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Chris Jericho. Y2J. Lionheart. Ayatollah of Rock 'n' Rolla. Le Champion. The Demo God. Jericho has gone by many nicknames to describe himself over the years, but his ability to evolve, stay relevant, and entertain the masses has been his greatest accomplishment.
It's hard to believe the first-ever WWE Undisputed Champion has been around for 30 years as he never seemed ever to wear out his welcome. He's now 49 and soon to turn 50, and he doesn't look he will ever slow down. And his career has been rejuvenated, thanks to his signing with AEW.
AEW Dynamite will celebrate 30 years of Chris Jericho
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The October 07 edition of AEW Dynamite will be Chris Jericho's 30th Anniversary Celebration, and Jericho has come a long way since he started training at the Hart Brothers Wrestling camp alongside Lance Storm.
With 30 years in the business, it made a sense to create a list that would mark special moments from Le Champion's career. While the list may not carry every moment of his wrestling career, most fans would probably recognize these moments that encompass WCW, WWE, NJPW, and AEW.
Hopefully, Jericho doesn't read this list and is left stunned by the choice as the ranking is this writer's personal opinion. While it may not correspond with every wrestling fan's opinion (who does these days?), it may satisfy the many instead of the few.
Here are Chris Jericho's 30 great moments from across his career.
#30 Save Us Y2J
While the second coming of Chris Jericho in 2007 wasn't necessarily a success, the build-up to his return was remarkable. The marketing involved binary codes and more of an update on his original Y2J gimmick. Moreover, he was there to save the WWE from Randy Orton.
Jericho electrified the crowds in attendance while taking shots at Randy Orton. This was a new Jericho, no longer having long golden locks but a cut look that was a sign of more extraordinary things to come. As mentioned earlier, it was not the feud with Randy Orton that held Jericho in good steed. It was what came after that was remarkable as he debuted his new finisher, the Codebreaker.
In a sense, the two-year absence was worth it as Jericho showcased his ability to evolve as a character, and it would serve him well in the years to come.
#29 Chris Jericho makes Shawn Michaels repeat history
In a sense, Chris Jericho always wanted to be Shawn Michaels. The tights, long hair in the first stages of his career was a testament to that. While Bret Hart may have been the standard he strived to achieve, Shawn Michaels was his Rockstar equivalent.
Chris Jericho indeed turned heel when his feud with Shawn Michaels had escalated. While the pair had squared off back at WrestleMania 19 (more on that later), this was the clash of different men. On Jericho's show, The Highlight Reel, the two men came to blows with Jericho, throwing Michaels into the "Jeritron" screen.
Moreover, the apparent "mirror image" of a bloodied Shawn Michaels at the hands of Chris Jericho was a callback to the barbershop incident. Michaels' past had come back to haunt him, and it began a feud that would last a better part of the year. It's probably one of Chris Jericho's most significant rivalries in his WWE career and would rank very high on his list.
#28 Chris Jericho torments Stephanie McMahon
Chris Jericho was at the height of his popularity once the Invasion storyline began. Jericho was getting over with the fans, but more importantly, he seemed to be connecting with the audience ever than before. The crowds swooned to his putdowns, and it could be argued that his riffs were more brutal than The Rock's.
But the person who got the most jibes in this period was Stephanie McMahon. Stephanie, who probably was at her best playing the rich spoiled brat, seemed to be at the receiving end of Jericho's verbal wrath. While some of those putdowns wouldn't pass muster in the WWE Universe today, as a whole, those moments are still part of WWE History.
#27 Chris Jericho mocks Goldberg
While Chris Jericho indeed came of age in WWE with his tenacious attitude and charisma, it was his WCW run that got him noticed by mainstream fans. While Hogan and the rest of the nWo were running roughshod on Monday Nitro, Chris Jericho was getting noticed in other ways.
There's no denying that Jericho had a penchant for being creative and exploring ways of getting over. One of those had to do with a Goldberg parody, where he would mock Goldberg's entrance with Jericho Personal Security force.
The segments were a hit with the fans, but it also infuriated Bill Goldberg. Eric Bischoff said that Goldberg didn't fully understand the business at the time and that Jericho's taunts were getting Goldberg over. He said:
"He was hot. I mean, I got an earful, and a face full. I mean, he was in my face, he was hot. And again, you know, it’s easy to talk about this stuff twenty-odd years later. But at that time, remember — again, put it in context how green Bill Goldberg was at that time. Bill came into a shark tank, and he got over — other than The Rock, nobody’s gotten over as fast, as big as Bill Goldberg at that time. And it was a lot for him. He didn’t have a decade or more worth of wrestling political experience. He didn’t have a comfort level with the formula, and could predict how the audience would take things."
The "feud" ended when Goldberg speared Jericho on what should have been an actual match but ended as a segment on WCW Monday Nitro. Of course, they would square off again in WWE, but that's a story for another time.
#26 Chris Jericho steals Rey Mysterio's mask
Chris Jericho's heel turn was remarkable at that time. He had completely changed his character from an over the top entertainer to something akin to Javier Barderm's character from No Country for Old Men. And what better way to showcase his villainy then stealing a luchador's mask.
Chris Jericho has said that he had to convince Vince McMahon to approve the storyline. He said:
I’d explain it to him why the mask means something to Lucha Libre history and his family lineage and everything and all of that but [Vince] just didn’t see what the big deal was,” Jericho said.
Jericho did have matches with Rey Mysterio before, but this feud was probably their most effective. Chris Jericho was perhaps the best heel in WWE at the time, which is another reason why he is still relevant today.
#25 Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels - WrestleMania 19
Chris Jericho and Shawn Michaels' feud got going a few years later, but their match at WrestleMania 19 started it all. Shawn Michaels, who hadn't wrestled in years, made his return to WWE in 2002 and never looked back.
Chris Jericho's match at WrestleMania 19 was incidental, but it was the start of something extraordinary between him and Shawn Michaels. The match was impressive in its makeup, but the ending was remarkable. It's a tribute to Jericho's manipulative abilities as a performer and knowing how to use emotional moments to his advantage.
Chris Jericho and Michaels feud began years earlier at WrestleMania 19
In his book, Undisputed: How to Become the World Champion in 1,372 easy steps, Jericho explained how his embrace became a betrayal that set the stage for what was to come. He said:
"False finish after false finish unfolded until finally, Shawn rolled me up with a move I’d seen Owen Hart use fifteen years earlier. Afterwards, the crowd gave us a standing ovation. In the middle of the applause, we shook hands and embraced in a classic WrestleMania moment–until I kneed him in the plums. He collapsed and looked up at me with his puppy-dog eyes, asking, How could you?”
This moment will live on in WrestleMania history as one of the best and Chris Jericho was a big reason for that.
#24 Chris Jericho vs. Orange Cassidy
If there were any way to explain Jericho's prowess best, it would be his recently concluded feud with Orange Cassidy. While Jericho was skeptical about Cassidy at first, he grew on Jericho. Jericho felt that there was something about Orange Cassidy and thought that he could make him a star. He said:
And when we started locking up to Orange months and months ago before the pandemic, there was something about him that people liked and you can't analyze it, you can't justify it, and it doesn't matter. What's over is over."
Chris Jericho was well aware that he could take Cassidy to the next level, and he did. He put him over with Cassidy winning two of their last three matches in AEW and becoming a bigger star in the process. And it culminated with the Mimosa Mayhem match, which was devised by Chris Jericho himself.
Chris Jericho's abilities haven't subsided as he's gotten older, but rather, he keeps improving it.
#23 Chris Jericho's feud with Ricky Steamboat
Ricky Steamboat was one of Chris Jericho's idol growing up. It's to Steamboat's credit that in his mid-50s, he was still able to perform above expectations against an uber heel like Chris Jericho.
They competed in several house show matches beyond their matches at WrestleMania 25 and Backlash. Steamboat said:
"Vince knew that was my style of training. I worked with Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Bray Wyatt. Those guys have come along and are doing very well now. With Jericho, I think he went to Vince and said, 'I'd like to try something with Ricky' and they came to me and was like, 'Well, it isn't like I haven't been in the ring for 20 years. I'm still getting in the ring every day. I could see it in [Jericho's] demeanor about making sure that I wasn't going to be out there to embarrass myself and having fans say I should have stayed retired. He was very conscious about making sure I would have a good showing."
Chris Jericho was Steamboat's biggest fan, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to suggest that the feud was a boyhood dream come true.
#22 Chris Jericho: The Man of 1004 Holds
WWE and AEW fans have seen The List of Jericho and The Lexicon of Le Champion, but before all that, Chris Jericho was the man who had a 1004 holds and he had a list to prove it.
This was during the height of his feud with Dean Malenko for the WCW Cruiserweight Championship. Malenko was known as "The Man of 1000 Holds", but Jericho one-upped saying he knew a few more. On Monday Nitro, Chris Jericho unveiled a "long" list and started listing those holds and didn't stop. They went to commercial, and he was still going when they came back.
On an episode of Talk Is Jericho, Jericho revealed Disco Inferno (Glenn Gilbertti) gave the idea. They said:
Jericho: One of the most famous things that people reference to this day is my man of 1,004 holds promo in Chicago. This was your idea.
Gilbertti: Right, it was my idea. When we come up with an idea like that, everybody kind of wants credit for it. Remember when we were coming up with a list of names to use for holds and stuff? (Mark) Madden, to this day, claims it was his idea.
Most ideas indeed come from the unlikeliest places, but perhaps, it spawned Jericho's love of lists later in his career.
#21 Chris Jericho's feud with CM Punk
While the match at WrestleMania 28 was never in question, the build to it was exquisite. For weeks, Chris Jericho was silent until he eventually attacked CM Punk and poured alcohol over him.
Punk was known for his straight-edge lifestyle and the fact his father, in real life, was an alcoholic. The pair used it to their advantage, with Jericho being the heel on this basis. It was also another example of pro wrestling storytelling. Similar to Shawn Michaels, it was Punk's past coming back to haunt him as he did a similar thing to Jeff Hardy, who had a history of drug problems.
Nonetheless, Chris Jericho showcased his ability to be the perfect heel to CM Punk, using real-life as their template. Unfortunately, their feud was by overshadowed by The Rock and John Cena but had that match not been there; they would have undoubtedly main-evented WrestleMania that year.
#20 Chris Jericho and Christian lose their towels on WWE RAW
It's interesting to think that Chris Jericho was the first-ever WWE Undisputed Champion going into WrestleMania 18, and he was then pushed down to the mid-card and became a tag team with Christian.
Most fans are probably thinking why this moment should even be included in this list, and it's a simple case that showcases Chris Jericho's abilities as a performer. Like some fans may remember, Jericho and Christian made a great team together, and their backstage demeanor was central to their feuds with The Dudley Boyz and Booker T and Goldust.
The WWE RAW segment is still pretty unforgettable as Christian and Jericho had their clothes stolen when they were in the shower. It turned out that The Dudley Boyz committed this act as they brought their gear to the ring. But that wasn't what made the segment work.
Christian and Chris Jericho would come out stage to demand their clothes be returned only for Spike Dudley to steal the towels and leave both Christian and Jericho in their birthday suits.
Some fans may point to the absurdity of this encounter and unfitting of Jericho as a performer. But the counterargument would be that only Jericho and even Christian made this memorable as no one has come close to repeating it since.
#19 Chris Jericho vs. Dean Malenko feud
During the mid-1990s to late 1990s, most fans would probably say that it all about the nWo, and rarely was there enough focus on the rest of the WCW roster. Nevertheless, WCW had a fantastic set of young talent like Chris Jericho, Eddie Guerrero, Rey Mysterio, and several others languishing on the mid-card.
While WCW never really paid enough attention to their non-main-event stories, it was hard to deny that Jericho was one of the WCW roster's bright spots. His ability to captivate audiences and a sheer creative streak on display, especially with his feud with Dean Malenko.
Dean Malenko had met Jericho in Japan but once he got to him, everything clicked. He said:
"I saw Chris a couple times when I was working for All Japan, I got the opportunity to watch the New Japan stuff on TV. I ran into him one time, him and Brad Armstrong were together at a train station, we were going to another arena. We knew each other from that standpoint but didn’t really get to spend some time, but once we did, just like Eddie we clicked from the very beginning."
Imagine if Chris Jericho never left WCW, history might have turned out a little different.
#18 Chris Jericho's WWE Debut
With WCW finally behind him, Chris Jericho had finally landed in WWE. For weeks, there was a millennium clock being prominently shown on WWE TV and while some fans knew it was Jericho, people in the arena that night popped when he arrived.
While some may say that his WWE debut got upstaged by The Rock, it was still one of the biggest pops in The Attitude Era. In the locker room, Bruce Prichard felt that Jericho held his own that night. He said:
"I thought it was excellent, everybody was talking about it. People got it and they enjoyed it; they remembered it. I think Jericho held his own. He did go back and fourth, and held his own, and didn't sh** the bed. I stand by it. I think Jericho is remembered for that night by a lot of people, and he was able to hang in there and do it. He came right back the next week and did it again."
It will go down in WWE history as one of the fascinating debuts of its time.
#17 Chris Jericho winning but losing the WWE Championship on the same night
In probably what showcased Chris Jericho's true potential in WWE was his shock win over Triple H on an episode of Monday Night RAW. It was one of those authentic underdog moments that worked for Jericho against WWE's best heel at the time, Triple H. The minute Triple H was pinned, the audience went wild.
There was controversy over the decision, as Earl Hebner, who had his differences with Triple H, made a fast count and handed Jericho the win. Triple H and Shane McMahon made Hebner reverse the decision and gave the belt back to The Game.
While some may feel the booking was irrelevant at the time and didn't make sense, it certainly got the fans on their feet. Interestingly enough, Jericho had enough of WWE at this point and was planning to quit only to be told he was winning the WWE title that night. He said:
"So I asked Vince about that, and at this point, my conversations with Vince, like he's an intimidating guy," Jericho pointed out. "He's hard to really get to know, until you get to know him, and then it's the easiest conversations, but at the time, I was still very scared of him. But I went to talk to him. I said, 'Vince, I really feel weird about about just giving the belt back. Like what's the mindset?' He's like, 'it's just the story for tonight.' And he said, 'you're going to have it again anyways, so don't worry about it. Just take it, do it and go from there.' And I was like, 'he said I'm gonna get it again? Like really? Was he serious?'"
It's quite remarkable that Vince McMahon was aware of Chris Jericho's talent, and it seemed to come at the right time. A year or so later, Chris Jericho would find himself in the main-event picture regularly.
#16 Chris Jericho's feud with Chyna
Chris Jericho was once joint-Intercontinental Champions with Chyna and even was on the losing side of things. It's hard to believe that Jericho had been booked in an inter-gender feud, which today seems unreal but was the norm at the time in WWE.
Chris Jericho was unsure whether it would work and was even more perturbed that he was booked to lose Chyna. He said:
"I worked with her 3 PPVs in a row. I'll never forget the night in Detroit for the Intercontinental Championship. It was me vs. Chyna and they put her over on me, and I just couldn't believe they would do that. Like, Really? I came in with so much steam. Now, you're having me lose to Chyna. Vince had even asked me beforehand, like, 'I'm going to have you work with Chyna. You don't have any aversions to working with a woman, do you?' I said no, not at all. If this is what you want, obviously, they're pushing her as more than just a woman, then, let's do it. I just couldn't believe they her over on me. But they did, and I think we had a very good match that night. The problem was the crowd didn't buy the fact that she beat me, and they booed her. And that was a real big problem that they booed Chyna."
Remarkably, Chris Jericho and Chyna had three PPV matches, though the desired result may not have been achieved. But thanks to Jericho, it also showed that he could work with anyone. That has been one of the remarkable highlights of Chris Jericho. His ability to be a team player and turning water into wine put this moment, instead, as one of his more memorable.
#15 Chris Jericho punching Shawn Michael's wife (for real)
This ranks high on this list as it paid dividends for Chris Jericho's heel character at the time, and the best part about it was that it was an unscripted moment. Chris Jericho's heel turn was a complete 180 from what he had done before.
He was wearing full suits, dispensing with his earlier incarnations' charisma and just coming across as a calm psycho from No Country for Old Men. He said:
"The guy was completely committed to what he was doing... You could say he was evil and wrong, but in his mind, he was right and that's all there was to it. He was very calm, cool and collected, and a complete psycho as well... I thought, 'These are the elements of a great (wrestling) character.' "
The involvement with Michaels' wife was a happy accident, and while he did get heat in the locker room for his actions, it played up to his new character strengths. He said:
"Nobody in the world felt worse than I did, but fortunately she couldn't have cared less... She thought it was great... It did add to the intensity of the feud and took everything to the next level."
Chris Jericho's analysis of the situation was correct as his feud with Shawn Michaels would go down as one of his best in his career.
#14 Chris Jericho goes to Washington
Chris Jericho's panache for being creative was always on display during his days in WCW. Despite most of the attention being given to Hollywood Hogan, Kevin Nash, and other main-event players, he still managed to be an entertaining part of the show with segments like these.
Chris Jericho believed that he was a conspiracy victim after losing the WCW Cruiserweight Championship to Dean Malenko. Jericho was so aggrieved at his loss that he took his stance to Washington, D.C.
Jericho is remarkable in his ability to shoot off the cuff, and even in these unscripted segments that look straight out of reality TV, he exudes the hilarity that goes with it.
It's a big "What If" if WCW had realized what they had and fought to keep him. Jericho will always remain the one that got away.
#13 Chris Jericho face palms The Rock
Chris Jericho, in 2001, was unstoppable. The Invasion storyline was in full swing, and The Rock had returned to the WWE. But he had now returned to share the spotlight with the one and only Y2J. Jericho was matching The Brahama Bull's promo and commanded the audience as much as he did.
The moment came when The Rock and Chris Jericho were feuding over the WCW Championship amid the Invasion storyline. In a sense, it was perfect as it was the prelude to Jericho's first significant World title win. Moreover, it was probably the first time that anyone dared do that to The Rock.
Whether unscripted or not, the look on The Rock's face told the whole story as it seemed that he was now in the ring with an equal. The Rock and Chris Jericho always seemed to have great chemistry, and that's why they brought out the best in each other.
#12 Chris Jericho wins WCW World Championship
Keeping in line with the previous point, Chris Jericho was on fire in this period. He was over with the fanbase. At No Mercy in 2001, Jericho clinched the WCW World Championship to further his storyline with The Rock.
In a sense, Chris Jericho winning that title was the culmination of his work in WCW, where he should have been in the main event scene. The Big Gold Belt's previous winners included Ric Flair, Ricky Steamboat, Goldberg, Vader, Randy Savage, and Hulk Hogan was now in the hands of Chris Jericho.
The belt had become a mere prop in the dying days of WCW but, would find new life in WWE. This turned out to be accurate as it was re-dubbed the World Championship and found its place in WWE History.
#11 Chris Jericho and Chris Benoit vs. Triple H and Stone Cold Steve Austin
Chris Jericho and Chris Benoit had a real friendship and their pairing in WWE at the time had magic that some in the business would marvel. The night that they squared off with The Two-Man Power Trip was fantastic in its build and execution.
Stone Cold Steve Austin and Triple H were running rampant in WWE, consolidating their power by holding the company's biggest titles. And they were not let go of it that easily. Jericho and Benoit eventually emerged the victors, but Triple H got legitimately injured during the match but finished it.
Chris Jericho said plans had been changed due to Triple H tearing his quads. He said:
"What I heard the day before, was that we were going to win the titles, then branch off. So it would be Jericho vs. Austin to feud for the World Title, and H vs. Benoit in a feud for the Intercontinental Title," Jericho revealed. "At the time, Hunter was IC champ and Austin was World Champ, and that's the way it was supposed to go from what I heard, which if you look at what was going on at the time, it certainly would make sense.
While those chain of events would have been interesting, the moment the real-life friends won the WWE Tag Team Championship, it ranks high for its emotionality and still holds a place in WWE History.
#10 Chris Jericho forms The Inner Circle
When AEW Dynamite aired a year ago, the show ended with Chris Jericho forming a new stable that included Sammy Guevara, Jake Hager, Santana, and Ortiz of LAX. On the second episode of AEW Dynamite, Jericho would reveal in one of the year's best promos and dub them The Inner Circle.
Chris Jericho's years of experience came into play as he was able to control the crowd who tried to hijack the segments with "We The People'' but Jericho wasn't having any of it. He said:
"Hey, calm down for one second. We The People sucked and it's dead and buried. It was a stupid idea from bad creative and all that's gone. Jake Hager is the most feared MMA fighter on the planet today and that's a shoot. That makes him the toughest man in AEW, that makes him the toughest man in the professional wrestling business, baby. He's not afraid to challenge any fighter, wrestler, boxer, MMA guy, former MMA guy, street bum, bare knuckle fighter, you name it, Hager is ready. Look at him, he's a giant."
Only Chris Jericho could pull off that move, and since AEW Dynamite has been on the air, Jericho has been front and center stealing the show and showing that he was at his best.
#9 AEW Revolution crowd sings Chris Jericho's entrance music
It was surreal, but the crowd swooning to Chris Jericho's entrance music at AEW Revolution was something else. It was surreal to see the crowd singing the lyrics to Chris Jericho's song, Judas.
The AEW Revolution match with Jon Moxley was a brawl, but Jericho's entrance was epic in scope. As AEW World Champion, Jericho's starring down his opponent as he strode to the ring alongside Santana and Ortiz. As he entered the ring, the smile across his face, coupled with the facial injury he picked on AEW Dynamite, just made for good entertainment.
#8 The List of Jericho
Chris Jericho has done multiple things in his career, but The List of Jericho was one of his better gimmicks. It was entertaining in its execution and grew more contagious thanks to Jericho's commitment.
Jericho revealed in an interview that it was originally called Gift of Jericho but WWE writer Jimmy Jacobs came up with the idea. He said:
“So what happened was the gift of Jericho and I wish I could take credit for saying I came up with it but Jimmy Jacobs, who has become a writer in WWE, his name is Chris Scobille but his wrestler name is Jimmy Jacobs, no stranger to anybody who is a fan of Ring of Honor or any of those big independent companies. He said I’ve got this idea of the List of Jericho and you put a couple names on it. Oh yeah, that’s a great idea and we did it. Of course you do it once and it was kind of funny, that’s pretty funny, let’s do it again. So we do it again the next week, it gets a little bit of a buzz and then I go to the props truck and say can you make me big, thick list in case I want to use it to hit somebody over the head with and engrave something on. Then, they just put a red piece of paper on it that said the List of Jericho."
Chris Jericho may not have come up with the idea, but he certainly built it up. Jericho's abilities as a performer allowed this gimmick to become a success.
#7 Chris Jericho in the first Elimination Chamber match 2002
Chris Jericho is a renaissance man and seems to find himself everywhere in the annals of wrestling history with his appearances of matches of this nature. In Survivor Series, WWE debuted the Elimination Chamber, with Triple H defending his World Championship against Chris Jericho, RVD, Shawn Michaels, Kane, and Booker T.
While the match saw Shawn Michaels capture his first world title in years, the chamber was dangerous as the competitors had not seen it earlier that day. Chris Jericho said:
"We didn't see it until the day of the show in Madison Square Garden. And it's one of those things that you can tell was made by somebody who's not a wrestling person. It was very clunky, it was very dangerous. It's made of real grated steel -- you probably could have made it out of rubber and you wouldn't have known the difference. The walls were very stiff, and they didn't make any noise when you hit them, so it hurts like hell and sounds like s---."
Chris Jericho was shoved through the glass in the chamber by Kane, and despite the multiple logistic problems that occurred during the match, it turned out to be a success. Moreover, Jericho can now proudly claim that he was in the first-ever Money in the Bank, Ambrose Asylum, Stadium Stampede, and Mimosa Mayhem match as well as Elimination Chamber.
#6 Chris Jericho vs. Jon Moxley feud
Any wrestling fan will tell you that one of AEW's best feud was the Chris Jericho vs. Jon Moxley. The build to their match at AEW Revolution was wonderfully put together as soon as Moxley was the #1 contender for the AEW World Championship. Chris Jericho would then try to offer Moxley a place in The Inner Circle, which Moxley initially accept only to reveal that he was joking.
Jericho would then seek to punish Moxley for weeks as punishment for his sins with his Inner Circle goons' aid and throwing obstacles in true heel fashion. Moxley committed to the role, even playing his "eye injury" with a patch. It was pro wrestling at its finest, and Chris Jericho played a big part in putting Jon Moxley at the top.
Sure, they had their matches in WWE, but nowhere near what they did in AEW. Moxley's current reign as AEW World Champion has been well received, and he has Jericho to thank for that.
#5 Chris Jericho's spoof of Cody Rhodes' promo
One of the great things about AEW is its entertaining promos, and Chris Jericho always seems to be at the center of it. When AEW Dynamite began, it was clear that Cody Rhodes would be the #1 contender for Jericho's title. Thus, the feud started with The Elite and Inner Circle clashing in the storyline.
Before Jericho took on Cody Rhodes at Full Gear, AEW aired Cody's serious video package preparing for his world title opportunity. A week later, Jericho and The Inner Circle would parody it and even enlisting Virgil to mock DDP.
Chris Jericho's current run in AEW has been entertaining and never seems to have a dull moment, whether he's doing commentary, cutting promos, or even in-ring work. His work has been outstanding, and the results are showing for the company.
#4 Chris Jericho becomes WWE Undisputed Champion
While Chris Jericho's run as WWE Undisputed Champion was forgettable, it's still one of his career's high points. He defeated both The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin on the same night and solidified himself as a main-event player. But it was a blessing and a curse as it's probably true that WWE looked at him as a place holder as he would drop the title to Triple H at WrestleMania 18.
Jericho found out about his win, hours before the show at catering via Vince McMahon's conversation with The Undertaker. He said:
“You know how I found out I was going to become the first ever Undisputed Champion? You know how? Hmm? I was in catering and I was sitting there, minding my own beeswax, eating my food and right over here was Vince McMahon and The Undertaker. And Vince starting talking loudly where he knew I could hear him but he wasn’t talking to me and he said ‘hey Taker! You know how you know the business is going down the toilet?’ ‘How Vince?’ ‘Well we’re putting the belt on Jericho! PWAH!’ Is there another Jericho? And that’s how I found out. Literally hours before the show with a thinly veiled insult.”
While WWE never gave Chris Jericho enough credit at the time, his becoming the first-ever Undisputed Champion is still etched in the halls of WWE History.
#3 Chris Jericho and Kevin Owens feud
Chris Jericho and Kevin Owens were the best of friends in WWE. Their friendship was so over that when Kevin Owens became the WWE Universal Champion; something changed in the relationship. Kevin Owens no longer needed Jericho, and he made him pay for it.
Chris Jericho and Kevin Owens's bromantic tragedy was the best storyline at WWE at the time. The plans were in place to main-event WrestleMania 33 with the WWE Universal Championship on the line. But of course, that was changed in favor of Brock Lesnar and Bill Goldberg. Chris Jericho said:
“I can’t get any higher than where I’m at. Even though I’d been to the top, if you can’t put Jericho and Owens in the semi-main event at WrestleMania, especially when at one point, it was slotted to be the main event. In the eyes of the old man [Vince McMahon], a main event is a mainevent. From a business perspective. I’ll take first over anything. Second is, to me, not a filler spot, but it’s a spot where you get your 15 minutes. To be on second, with this angle that we had, when it was designated at first, I was told by Vince, ‘You’re gonna win the World Title from Kevin Owens in the main event of WrestleMania.’ Three days later he changed it to Brock vs. Goldberg and didn’t tell me.”
It should be noted that this change played a role in Chris Jericho leaving WWE and then eventually joining AEW. It's an interesting thing that a specific change led to something bigger and better for Chris Jericho.
#2 Chris Jericho vs. Kenny Omega at Wrestle Kingdom 12
A match that no one thought possible outside the halls of WWE was now a reality. Chris Jericho brought his A-game to a match with the one-and-only Kenny Omega at Wrestle Kingdom 12.
Chris Jericho challenging Kenny Omega in a completely different setting was a huge creative boost for Jericho. He was no longer constrained by WWE, though technically he was still under contract but did inform Vince McMahon ahead of time.
The match received a five-star rating from Dave Meltzer, but someone else was also watching, and it was Tony Khan. Meltzer said that Khan saw the subscriptions jump, and that's where the idea for an AEW began.
In some shape or form, Chris Jericho had a lot to do with creating AEW, and as a result, the business is better for it.
#1 Chris Jericho becoming AEW Champion
Most fans may disagree with this being the most significant Chris Jericho moment, but this list was never meant to be on a ranking system or any particular order, to begin with. But go back in time over the last 20 years and see how long his world title wins lasted.
Chris Jericho was a three-time World Heavyweight Champion and one-time WWE Undisputed Champion. As WWE Undisputed Champion, Chris Jericho's reign lasted 98 days. His three-time World Heavyweight Championship reigns between 2008 and 2010 lasted only 109 days combined.
AEW made the smart choice by making Chris Jericho the face of the promotion and having him beat Hangman Page for the AEW World Championship at AEW All Out in 2019.
As AEW World Champion, Chris Jericho was at his most entertaining being the central attraction on AEW Dynamite, alongside the Inner Circle. His feuds with the likes of Cody Rhodes and Jon Moxley were impactful and got viewers to come back for more. This resulted in the world title being more meaningful than it has in other promotions.
In between his 182 days as AEW Champion, Chris Jericho made it a point to put over guys like Scorpio Sky and Jungle Boy. Chris Jericho has said that his job in AEW was to guide the younger generation and help create tomorrow's stars.
Moreover, he has guided some of the independent talents backstage and giving creative input when needed. He said:
"Fenix and Penta are amazing. It blew my mind every week. And once we had a couple of talks with them, guess what they started doing? They started tagging. Maybe it was a habit or maybe nobody told them. You got a whole locker room of guys who have basically just worked indies their whole careers. Not that I'm putting Lucha Bros in there."
Even after he dropped the title to Jon Moxley, Chris Jericho is still a creative force in the company and is more than willing to offer his experience to those who want it.
Chris Jericho's commitment to professional wrestling has been on full display in AEW. His unselfishness and willingness to put people over are clear examples of that. Chris Jericho is interested in the future of AEW rather than just enhancing his megastardom for a quick buck.
It's unclear how long Chris Jericho has in the ring but for everyone concerned, here's hoping there are years of great moments to come for fans worldwide.
