The WWE MVP Of The Past 12 Months Is........ Y2J!

[Glacier]

WWE would not want to admit this but it appears that is the case.

He has surpassed any expectations that they probably had for him when
they threw him a bone and brought him back.

Honestly, Owens was doing great but when they teamed them up Y2J stole
the show and has continued to do so.

Dont call it a comeback

Not Reigns, not Lesnar, not Cena, and not even AJ (he would be runner up),
but Jericho is stealing the show every time he appears.

Discuss

 

[Y 2 Jake]

Umm, no. This time last year he'd just finished dragging Styles down in a mediocre feud, then he went into a seemingly never ending feud with Ambrose and then it took a while for his partnership with Owens to kick in. Then his character work was really good and he was still as competent as usual, whilst being involved in a very fun mid card act.

So he's had a good 7 months, not a year. A.J. is the M.V.P.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

It's actually true, but whereas last time they admitted it by him winning Superstar Of The Year after his feud with Shawn... they won't this time.

What he has done is bridge that credibility gap between all the new guys they are desperate to get over and the old guard. He isn't a "part timer" in the sense of a Goldberg, Rock, Brock or Taker... he comes in for long stints then goes away for a while... he does the house shows... He doesn't overstay his welcome or make it all about him.

He has helped Owens immensely - the whole SD Live/Zayn moment where Kevin was shocked wouldn't have worked had he not spent months around Y2J learning how to be better at that whiny heel role. AJ wouldn't have gotten over to the level he did without the "mediocre" feud Jake refers to... and more recently the US title got a MAJOR boost in prestige when he held it and "elevated it" to being equal with the Universal title (in his head at least).

Like him or not, Y2J provided more entertainment on RAW in the past year than ANYONE else... it's actually embarrasing for guys like Roman who have the machine behind them that they haven't gotten over as well as this "old guy" and few have seemingly tried to learn from him.

Many say Austin, Angle, Rock etc are the guys to learn from... wrong! It's guys like Taker, Goldust and Jericho, who have been around and been over for 20+ years with few gaps...

I really hope they can get Jericho down to NXT in some capacity when he finally does hang it up.

 

[ShinChan]

Nopes.

Just see what AJ Styles has achieved in his debut year itself. Classic matches with Roman Reigns, John Cena, Dean Ambrose. He even made Dolph Ziggler interesting. That's not easy to do as of now. Very good match with Shane McMahon despite very low expectations.

I myself respect Jericho and love his current stint the most in his whole career. But he didn't surpass AJ Styles.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

Jericho was a very good time filler with his humor and other antics but he isn't really a reason to tune in or get the WWE Network.

So I guess it all depends on how you look at. He had the best backstage segments over the past year but I'm not sure that qualifies someone as MVP while others are doing decent mic work and outside acting while also bringing it in the ring and in feuds.

 

[Un-Bo-Lievable Jeff]

I would put Y2J third behind Miz and AJ.

Miz was brilliant in the last year, the promos with Daniel Bryan, the feud with Ziggler was way better than it should have been and what he has been doing with Cena recently has been incredible.

AJ is AJ and has been at least 8/10 with anyone since he walked through the door

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Jericho's latest WWE run has been his most entertaining in many years but I can't call him the MVP for the past year. I do think he was great in helping get AJ Styles off to a good start and for helping show that Kevin Owens is more versatile than we thought. Also, I think it's crap that some condemn his storyline with Owens as filler while simultaneously saying how entertaining it was; it just bugs the hell out of me to see people complain about Owens' time as Universal Champion or Jericho's presence in the angle and then say how funny they were together. If you thought they were entertaining and enjoyed watching them, then that's what the entire point of the whole shebang was and not catering to various fantasy booking scenarios.

From an overall perspective, I have to go with the majority and say Styles was MVP of the past 12 months or so. Styles had a series of memorable feuds, has demonstrated a more charismatic presence than I ever saw out of him in TNA, put on some incredibly entertaining matches against Jericho, Reigns, Cena, Ambrose and pretty much anyone else he got into the ring with, had a strong run as WWE Champion and helped to establish SmackDown Live as, in my opinion, the superior main roster brand.

 

[TDFG]

I agree with the guys that have said AJ Styles has been the MVP over the last 12 months, the guy is the best wrestler in the World. His match against John Cena at Royal Rumble will be take some beating not to be WWE match of the year.

This run from Jericho has been his best in a long while, it's been refreshing, entertaining and he must be TV gold for producers as he can get over just as much as a heel as he can a face.

There's no denying that he's lost that extra yard in the ring but that is to be expected with father time starting to catch up on him. If we were to select a RAW MVP of the last 12 months then I would pick Jericho.

 

[LBGetBack]

Umm, no. This time last year he'd just finished dragging Styles down in a mediocre feud, then he went into a seemingly never ending feud with Ambrose and then it took a while for his partnership with Owens to kick in. Then his character work was really good and he was still as competent as usual, whilst being involved in a very fun mid card act.

So he's had a good 7 months, not a year. A.J. is the M.V.P.

Nah, he helped AJ get over with the WWE audience. It was a solid feud that served its purpose. Same with Ambrose. Jericho was killing it around that time. Every bit as good of character work as he did with Owens.

 

[LBGetBack]

Nopes.

Just see what AJ Styles has achieved in his debut year itself. Classic matches with Roman Reigns, John Cena, Dean Ambrose. He even made Dolph Ziggler interesting. That's not easy to do as of now. Very good match with Shane McMahon despite very low expectations.

I myself respect Jericho and love his current stint the most in his whole career. But he didn't surpass AJ Styles.

It's not all about the matches. Talking and character work counts just as much. Jericho beats AJ by a more significant amount in those areas than AJ beats Jericho in the ring by.

 

[Vanilla Midget]

Why would they not want to admit this? Probably because it's not an entirely accurate statement.

Jericho was entertaining in every segment he was a part of. The festival of friendship was one of the best Raw segments in years. It harkened back to the great segments of the 90s. It was hilarious plus it drove forward the plots of Owens and Jericho, plus Owens' match against Goldberg.

What Jericho didn't do was have many feuds. He was primarily a support character for Owens Universal title run. His feuds were generally run off for that while building towards the eventual Mania match vs Owens. Even his US title win was primarily to forward Owens vs Reigns.

Don't get me wrong, massive Jerichoholic here. This run has been the best of his part time era runs. The masterful heel turn, followed up with a great heel run that built him into a massive face. It doesn't compare to his 2008 - 2010 heel run.

The difference is that he hasn't had his own consistent feuds. He had classic matches with Michaels in 2008. He had forgettable matches with Rollins in 2016. He fought Sami a few times, seems odd that those matches aren't memorable.

Jericho made his segments of Raw watchable, but the spotlight was on Owens. Jericho should be applauded for putting over talent and sticking around as long as he has.

Jericho as Raw MVP, definitely. All of WWE, not quite.

 

[The Perfect Max]

I will say that this has been the most entertaining run from Chris Jericho since his 2010 run. I enjoy that he comes in and out when needed (and wanted, of course), and that while he is here, he does the house shows and everything too. I think for that he really does deserve credit. At his age and the length of a career that he has had, Jericho is performing fantastically.

But...

AJ Styles, man. Yes, Y2J (and Kevin Owens) have been carrying Raw on their backs since the brand split. Rollins, Reigns, Strowman etc. have done their part, and are arguably in better positions now than before, but I think Jericho and Owens were doing fantastic things together. But despite all of that, AJ Styles has had one hell of a debut year in WWE. There is no need to go through his accomplishments, we all know what they are. And he has arguably made more of an impact. Jericho has had a great year no doubt, and while he continuously entertains me with his constant reinventions, we know what Jericho is capable of. For me, I knew what AJ was capable of before WWE, but until you see what he actually does in WWE, you cannot guarantee that crossover. Right now, AJ is so damn over. He has done such a fantastic job on SmackDown that for me, he edges Jericho.

I think The Miz is also a good shout. His recent stuff with John Cena has been the icing on the cake for WrestleMania 32-33 period, and I fully expect it to continue on Raw (people need to stop panicking). Like Jericho, this was a reinvention of something we all knew existed, the difference being that this has probably been the best run of The Miz's career.

Overall, I'd give AJ Styles the number 1 spot. Jericho probably comes in at 2 because he's taken on a very significant role on Raw admittedly, which is more than can be said in his runs since his 2012 return. Then again, as some posts have said above, can you honestly name many significant matches he has been in? Regardless, Jericho has been fantastic. But AJ Styles.

And this is all coming from a MASSIVE Jerichoholic.

 

[Navi]

Jericho has had an amazing run this year. As said the Festival of Friendship was one of the highlights on RAW this year, and it wouldn't have worked without Jericho's timing. His catchphrases, List even the damm scarf, it seemed that everything he touched was magic.

In saying that though, AJ Styles came in and has taken the roster by storm. He beat Cena clean more than once, won the WWE Championship and carried the new Smackdown Live on his back. He even made us like James Ellesworth, even if just for a little while.

While many on the roster have had lacklustre years, those two Jericho and Styles have lead the WWE. It's hard to pick between the two because they are so different. Also would like to give a shoutout to Miz and Maryse. The way they imitate Cena and Nikki Bella is a scream. Their debut on RAW the other night was one of the funniest things I've seen in a long time.

 

[BestSportsEntertainer]

Styles was the MVP by a wide margin.

Yeah Jericho was very entertaining during his feud and partnership with Owens, but before that he was having a bad year. His feud with Styles was good, but his feud with Ambrose was lackluster. And after that he was just Owens' sidekick. Sure he was entertaining but a sidekick nonetheless.

Meanwhile Styles had one of the best first years in history. His feud with Jericho was good, but then his feuds with Reigns and Cena were amazing. Then he became WWE Champion after defeating Ambrose and they had a really good feud. There were some PPVs where Jericho didn't even wrestle.

So yeah Jericho had a great year, but Styles was simply much better.

 

[ShinChan]

Nah, he helped AJ get over with the WWE audience. It was a solid feud that served its purpose. Same with Ambrose. Jericho was killing it around that time. Every bit as good of character work as he did with Owens.

OP is asking about the past 12 months which don't involve the feud between Jericho and Styles. The feud with Ambrose didn't work good as well and neither did that Asylum match.

It's not all about the matches. Talking and character work counts just as much. Jericho beats AJ by a more significant amount in those areas than AJ beats Jericho in the ring by.

You're right. Remember AJ Styles' heel turn on John Cena? Or #BeatUpCena? As much as Jericho was entertaining with Kevin Owens, AJ Styles surpassed him. There are at least 5 matches which are memorable enough for AJ Styles. Most memorable moment of Chris Jericho would be Festival Of Friendship.

 

[ilapierre]

It's not all about the matches. Talking and character work counts just as much. Jericho beats AJ by a more significant amount in those areas than AJ beats Jericho in the ring by.

Exactly. Jericho is my personal MVP of WWE. There seems to be two types of fans these days and one more than the other on these online boards.. The ones here are more likely to know more about WWE's business affairs over a calender year than they are about the product itself. Although some of these hacks like hackjammer also put all their stock into 5 star matches and all things Triple H, on top of all the WWE's business affairs. The other type of 'fan' loves matches and promos and segments that are entertaining..not so much 5 star matches..but just all around entertaining. Jericho is entertainment - he's from an era of actual entertainers. As much as I love Styles and his entertaining style, I have to give the edge to Jericho. It's incredible what he's doing at such a high level at his age.

 

[Kodo Sawaki]

He can be your personal MVP as much as you want, but the fact remains that he did very little and his most memorable moment is when his buddy KO (in who matches he intervened most of the time) betrayed him. No memorable matches that are great, no memorable feuds except that one with KO which he will lose and fade away to go touring, no big titles except one that he took from Reigns in handicap match and gave it to KO first chance he got . I love Jericho and he was entertaining with list and everything. He always does that, invents new thing and goes popular with it. You got to admire him for that. But MVP, that he can not be. Styles grow from someone who was "just some TNA guy" to "face of Smackdown", beating Cena clean and becoming World Champion. Even his match with Shane at Wrestlemania was one of the best(if not the best) of the night. That is your MVP.

 

[yourdamnluck]

As much​ as I enjoyed​ the gift of Jerico he is still number 2. He's been great with segments, matches not so much. And this is where aj stole the show. Besides Jerico has rarely been in a meaningful feud and aj has had one of the very best title runs of PG era.

 

[DIReviews]

I agree that Jericho had a great year, much better than people expected. He was the best thing on RAW for a few months. However, Styles was the clear MVP by a country mile.

 

[DIReviews]

Backing that up though, Kevin Owens and Dean Ambrose had good years and as much as most people hate to admit it, Roman Reigns was consistently good too.