Chris Jericho the Royal Rumble 2012 Winner?

With the return of Y2J there have been no words spoken, and his actions seem to be quite loud.  On last night's episode of Raw, Jericho was booked in his first match since returning to the show, a six man tag match.  While he was partners with CM Punk and Daniel Bryan, Jericho decided to once again clown around, eventually leaving the match without fighting.  So what's the deal?

Some fans have been complaining about Jericho's routine, but it's becoming clear he may be the guy who is the favorite to win the Royal Rumble in 2012.  This is an early prediction, but seems to work out.  Jericho hasn't been mentioned much as one of the competitors in the match.  Instead, Cole and Lawler keep questioning what's going on with him.  The focus is more about what Jericho isn't saying.

It's likely he won't say anything until he wins the Royal Rumble.  Once that happens, Jericho will say he come back to reclaim what was his, the top spot as "best in the world at what he does."  That will include regaining the WWE Championship.  It very well may be a Jericho vs. Punk title match too, since it seems to make a perfect feud.

Punk was the outspoken one more recently while Jericho was away.  Now Jericho's back and will eventually start speaking on the "pipebomb" again.  These two guys can certainly deliver good promos on the mic, so imagine what the trash talk will be like.  For now, fans may not be pleased with the direction Jericho's going, but it seems to be shifting the focus away from his as the Royal Rumble winner.

If not Jericho, who will win the 2012 Royal Rumble?  There's still the possibility of someone like Undertaker, Brock Lesnar, or Batista making a suprise return, entry and becoming the Royal Rumble winner.  Time will tell, but Jericho seems like a great choice for a Wrestlemania main event title fight right now.

By the way, last night's Raw may have set the stage for another potential Rumble spoiler.  With John Laurinaitis clocking down Mick Foley with the mic, it wouldn't be surprising to see Foley show up wearing a referee's uniform to help officiate the CM Punk-Dolph Ziggler WWE title match.  Possibly we'll see Laurinaitis get knocked out by someone, and Foley rush in to make the official decision for the match.  That will keep Punk as the champion heading towards Wrestlemania 28.

Feel free to leave your thoughts below on the Royal Rumble winner and Punk vs. Ziggler!