According to Chris Jericho, Bill Goldberg felt he was "too small" to work with whilst the pair were both under contract to WCW. Jericho had pitched an angle which would lead to a series of matches opposite the promotion's only true home grown star, but big Bill reportedly knocked it back, something which didn't really sit well with the future Y2J. Leaving WCW behind to follow his dreams of being a World Champion, Jericho crash-landed in the WWF, eventually overcoming initial frostiness to become a genuine headliner. By the time Goldberg made his way to the now-WWE in 2003, Jericho was a stalwart with the company, and the rules had changed somewhat - no longer was Jericho inferior to Goldberg, in fact he was beloved by fans. Naturally, Goldberg was more willing to do business with Jericho in WWE, but not before the pair had a backstage fight, one in which Jericho would apparently come out of on top. Doing the right thing and putting their past behind them, Jericho and Goldberg would work together, with the latter winning the first big match of the feud, something which Y2J has insisted didn't bother him, because he only wanted to work a program with the man.