By Richard Gardner, Torch specialist

There has been much speculation as to who Chris Jericho will be facing at WrestleMania. His recurring attacks on WWE legends have provided a welcome break from the silliness in the two main title feuds - his brutal attacks on the elder statesmen of the sport contrasted by intelligent promos containing brutal home truths. This week, WWE revealed that Jericho will be facing a combination of Jimmy Snuka, Ricky Steamboat, and Roddy Piper on the biggest PPV of the year.

The expectation was that a major star would return to silence Jericho in at least a semi-competitive match. Steve Austin was rumored to be his opponent, and the hard work of Jericho would have gone towards creating a memorable match for someone who has not wrestled in six years. However, when a Steve Austin appearance did not materialize, speculation turned to Hulk Hogan and even Jerry Lawler providing the opposition.

Hogan's recent surgery put an end to any chances of a wrestling appearance at the PPV, and Jerry Lawler's condemnation of Jericho's actions did not translate from the commentary booth into the ring. Ric Flair's name was also mentioned, but thankfully he will not risk tarnishing the greatest ever wrestling retirement by stepping back into the ring. After all the conjecture over who Chris Jericho's opponents will be, the announcement of Snuka, Steamboat, and Piper is slightly disappointing.

WWE is essentially making the best of a bad situation. This match was originally intended for Mickey Rourke as a cross-promotion of the movie "The Wrestler." Yet when Rourke pulled out the WWE opted to change the storyline so that Jericho's promos became indictments of wrestlers who hang on to their fame long after their best days in the business have passed.

There is no questioning the legendary status of the three men. Jimmy Snuka was hugely popular in the 1980s, his aerial style hugely influential on the current WWE style. The current crop of WWE wrestlers will also have been heavily influenced by the promos of Rowdy Roddy Piper. Piper main-evented the first WrestleMania in 1985 and his unique charisma kept him at the top of the industry long after his in-ring abilities began to deteriorate.

Ricky Steamboat was recognized as one of the best workers of the '80s and early '90s. However, while there is a case for the three legends to have a match at WrestleMania 25, WWE's penchant for nostalgia makes the announcement anti-climatic. The fact that WWE looks backwards on such a regular basis means that both Snuka and Piper have appeared on WWE television several times over recent years, lessening the impact of their match at the PPV. Ricky Steamboat is slightly different, as he has not wrestled a major match since 1994, but that he has not featured prominently in the WWE since 1991 limits his appeal to much of today's WWE fanbase.

Chris Jericho's storyline with the legends of the WWE has provided several memorable moments already, yet the match that will end the feud does not seem as special as the promos that went before it. Although I would love to be proved wrong, Snuka, Piper and Steamboat are unlikely to be able to have a decent match at this stage of their lives. Added to which, Jericho has nothing to gain from the result of a match with three wrestlers of their age.

Chris Jericho has had an excellent year since turning heel. It is disappointing for Jericho's involvement on the biggest card of the year to be purely for nostalgia purposes.

We suggest these recent related articles...

10/5 WWE Raw Hits & Misses: Natalya vs. Paige, Owens vs. Cara, Stephanie McMahon, Sasha Banks, Xavier Woods

COLLECTIBLES COLUMN: The History of Foam Hands in Pro Wrestling

9/28 WWE Raw Hits & Misses: Kane's Split Personality, Divas Revolution, Heyman & Big Show, Reigns vs. Wyatt