That Time Chris Jericho Was Almost The Goon

For those that lived through it, WWE's 'New Generation' period was one of great change and - on select occasions - great shame.

However, much of the supposed fan tumult is a touch overstated by hindsight reflections. Though the organisation lacked Hulk Hogan, The Ultimate Warrior and most of the other over-inflated bodies and personas that once defined the product entirely, a maturation process had begun thanks to the vastly superior in-ring work of stalwarts Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, Diesel, Razor Ramon and The 1-2-3 Kid.

Arenas and men were smaller, but like the audience itself they were becoming perfectly formed. Some of the finest matches of the decade took place with the smallest audience watching, including the Bret Hart/Stone Cold Steve Austin WrestleMania 13 match that transformed an industry in front of a catastrophically small pay-per-view audience.

These were the complex contradictions that defined the New Generation. 'The Rattlesnake' was a 'Ringmaster' before his tea's temperature dropped, whilst Triple H's start in life as a Greenwich Snob was a far cry from 'The Game' he became. Future icons were signed with inadvertently fatalistic intent.

Stars were goobers, and one was very nearly a Goon.

CONT'D...