Column: Who Will Be Chris Jericho’s Partner?
Granted we’re in the ‘PG’ era of the WWE, 20 million 10 year olds world-wide are happy that Edge is out with an injury and won’t be back for at least six months. For the people who are just a little bit older, we now realize that arguably the biggest superstar in the company is now gone. Not only is he one of the biggest stars and best competitors, he’s also one-half of the Unified WWE Tag-Team Champions.
Enter Chris Jericho. Had the WWE faced this problem 10 years ago, with a champ down with an injury, both would have to vacate the titles. However, Jericho get’s to choose (and I say ‘choose’ lightly) his new tag-team partner. And in order to figure that out, we need to do a quick history lesson, as it could be one of three possibilities:
The Legacy: Vince has wanted either Rhodes or DiBiase (primarily the latter) to pull a Batista-like exit on Legacy, really since it began. Obviously, in 2005 Batista turned on his mentor and left Evolution. With Legacy as the ‘new’ Evolution, a turn for either Rhodes or DiBiase is pretty much inevitable.
Think back, exactly one year ago (damn the time flies, huh?): At the same pay-per-view, DiBiase and Rhodes formed to make ‘Priceless’, by turning on Hardcore Holly, to capture the titles. With the animosity between DiBiase and Orton slowly (but surely) growing, it wouldn’t be a surprise if either one turned on Legacy, for a chance to become the new Tag-Team Champ.
Dolph Ziggler: This seems like the most probable choice. Think back a few weeks ago; Jericho lost the Intercontinental Championship to Mr.. 619, but then picked up the Tag-Team titles with Edge the same night. On WWE.com, it was announced that Ziggler will challenge Mysterio for the IC at NOC, and this Friday on Smackdown, Ziggler teams with Jericho to take on Hardy and Mysterio (non-title match however). This might give Ziggler a great push towards working up to main-eventing, something the WWE needs to do with other young wrestlers as well.
Shawn Michaels: Yeah, I know what half of you are thinking right now. ‘HBK isn’t coming back till Summerslam or WrestleMania 26’ ‘Jericho would never take HBK as a partner’ but listen to what Jericho said last Monday. He wanted someone who would do whatever it took to get to the top, someone who was “Intelligent, devious, cunning”. Please correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t Jericho go on a ‘small’ rampage against HBK saying those exact same words? Now, granted the history, don’t expect this to happen, as those terms can be applied to Ziggler as well, but granted the head of the company calls himself a ‘genetic jackhammer’, anything is possible. If by some chance this does, we might be looking at another top-heel in the company. (What a great thing to boost viewership if HBK became the Federation/Attitude Shawn Michaels!)
These are the three most likely people I believe will stand with Jericho at Night of Champions, and become his new tag-team partner, but like I said, anything is possible.
John D.
[Remember you can follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/wrestlingnews]
SUBSCRIBE TO WRESTLING NEWS FEED!
Categories: Columns and Editorials
Back To: Wrestling News
I hope its either gonna be Dolph Ziggler or Ted DiBiase. Dolph Ziggler deserves a push and I think DiBiase had a great match with Orton so I think this whole Legacy shit is holding him back
Well while everyone would agree Ziggler is the leading candidate, i gotta disagree with you on the two next likely guys. Ted isnt going to happen simply because they plan on running this turn for a long time, and when it des finally it happen, you gotta look for it to be on the grand scale like Batista destroying HHH. No point in having him betray Cody after all this build up of animosity between him and Orton.
I don’t think it would make sense bringing HBK in as his partner either seeing as hes coming off arguable his greatest match ever (personally i liked it better then the flair bout, but i can understand why someone would take flairs retirement) and any match he would come in for is going to be big. Also doesn’t make too much sense story wise. I think anything compelling between those two has died out for now and having them together would be more of the same.
Personally i got two candidate for you who i think are more likely and would make much more compelling TV. First off Christian. They got history, they have chemistry, and with CC threading the needle on the tweener side it would make for some interesting segments and moments as you tried to figure out exactly how would they work and where exactly they’d end up as personalities go (Maybe CC teasing a heel turn, but eventually having a Y2J face turn???). Also we finally get CC off of ECW and into more of a spotlight.
Next you got The Miz, between their twitter feud(a work anyone??) and both of their contrasting personalities this would also work as far as chemistry goes. The mic work alone on segments would be worth it, but Miz is starting to come in to his own and a little time with Y2J would push him to the moon. It would also give The Miz some much needed air time as I’m guessing the Cena thing is done. Either way both of these guys fit Y2J’s criteria and would fit better, but that’s just my opinion. Good article though and I’m looking forward to your next one.
I think you may have left out one prime suspect.
The Brian Kendrick.
He was on the search for a partner a few weeks ago, but since the Colon’s lost the titles it seems to have been dropped, maybe this could open up the oppurtunity for Jericho to snag on. For all those dimwitted people here’s what I mean:
The Brian Kendrick – Looking For THE Partner.
Chris Jericho – Needs THE Partner.
Plus Kendrick is intelligent, devious and cunning.
My opinion is Cody Rhodes, It dosnt make sense to me for DeBiase to align with Jericho however it does appear TeBiase is heading for a face turn. With recent events and dissention within legacy I think that Cody Rhodes joining legacy and Randy Ortan aligning with Jericho leaving DeBiase stranding and set up perfectly for a face turn.
Very good article. I have a feeling another prime suspect for a new partner could be Carlito. The reason I believe this is because of his recent heel turn against his brother Primo due to Carlito feeling like Primo is responsible for them loosing the championship belts. This would make sense, and could play into the storyline that Carlito will do what it takes to stay champion whether its teaming with Primo or the likes of Jericho, and this could give Carlito a descent heel push that could be done right this time. It looks like Carlito will become a more devous heel this time and more ruthless, instead of being a wise-cracking big mouth like his previous heel run.
Ziggler is a possibility, depending on the outcome of his match with Mysterio at Night Of Champions. I also wouldn’t mind seeing a twist at NOC where CM Punk loses the belt to Hardy early in the night but then becomes the new partner of Jericho, similar to what happened to Jericho at The Bash. I think Punk & Jericho would make a great tag team, and give Punk a further heel push. Hardy deserves the heavyweight belt but due to his contract expiring in 3 weeks and his lack of desire to re-sign with the WWE, I dont see this happening. I could see the Miz as well as a possibility. Or even Big Show is possible, but I dont think those two would do well together. Random side note : I still would love to see Jericho have a feud with The Undertaker. These two have never met in the ring and this would make a fantastic match(es). I think this feud is inevitable.
Wouldn’t it be awsome if it was Jimmy Wang Yang!!….. (sound of crickets churping)…. What…..It could happen…. LMAO!!!
My thought is that it will be the returning Chris Masters! That would be a great push to see him return, and on his first night back, capture tag team gold! I think that would also open it up for more storylines.
I dont think it will be Ziggler. I think WWE is leading us in one direction, but will take us to another. Im either wrong and it will be someone everybody expects like Ziggler… or it could be someone nobody expects like (Hypotheticlly speaking) Undertaker. But if you ask me it will be Christian.
well i am 100% sure it CHRIS MASTERS!!!!!
has everyone forgot chris masters i think it woll be is next partner
I’m loving your Shawn Michaels theory, but unfortunately, I don’t think it will come to fruition. If it were me running the company, though, that would definitely be an option worth exploring.
However, the Legacy break-up is something I hope doesn’t happen. Evolution were together for a good two years before Orton and Batista left, so that allowed ample time for the faction to build themselves up as one of the most successful and entertaining of all time. It seems like Legacy has been together for about five minutes, and as far as Ted DiBiase Jr. is concerned, he spent much of it benched with an injury.
I have voiced my opinion on splitting up tag teams in my column a couple of weeks ago, and if Legacy splits up too, all hope will truly be lost for the tag team division. Can we please just give them some time to grow and prosper as a successful entity before breaking them up?
its chris masters he is re assigned in wwe
I’d quite like to see Y2J team with Kane – although I’d be very surprised if it happened. Another great unite would be Y2J & Shelton Benjamin but unsure that that will happen as SB has just been drafted to ECW.
One final prospect (depending on fitness) is new Smackdown draftee Matt Hardy?
Just thought that Jack Swagger would make a great partner for Y2J.
I think it will be Chris Masters. He was signed 2 months ago and they have been waiting on a storyline to get him a big push. Although I would have loved to see him make a return and join legacy…then orton giving him more praise than dibiase…leading to him finally leaving.
However I would love to see it be Shawn Micheals. Think of the reception he would get. The heat he would recieve would be massive.
It certainly will not be Brian Kendrick….that would almost be as good as Jimmy Wing Wang coming down the ramp.
Rhodes wouldnt work either in my opinion. I think it wouldnt make sense if it was rhodes that turned on dibiase and not orton… and Christian just doesn make sense….
Ziggler is just outstanding at the minute and I hope they really push him and give him the belt at NOC. A fued with Rey would be brilliant.
So…all in all….im banking on CHRIS MASTERS!!
You know before this article I was pretty certain his partner would be Ziggler, but now I don’t know. Most of those combinations sound alright, I’m just hoping it’s not Masters or Carlito because I just don’t think it would be entertaining. One person I hadn’t thought about at all that was mentioned here is The Miz, that would be brilliant, although since he just got out of one tag team it might be bad for him to go into another, even if it is with Jericho, since it would send the message that he can’t work as a singles competitor.
I really don’t think it will be either Rhodes or DiBiase because they are in no way as developed as Orton and Batista were in Evolution for a push right now.
So thinking on who would work best, and since Jericho and Christian has been done before, I’m still going to go with Ziggler because they have been brilliant every time they have worked together so far and hopefully the WWE sees the potential in Ziggler and Jericho as a team.
my choices
dibiase – reverse the picture made by wwe.com. its ted. And orton and ted aren’t getting alon well.
miz – best choice of jericho
masters – both of them has a submission finisher so they must fit.
TBK – he needs a tag team partner
dolph zigler is a no for me. coz he has a match at NOC with mysterio and he tries to get the title jerico’s getting.
Ziggler does seem like the obvious candidate purely from what we have seen on screen, but don’t you think it’s weird that Ziggler has been given such a big push in such a short space of time?
Then you take Jon Morrison, who has been outstanding for over a year, and they finally pull him away from the Miz and start giving him a World Heavyweight push, defeating CM Punk twice in a row… I know Morisson is coming across as a babyface right now, but I think it would be awesome if he partnered with Jericho.
Their wrestling styles compliment eachother, I think they’d be a really entertaining tag team, and this would propel Morrison into main event status, and when team Morrison-Y2J break up next year, their would be an excellent fued between Edge and Jericho, with Morrison coming out of it as a main eventer….
We have all this possibities of who it could be but in my mind think of a superstar that as got history with Jericho that you would not expect im not saying but i will give a clue. What do you do with a lollipop
Yes, HBK would be the exact person I picture as Jericho’s tag team partner. It would be perfect. The only ego bigger than Jericho’s on the roster IS Shawn, and it would turn Chris back around to be a fan favorite.
Unfortunetly, I do not think AT ALL, it will be him. Because we have the Legacy and Triple H thing going down. I think John will become injured this Sunday and Orton will retain the Championship. Then, his rival will be HHH. But, we will have Legacy vs. HHH. Somebody needs a tag team partner. TAH DAH, HBK! So, DX will torture and eventually break up Legacy and the game will be the champ. But if we know Shawn, he will turn on the Game and try and take that championship. Cue the HHH and Shawn Michaels Rivalry.
Do you see what I mean? DX would be much bigger and better than Jericho and HBK. Now, who do I think the tag partner will be? I have no idea. However, it WAS announced that Eugene signed again with WWE, so you never know. But if I got to choose who it will be, I would pick either Kane or The Undertaker. That would be epic. Of course, whoever it is will be harassed by Chris and the eventually whoop his ass. But it would be awesome!!!
Hey WWE Fans,
Who do you think will be Chris Jerichos partner at the Night Of Champions PPV 2009? To me i think anyone could be Chris Jericho’s partner. The WWE Universe thinks that WWE has rivalry’s. Say Randy Orton and Triple H… They are really good friends when they arent in wwe. Randy Orton is a really nice guy when he is not in the WWE Universe. Really to me i think either Chris Masters, Mr. Kennedy, Cody Rhodes, or maybe even Dolph Ziggler will be Chris Jericho’s mystery partner at the Night Of Champions PPV 2009.
WWWE Fan,
Zack Lipka
Well its hard you see… jericho wil have many poeple to choose from.. im going with chris masters…. He signed back not so long ago and i heard in real life those two and very good friends.. dolph ziggler is too early in his carrer to win a title… here is the order for matches at NOC
Ecw title
Intercoinetal title
Womens title
United states title
Divas title
Unified tag titles
World heavyweight title
wwe title
it could be ted dibase cause him and orton arnt so good as friends right now.. so is ted and cody as last week they had a fight about whos dad is better… u no we just have to find out on sunday… cant wait! also it cant be shawn michaels …those 2 hate each other…no 1 has said cm punk yet…. remeber on smackdown he helped jericho take out hardy and helped dolph on rey??? u never know…IT MUST BE FUNAKI! lol or also known as KUND-FU-NAKKKI… OOOOHHHH KUNG FU NAKKKKI lol
I THINK CHRIS’S PARTENER WILL BE CHRIS MASTERS IT WONT BE ZIGGLER CUZ HE HAS A MATCH ALREADY. AND IT WONT BE ANY MEMBER OF LEGACY AND PLUS CHRIS MASTERS JUST SIGH=NED WITH WWE SO YES IT WILL BE THE MASTERPIECE
I know it will be “JOHN BRADSHAW LAYFIELD”.Intelligent,Devious,Cunning
Actually it is Chris Masters.When you look at the mystery picture it is the signature pose of masters when they show him and his opponent.
I KNOW EXACTLY WHO IT IS!!!! KURT ANGLE!!!!
his partner is booker t seroiusly! i will pay u all £100000 if its not him i swear!
i was joking lol… u know its a hard choice…it might not be any of urs guesses.. or mine…. oztin has got a point.. JBL Did say he quitted at wm25 but he might come back
This is a long shot but it might be Ted Dibease sr. because when he was the guest host his son disrepectively slapped him but then again Masters will more than likely be it
i think that it will be cm punk or Jack Swagger. it could even be matt hardy. i think that jericho will call out his partner then the lights go out and he gets chokeslamed by the undertaker and then undertaker chokeslams jericho too. that would be awesome. although i would put my money on the masterpiece.
sorry for so many thoughts on my last coulmn. I was putting all of the options on the table:-]
i think it would be chris masters cause hes returning
it can be kane too, in the episode of SD! before night of champion jericho was talking to him and they seem to agree about being a tag team… and guess what ?? WWE resigned EUGENE!!!!! LOL
My top people i think it will be are (these arent in any order)
1.Jack Swagger
2.CM Punk
3.Ted DiBiase
4.RVD
5.Randy Orton
its chris master go to wwe check the shadow of jericho mystery partner and go http://www.wwe.com/inside/power25/031707/
go to the bottom of the page where chris masters is then compare its him
i think its going to be…………..scotty 2 hotty. he just re-signed with the wwe. thats my guess. its doubtful, but, possible.