Chris Jericho Has a Big Decision to Make

The days are quickly counting down to a big date on the calendar for Chris Jericho and he has a decision to make: re-sign with the WWE or walk away.

Jericho has been one of the best all-around performers for the WWE, especially since his return in Sept. 2007 following a two-year hiatus from wrestling. But before the month is over, his contract with the company will expire.

Back in June, Jericho admitted in an interview with FanHouse that his deal was set to expire shortly. "Yeah, it's coming up fairly soon, it's coming up very soon. It's one of those things we've been talking about for a while to get it rolling again. Like I said, to me, I'll leave the business when I'm ready to and I'm not ready yet. I still want to continue to work. I still have some things that I can offer."

"I still think I'm among the best in what I do, if not the best just because of the fact I have 20 years of experience which is a rare thing nowadays. You can't teach experience. You can teach someone to do a promo kind of, you can teach someone to do a move but you can't teach someone experience."

The exact date of when his contract expires isn't known but it is before the end of the month. As of right now, the two sides have not agreed upon a new deal.

While the negotiations continue, the WWE has decided to play off of the situation. This past Monday night on "Raw", Jericho said during a backstage interview that to prove he is the greatest performer in the company, he will win the WWE Title at the upcoming "Night of Champions" pay-per-view or it will be the last you see of him in the WWE.

Of course, he could lose and be right back with things like that happening all the time in wrestling. Jericho was supposed to be gone from "Raw" countless times over the past year, only to appear the following week and finding a loophole in how he could be there.

But there is always that chance that he doesn't agree to a deal and walks. It's pretty clear that Jericho wants to continue wrestling. At the same time, he doesn't need wrestling and has plenty of other projects on his plate.

His band Fozzy is getting set for its "Let the Madness Begin 2010 Tour" which includes 13 concerts from October 9-21 in the UK and Ireland. He's also finishing up his second autobiography "Undisputed: How to Become the World Champion in 1,372 Easy Steps" which is set to be released early next year. When it does come out, he'll likely want to do a book tour to promote it like he did for his first book.

If that's not enough, Jericho is always looking to branch out into other entertainment platforms. He was the host of the ABC game show "Downfall" this summer which could be back this fall. He would like to do more acting and branch out into movies if the right project comes his way.

You never know what else might pop up for Y2J. He recently admitted on Twitter that he was asked to be one of the contestants on the new season of "Dancing With The Stars" but he turned it down because it didn't fit in his schedule. It's actually the second time he has turned down that opportunity due to his WWE commitments.

The man has a lot going on. Watching him with WWE, he is still at the top of his game and he has a passion for wrestling. The question now is will Jericho be able to work a deal with the company that allows him to continue there and also have the flexibility to do other things. That might be tough, especially since the WWE already has a demanding schedule and is typically not very acclimating when it comes to allowing its performers to work elsewhere.

WWE wants control and so does Chris Jericho. Who will blink first?