why his opponent would grab the top rope to hold themselves up, thus giving Del Rio an angle to stomp on their chest. No reason at all. It takes less effort and is in the superstar’s best interest to just hang from the turnbuckle limply, but no. They have to do Alberto a favor and basically, say “Oh hey you wanna cave my chest in with your feet? Here you go, buddy. No problem.”
Plus, Del Rio is talented enough where he could use so many other things as his finisher. Even the superkick he used in his return match on a kneeling John Cena would have been better. So double foot stomp…
You just made the list!
WWE.com
4. The WWE Universal Championship
The WWE Universal Championship is quite possibly the most hated championship of all time, at least appearance wise. While the now-defunct Diva’s Championship is certainly right there with it, the Universal title was met with such a negative response when it was unveiled that it took attention away from what was a fantastic match between Seth Rollins and Finn Balor.
To be fair, much of that can be blamed on the fans for not getting over themselves. The title was and is ugly, sure, but that shouldn’t have been the focus. Rollins and Balor put on an absolute show, yet when Balor went to grab the title after his victory to celebrate a meteoric rise to the top of WWE, he was booed because he was grabbing an ugly championship. That’s inexcusable.
All that aside, the belt is still ugly, and it and whoever designed it deserve to be on the list. Although people seem to be getting used to it, the red is simply too much. Not only that, but the design is extremely boring as it simply copied the WWE World Championship. The brand split was implemented to make Raw and SmackDown feel different, so why should their championships be designed with the same template? The same goes for the Women’s and Tag Team titles, but the Universal title set this precedent. The design is just a huge missed opportunity. So Universal title…
You just made the list!
WWE.com
3. The Internet Wrestling Community
Is it feasible to put hundreds of thousands of people on the list at once? Because that’s exactly what should happen.
The internet wrestling community, or IWC, basically refers to the group of wrestling fans who go online to discuss the latest happenings in the world of wrestling. Sounds innocent enough, right? Wrong. So, so wrong. If you find yourself on one of these message boards, particularly r/SquaredCircle on Reddit, be prepared for a flood of negativity. You enjoyed Raw last night? Sorry, it was awful. You think this storyline is pretty cool? Nope, it’s awful too. It’s pretty rare to come across a thread that is overwhelmingly positive, which is why it’s probably best to just remove yourself from the IWC altogether.
Occasionally you’ll see wrestlers criticize the IWC because they’re never satisfied or because they think they can book the shows better than the writers. And they’re right to do so. Being a wrestling fan should be about having fun, not having a superiority complex or criticizing every little thing. Does WWE do things that don’t make sense sometimes? Absolutely. But no amount of whining or complaining is going to make you feel better about it. If you enjoy what you’re seeing on Raw and/or SmackDown each week, keep watching. If you don’t, don’t. Simply as that. So IWC…
You just made the list!
WWE.com
2. Gimmick Pay-Per-Views
Disclaimer: This does not include the Royal Rumble or Survivor Series.
Gimmick pay-per-views need to end for a few reasons; the biggest one being that it devalues the match type it is built around. Take Hell in a Cell for example. It used to be the case that this match would only be brought out when the feud had gotten so personal and so intense that the only way to settle it would be to put the participants inside a giant steel structure to settle their differences. And that meant you could see a Hell in a Cell match at any time as long as the situation called for it. Having a PPV named after the match, thus necessitating that the match takes place, goes against this line of thinking entirely.
Sure, WWE will try to convince us that the feuds between Roman Reigns and Rusev, Charlotte and Sasha Banks, and Kevin Owens and Seth Rollins have boiled over to the point where they all need to have Hell in a Cell matches. But do we really buy that? If the next PPV had been, say, Payback, would there still be Cell matches? Of course not. The only reason they’re occurring is because the calendar says they have to, and that alone makes them less interesting and exciting.
The same goes for Elimination Chamber, Extreme Rules, and TLC. Just let these matches happen naturally when the story calls for it, not because the calendar dictates it. Gimmick matches…
You just made the list!
WWE.com
1. David Otunga
Yes, he’s on SmackDown. No, it doesn’t matter. David Otunga needs to be put on the list yesterday, and if that means flying Chris Jericho out to whatever city SmackDown is in that week to make it happen, so be it.
Otunga’s voice simply does not belong anywhere except a pre-show panel. He speaks with very little emotion and when he does have some, it sounds horribly forced. People gave Byron Saxton flak for this when he first started, but he blossomed into a pretty solid commentator. Could the same thing happen to Otunga? Maybe, but honestly, I’m not patient enough to want to find out.
He negatively affects what is otherwise a fantastic weekly show. Even JBL has improved drastically since moving over to SmackDown, and alongside the infinitely knowledgeable Mauro Ranallo, the commentary is pretty good, save for Otunga. At the very least, he mercifully stopped with his “major key” shtick. For anyone who may have missed it, for a few weeks he would say what he thought were the “major keys” of whatever match was going on in a desperate attempt to capitalize on the phrase made popular by DJ Khaled. To call it cringe-worthy would be putting it light.
David Otunga, you were a mediocre wrestler and are an even worse commentator. You’re probably a good guy, but either way…
You just made the list!
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