10 Times Chris Jericho Shocked The Wrestling World

A List Of Jericho

Chris Jericho Rey Mysterio
NJPW

Often considered wrestling's version of Madonna (because of his dynamic versatility in a single art-form over the decades, not because they've both caused a stir using sex to flog tickets...), Chris Jericho's near-30 year career has afforded him a litany of riches he was often told were beyond him due to the numerous things he apparently didn't have, rather than the key attributes he did.

Virtually all of the major checkpoints on Jericho's wrestling resumé have been loaded with caveats. He was too dull to get over in WCW. Too "ha-ha" to draw money. Too short to make it to WWE. Too intent on flips and tricks to make it in WWE. Too inconsistent to be a megastar. Too stuck in the past to be a star yet again. Too entrenched as a heel to ever turn babyface. Too Americanised to ever work again in Japan. Too old to have great matches.

The criticisms thankfully haven't ever dogged him. All of them, at various points were proved false, incorrect or plainly absurd anyway. Whenever Jericho apparently "lacked" the apparent magic required, he invariably pulled five new tricks out of his sleeve (or scarf), comfortably justifying his continued presence as a vital performer that understood his audience and the wider wrestling fanbase.

His continued success is less a matter of shock than awe, even if his most glorious moments were designed and executed to surprise.

10. Debuting On WWE Monday Night Raw

Chris Jericho Rey Mysterio
WWE

The white hot reaction Chris Jericho received just for the appearance of his surname on the Monday Night Raw TitanTron was no fluke, nor just a victory for the excellent 'Countdown To The Millennium' campaign the company had embarked upon that summer in preparation for his arrival.

Earned from years of graft honing a character destined to be defeated by the glass ceiling in WCW, the soon-to-be-christened 'Y2J' might not have raced out the blocks in his WWE run (or even during an only-okay promo battle with The Rock that very night) but it was impossible to argue he didn't deserve the elevated his status his debut afforded.

Exactly the right level of self-aggrandising and bombastic, the blusterous (and yet, entirely idiotic) persona he'd tinkered with on Nitro was box-fresh on the other channel, particularly as WWE experienced the first flirtations with frustration at repetitive main events in 1999. Jericho would take a long time to truly crack the upper echelon of the organisation in the role, but his arrival foreshadowed the flood of Atlanta escapees that would drastically transform the product for the better over the following few months.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 30 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz", Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 50,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett