Jericho's contract

[Guest gthureson]

In Foley's book, he mentions that Vince told him they wouldn't be putting him in any big storylines or giving him a huge push while they were still negotiating a deal with him.

 

He said that while he wasn't buried while his contract was running out, he certainly didn't get much promo time and his time on TV wasn't anything special.

 

This made sense, of course, seeing as there is no reason to push someone to the moon when you are not sure if they are going to agree to be around long enough for that push to help you company.

 

Fast-forward to 2002.  Why is Jericho not getting primo promo time?  Why no big push?  Being made to look non-credible?

 

Contract negotiations anyone?  Isn't his deal up near the end of the summer?  Seems like a fairly easy explanation to me.  He is still an asset and people will watch him, but until he signs a deal, I doubt there is anything big on the horizon for Chris Jericho.

[Guest Brian]

Still, there's just about nothing for him to jump to.

[Guest caboose]

When someone is negotiating a deal, surely it would make more sense for them to get more TV time.

 

That way if the wrestler doesn't resign he can be put in a loser leaves town scenario with hype around them.

Or if the wrestler is being pushed, it acts persuasively for the wrestler to resign.

[Guest Vern Gagne]

Still, there's just about nothing for him to jump to.

Whose to say the Jericho won't just leave the wrestling business altogether. I don't see it happening but he could get into  music full time, and  I think he's gotta a college degree so he's probably capable of doing something else.

[Guest buffybeast]

But what else can he do and earn the enormous salary the WWF pays him?  His band is not that successfull where he could earn WWF-like money.  And Jericho earned an Associate's degree in Journalism, not even a Bachelor's.  Again, he can't go into the workforce and pull in big dollars like he makes now.

[Guest]

I think Foley's situation was different - I think his contract expired and he was continuing to work under his old expired contracts terms - sort of like union workers do before they go on strike.

 

The thing is, Vince used to try to devalue his wrestlers a litte during negotiations so that WCW wouldn't be as interested in them... with nowhere else to go, I don't think Vince should be devaluing his stars... especially considering the sorry state most of the guys above Jericho are in. I think they're just working on getting him an apponent - with Benoit / Guerrero fighting Austing, and HHH and Undertaker, plus Hogan/Angle/Edge, there really isn't a top notch opponent for Jericho until the Rock gets back. Then Jericho can either feud with him or feud with someone else. The only guys available for him now are below him.

[Guest wolverine]

I think New Japan would be happy to have him.  They probably couldn't pay him what he's making now, but if he's willing to go one 3 week tours, I can see him going.

[Guest bcu1979]

What I don't understand is why this is still an issue. Jim Ross had to know Jericho's contract was coming up for renewal months ago. I guess I can understand not wanting to negotiate with him while he was the champ since Jericho has more leverage. But you would think they would get started on it soon after Mania. His contract should expire in about a month. You'd think they would want to have everyhing settled so they could start looking forward. (Insert WWE joke here)

 

A lot of people are saying there is nowhere else for him to go and there's no rumors in the sheets about there being problems or anything. But if I remember correctly, the news about Jeff Jarrett rejecting a WWF contract and going to WCW didn't come out until days before he left. So I think anything could still happen. Jericho himself said on Off The Record that there's always options.

[Guest]

Makes me think about what would happen if Jericho jumped to NWA:TNA?

 

NOW we'd have some competition..if only NWA could get signed to a TV deal, because that PPV bullshit ain't gonna work

[Guest bps "The Truth" 21]

But..um...Jericho did get buried.

 

So even if they resign him..they have really damaged him.

[Guest the pinjockey]

If Jericho signed with New Japan and NWATNA he would probably make some nice bank.  I would assume with the very light NWA workload  working both would not be that big of a deal.

 

And if Vince pulls anything with Jericho's contract I could honestly say that that would be the end of wrestling for me.  Jericho is my saving grace in the WWF so without him I stop watching and I am not paying 10 bucks a week for Jeff Jarrett's brainfart.  Seriously whos bright idea was it to make people pay to see WWF rejects when the WWF produces a free product it's mindboggling.

[Guest]

Not sure, but if Jericho should ever become a "WWF Reject"...I think I just mgiht agree in that it could be the end of wrestling for me as well...I wouldn't be able to watch it until Jericho popped up somewhere where I didn't have to pay 10 bucks a week, having good matches and such. Without Jericho, there is no light.

I had been watching WCW and ECW straight since 95, 96 or so, and didn't want ANYTHING to do with watching the WWF. When Jericho jumped ship from WCW to WWF, I went with him, but still watched good ol Nitro. I hated run-ins, shitty angles, and bad writing, but that's probably been the case in BOTH promotions throughout all of wrestling. Think about it.

Has any smart mark EVER been satisfied by the product on TV for a sustained period of time? Has anyone on this board gone "Well, damn I could say right now wrestling's perfect." and have a good nubmer of people actually agree with him? Of course not..Why? Because assholes like Vince always have to spoil everything for the rest of us. Business and politics. They're just to afraid to take a risk ,and you can take that from someone who is a REAL Jerichoholic and has seen every pathetic attempt at a push they've given him. I hated Kurt Angle for a short period of time, because the guy came in Survivor Series 99, 3 months AFTER Jericho, and started on a winning streak while Jericho was running with the IC Title, and getting screwed by HHH and Stephanie hanging just near, but not quite at the main event.

Then Angle won the King Of The ring. OK, I can live with that. Then he wins the World Title, before *BOTH* Jericho and Benoit, who had come in in January, but I think noone here can disagree with me he's the best worker of the three...Even I would. Benoit STILL hasn't won a world title (thanks to an ill-timed injury), Angle was made to look weak as any kind of a champion, and Jericho even worse. But at least the WWF has their faith in Benoit and Angle, while Jericho is busy trying to get 2 stars out of Faarooq and Mark Henry. While Jericho constantly mires in the midcard, wrestling RIKISHI for HIS World Title, and NEEDING TO CHEAT TO BEAT HIM!!!

Quite honestly, looking at Jericho's professional career, the guy is beyond tough enough, because he's like that little kid who's jumping up, trying so so hard to get that piece of candy the bookers are dangling above him, and seeing it get snatched away by not only the man dangling it but the bigger bullies and politickers in the yard.

I know this psot may seem like I'm repeating every bit of problem that any smark may have had with the way people have been booked, and that the writing sucks lately, but all this talk about JEricho getting released from the WWF is not only insane, but it quite frankly pisses me off. Because thanks to that aforementioned crappy business WCW pulled, the same crappy business is what the WWF would be pulling on Jericho by not giving him something he deserves, a real shot at the top... But in a way I would be forever grateful to the WWF if he got released and I had to stop watching wrestling. Hell, it'd be nice if Angle and Benoit got released too, after two mroe illustrious and beautiful yet held down careers flushed down the toilet. Because any promotion that had Jericho, Angle, and Benoit as the top guys, would get my Nielsen ratings, and I'd be MORE than happy to see, as Paul Heyman so beautifully put it last November.."DEATH TO SPORTS ENTERTAINMENT! DEATH...TO THE W...W....F!"" (Or E in today's case)

 

Fuckers.

[Guest]

I question the theory that Jericho is getting burried because of contract issues. If it were, then why did they start destroying him way back in December, when he was jobbing to DDT's from Austin and Rock? I just can't believe Vince and his company would start burying someone, who was a fan favorite, nearly 9 months before contract discussions would be of importance. I have a feeling that Jericho's de-push is of something greater. Maybe HHH really does hate him? Maybe he and Vince still have heat or something. Who knows, all I know is that one of my former favorite superstars is cheating to beat Faaroq, which is hardly good news.

[Guest bcu1979]

I question the theory that Jericho is getting burried because of contract issues. If it were, then why did they start destroying him way back in December, when he was jobbing to DDT's from Austin and Rock? I just can't believe Vince and his company would start burying someone, who was a fan favorite, nearly 9 months before contract discussions would be of importance. I have a feeling that Jericho's de-push is of something greater. Maybe HHH really does hate him? Maybe he and Vince still have heat or something. Who knows, all I know is that one of my former favorite superstars is cheating to beat Faaroq, which is hardly good news.

Those pinfall losses to DDT's were supposed to make Jericho seem like an underdog so it would be an even bigger surprise when he won the titles. All it did was make him look out of his league and really killed a lot of the credibility he had built up after the feud with Rock.

 

I also agree that Jericho's burial is more than just a contract negotiation ploy. Someone has clearly fallen in love with his current position of power and is using that power to bury his enemies at the expense of the product. And Vince must want to relive 1995 again since he's letting it happen.

 

 

If Jericho were to end up in the NWA group, I would give it a chance. A couple NWA PPV's are still cheaper than ordering another WWE PPV headlined by nostalgia acts, has beens and the head writer's boyfriend. Granted, I don't know if Jericho wrestling Konnan or Disco Inferno surrounded by Jeff Jarrett as champ and third rate bimbos is any better. But I'd give it a chance.

 

And if Jericho is run out of the company by Triple H and company, then I don't see myself supporting the WWE product anymore as a consumer. I'd still watch in hopes that they would give guys like Angle, Eddie and Benoit something interesting to do. But occasionally watching Raw or Smackdown would probably be as far as my interest in the product would go.

[Guest evenflowDDT]

Maybe Jericho is a sadomasochist who really wants to be held down? Also, about the contract deal... it really doesn't make sense.  As mentioned before, if you have the full intent on signing someone, why make them look like the least credible competitors? That's not going to win them over with the fans when they get back and start miraculously winning again, and if anything, it'll encourage them to go somewhere else where they're more appreciated, even if it does pay less.

[Guest WWF4Life]

Maybe Jericho is a sadomasochist who really wants to be held down? Also, about the contract deal... it really doesn't make sense.  As mentioned before, if you have the full intent on signing someone, why make them look like the least credible competitors? That's not going to win them over with the fans when they get back and start miraculously winning again, and if anything, it'll encourage them to go somewhere else where they're more appreciated, even if it does pay less.

The exact same thing happened when he was in WCW. He refused to resign at the end of '98, so Bischoff decided to stop his push...giving us the awesome Jericho-Saturn feud. Bischoff pulled the power play and Jericho decided to leave and go to the WWF. He won't make as much money in New Japan or the NWA, so I can't see him leaving.

[Guest wolverine]

Well, if Jericho's not happy, I can see him leaving for less money.  He has said in the past that he loved his time in New Japan, so I think it's a possibility.  The only thing is that over there, he'd be labeled as a junior heavyweight, so that's probably the division he'd remain in.