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What's the story?
Chris Jericho in an Instagram post revealed that the Ladder Match in 2008, where he faced Shawn Michaels, as his favourite in his illustrious wrestling career.
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In case you didn't know....
The match had an amazing storyline, as Shawn Michaels had teased his retirement due to an injury to his eye which he had received during a segment in the Highlight Reel, where Chris Jericho had put Shawn's head through the "Jeritron 6000" television.
The retirement angle involved Jericho punching Shawn's wife in the mouth by 'accident', resulting in "The Heartbreak Kid" coming back to face Jericho in an unsanctioned bout at Unforgiven, where he defeated him.
The two continued to feud after Jericho won the World Heavyweight Championship, and squared off at No Mercy where Jericho defended his title against Michaels in a Ladder match.
The heart of the matter
In his Instagram post, he called it "... the culmination of one of the best told stories & angles in WWE history". Since his return to the WWE, Jericho had not gained as much momentum as he would have liked to. The feud with Michaels brought out a new edge to his character and made him the most hated heel in WWE at that point of time.
The audience was extremely involved in the feud as they cheered on Michaels hoping to see him mete out justice by defeating "The Ayatollah of Rock 'n' Rolla".
The sheer emotion behind the match made it brilliant, but what shone was the quality of the match. Shawn Michaels and Chris Jericho had amazing chemistry and it was evident from the match, as two of the best performers in the world faced each other. Jericho won the match, but both he and Michaels received a standing ovation.
Video
Watch the full Ladder Match that took place at No Mercy 2008.
Author's take
Shawn Michaels and Chris Jericho always had brilliant chemistry as they displayed in their previous feuds. This feud was special though, as it reignited Jericho's heel character and was one of the best heel runs that would take place in the company for years to come.
