If Chris Jericho isn’t in your conversation for the greatest professional wrestler of all-time, you’re doing it wrong.
Do you wanna start a war? Ask any pro wrestling fan for their Mt. Rushmore of wrestlers. My guess is that you probably won’t find all that many that list Chris Jericho among the four.
I’d like to make those people rethink their selections.
Jericho has, literally, done it all in the professional wrestling world. He holds claim to titles won that Hulk Hogan, Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, Bret Hart, and Shawn Michaels do not.
Jericho’s list of accomplishments would rival even that of most people’s choice for greatest of all-time, Ric Flair.
The current All Elite Wrestling headliner is scheduled to face ‘Hangman’ Adam Page at the August 31 pay-per-view ALL OUT with the opportunity to be crowned the company’s first heavyweight champion. He earned this right by defeating Kenny Omega at AEW’s inaugural show, Double or Nothing.
The Omega/Jericho saga is a perfect example of just how versatile Jericho is, as he was able to carry a feud across multiple promotions (and even on a cruise ship) before finally ending (?) it on the most talked-about wrestling show in recent memory.
Before he deals with Page, Jericho is slated to appear on June 9 at New Japan’s Dominion pay-per-view to face Kazuchika Okada for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.
Jericho is competing for multiple titles across promotions, across the world, because that is how big of draw he is.
There are so many things that make him great, it was difficult to narrow it down to just five.
Not making the cut:
- Y2J: WWE debut
- “Jeri-Show”
- Price is Raw with Bob Barker
- Feud with Kevin Owens
- Ralphus: Jericho Personal Security
- Getting lost on his way to the ring
- The Thrillseekers: Smoky Mountain Wrestling
With that, here is a new ‘List of Jericho’ with the top-five reasons to consider Chris Jericho as the Greatest of All-Time.
5. Feud with Shawn Michaels
In November of 2007, Jericho was back in WWE after a two-year absence. He began a program with Shawn Michaels that stemmed from Jericho accusing Michaels of cheating to win a match against Batista that Jericho was refereeing.
The months-long back and forth saw Michaels deliver his Sweet Chin Music as a cheap shot, Jericho put Michaels through the JeriTron 6000 (in a segment reminiscent of Michaels turning on his Rockers’ tag partner Marty Jannetty in the early 90’s), and Jericho trying to sucker-punch Michaels only to hit Rebecca (Michaels’ wife) instead.
The two would put on wrestling clinics in their bouts, which culminated at 2008’s Unforgiven pay-per-view in an ‘Unsanctioned Match.’ Michaels would win by referee stoppage.
The two would have one more bout, for the World Heavyweight Championship, at No Mercy. The ladder match was won by Jericho after outside interference by Lance Cade.
The two competitors won Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s “Feud of the Decade (2000’s)” and “Feud of the Year (2008)” as well as Wrestling Observer’s “Feud of the Year (2008)” and “Match of the Year (2008)” for their ladder match at No Mercy.
The in-ring wrestling, the work on the microphone, the verbal and nonverbal expressions made this feud feel real and should be taught as a masterclass in professional wrestling storytelling to every young, aspiring performer.
4. The Man of 10004 Holds
When people are asked about the best talkers in wrestling, you will always hear names like The Rock, Ric Flair, and Dusty Rhodes.
Jericho tops them all.
You want proof? Look no further than the promo that set Jericho apart from the WCW pack in 1998.
Jericho was involved in a feud with “The Man of 1000 Holds” Dean Malenko over the Cruiserweight Championship, which Jericho had just won.
On the March 30 episode of Monday Nitro, Jericho began a promo prior to his match with Marty Jannetty. After briefly stopping to squash Jannetty, Jericho resumed his promo touting that he knew more wrestling holds than Malenko.
"“Since I took care of Mr. Jannetty so quickly, I came prepared. Malenko, you claim to be the ‘Man of 1000 Holds’ but I counted, and you know about 60. But I know 1004 and I wrote them all down.” -Chris Jericho"
Jericho would then unfurl a stack of dot-matrix printed paper all over the ring with the list of holds that he knew. The promo was interrupted by a commercial break, and when Nitro returned, Jericho was still in the ring reading the moves.
"“Hold one: armdrag. Hold two: armbar. Hold three: the Moss Covered Three Handled Family Gradunza.” -Chris Jericho"
He was finally interrupted by Prince Iukea, who ended the promo by running Jericho out of the ring.
This night gave us a glimpse at what he could do when given the microphone.
There would be no promo with The Rock to take down Stephanie McMahon without this beauty on WCW Monday Nitro.
3. Fozzy
Many wrestlers have dreams of being a cross-over star to other entertainment avenues like television or movies.
The Rock has been the standard-bearer for this jump, as he is currently one of the most famous men on the planet.
John Cena, Hulk Hogan, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and Kane have found varying degrees of success in their jump from the ring to the screen.
Some wrestlers try to break into the music industry, such as Randy Savage and Jeff Hardy, but very few have found success.
Chris Jericho has broken the mold.
Jericho’s band, Fozzy, began in 2000. When I first heard their single “Don’t You Wish You Were Me” I thought it was some angle or joke for WWE programming.
As the years have passed, Fozzy has become a force in the rock music world, and their following continues to grow. Jericho has been able to take his popularity inside the ring, and translate it to the stage.
I purchased tickets to a Fozzy show in the fall of 2018, but was a little skeptical about what I was going to get once I was there.
Jericho and his bandmates did not disappoint.
The same passion and energy Y2J displays in the ring was on display on the stage that night.
The thing that stuck out to me was that he never made mention of being “CHRIS JERICHO: Wrestling Star” during the show. Only at the end of their encore did he decide to drop a couple of one liners, including ‘You just made The List.’ It seemed like he was careful to keep his worlds separate, but recognizes that they blend somewhere in the crowd.
Fozzy’s latest album, ‘Judas’, was a hit with fans. The title track made it to #1 on the SIRIUS/XM Octane countdown, while Jericho has used the song as his entrance theme in New Japan and All Elite Wrestling.
Jericho could just look at the band as a nice side-project diversion, but he pours his heart and soul into the music, the same as he does in the ring. The end product reflects the dedication.
2. The Jericho Brand
In addition to being the lead singer for a popular rock band, Chris Jericho has created a brand for himself, of himself.
If you are a wrestling fan, you would have to live under a rock to not be privy to his uber-successful podcast, ‘Talk is Jericho.’ If you haven’t checked it out, go listen to his recent interview with Jon Moxley after you finish this list.
He has a wide array of guests that make it a must-listen to anyone who puts in the earbuds on the commute home or while exercising.
Perhaps you don’t want to sit and listen to a podcast, you are a traveler. Jericho has something for you, too.
The Chris Jericho Rock ‘N’ Wrestling Rager at Sea: Part Deux is a Caribbean cruise full of rock music, wrestling matches, and comedy shows. The second edition of this party on the water sets sail in January 2020.
Seriously, how many professional wrestlers have their own cruise?
Back in the ring, Jericho has set himself apart from his peers by his ability to create a catchphrase out of seemingly nothing. Who can forget his promo with Daniel Bryan where he used all of his old catchphrases?
“Stupid Idiot!” “You just made The List!” “I’m from Winnipeg, you idiot!” “RAW is Jericho” “Jericho-holics” “Drink it in, maaaaaan.” “You’ll never, eeeeeevvvvvver be the same, again.” “Shut up, junior!”
You just read all of those in Chris Jericho-voice. He’s in your head, where he belongs.
1. WWE’s First Undisputed Champion
It was going to take someone very special to pull off the feat of pinning both The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin in separate matches to become WWE’s very first Undisputed Champion.
Chris Jericho was that someone special.
At WWE’s 2001 Vengeance pay-per-view, Jericho had the opportunity to face The Rock for the World Heavyweight Championship. After some outside help from Vince McMahon, Jericho defeated The Rock to claim the title.
The celebration was short-lived as Stone Cold Steve Austin made his way to the ring to defend his WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
Jericho was, again, aided by outside forces (McMahon and Booker T) as he was able to defeat Austin and become WWE’s first-ever Undisputed Champion, and the fourth Grand Slam Champion.
Y2J had reached the summit of professional wrestling 21 years after he started on the independent circuits. He would keep the title all the way to WrestleMania X8, where he would drop the strap to Triple H, ending his 98 day reign.
For the top wrestling company in the world to entrust placing their first unified top title around Jericho’s waist shows just how highly he was thought of then.
Things have not changed as Jericho will have the opportunity to claim AEW’s first heavyweight title when he faces Adam Page in August.
I hope this list reminded you of just how important Chris Jericho has been to professional wrestling for close to 30 years. He has certainly put in the time to entertain us all, and he is showing no signs of slowing down.
What do you think? Where does Y2J rank in your list of all-time greats? Was there a moment ranked too low, too high, or left out completely? Let us know in the comments!