Chris Jericho "fired" from WWE, Lesnar "quits"

LAS VEGAS – AUGUST 24: Wrestler Chris Jericho jumps off the ropes at wrestler MVP during the WWE Monday Night Raw show at the Thomas & Mack Center August 24, 2009 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

As you’ve probably seen by now, this past Monday saw two of WWE‘s main event stars part ways with the company.

First off, Chris Jericho. After defeating Dolph Ziggler in a one-on-one match at Summerslam, the next night on Monday Night RAW, General Manager made a rematch for the two, with a stipulation added. If Jericho could defeat Ziggler once more, he would not only win the match, but would also snag Ziggler’s “Money in the Bank” briefcase as well, taking away Ziggler’s guaranteed shot at the World title in the process. However, if Jericho lost, he would be fired from the company. After a back-and-forth match, Ziggler wound up getting the duke following the Zig Zag, thus sending Jericho packing. But, not before Jericho nailed him with a Codebreaker on the briefcase.

For all of you die-hard “Jericho-holics”, this is not the end, but rather just a way to get the man off television for a while. Jericho is in the process of starting a major tour with his heavy metal band, Fozzy, and simply needed the time off to do it. As a result, he was written off television by being “fired”. Jericho has already gone on record as saying he hopes to come back soon, and is not quite done with WWE yet. There is a good chance he will be back in time for next year’s Wrestlemania, if not a bit sooner.

The other major star to leave the company this past Monday was Brock Lesnar, who quit after defeating Triple H at Summerslam, breaking the arm of “The Game” with the Kimura Lock and winning by submission.

DAYTONA BEACH, FL – FEBRUARY 13: MMA fighter Brock Lesnar walks in the garage area during practice for the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 13, 2010 in Daytona Beach, Florida.

Much like Jericho, this is only a temporary quitting, and is in fact part of a storyline for Lesnar. In case you have forgotten, this is the second time Lesnar has “quit” WWE this year alone, and we all saw what happened with the first time. This time around, he has “quit” to get himself off television for a bit, as WWE only has so many dates they can use him for due to the stipulations of his one-year contract. Although Jericho’s return date is unknown at this time, expect Lesnar to be back by Survivor Series, or at the latest, the Royal Rumble. He is expected to face Triple H in a rematch at one of those two pay-per-views, then move onto Wrestlemania as his contract nears the end. For ‘Mania, his opponent has not yet been determined, but there have been rumors of The Rock, Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker being picked for the big event.