10 Times Chris Jericho Shocked The Wrestling World
9. 'Defeating' Triple H On Raw For The WWE Championship
Few would have emerged from this type of controversial exchange with then-WWE Champion Triple H without looking like a feckless goof (over the years, few actually did), but Chris Jericho managed to make the moment more about his near-miss than the titleholder's on-screen tantrum.
Built after weeks of verbal sparring between Jericho and Hunter's then-just-storyline wife Stephanie McMahon, the fondly-remembered Raw opener between the two was wrestled at a frenetic pace in sync with the electric product at the time. Furnished with the era's necessary bells and whistles (The APA blocking Triple H's run-in buddies, weapon shots and a ref bump that fed into the finish), the match was a teaser of things to come between the pair later that year, and a dry run for the prospect of how the company's title might one day look attached to 'Y2J'.
On that night at least, it looked meant to be. There was palpable disappointment in the air as the toxic relationship between 'The Game' and senior official Earl Hebner resulted in the result being voided outright, but Jericho had finally broken down one of his biggest political barriers.