They actually had two separate feuds in the 2000s with the first one taking place in 2003 and then a second feud in 2008 that was amazing. In 2003, Jericho wanted to prove that he was as good as his idol Michaels. They did an awesome job of building up the story by showing how Jericho looked up to him, even mimicked his look and mannerisms. It led to an exciting match at WrestleMania 19 in 2003 that some feel stole the show. Five years later they went back to the feud and improved on it. Jericho was failing as a face, so he turned heel by questioning the actions of Michaels. When he threw Michaels into the Jeritron 5000 that turned things up a notch. Then Jericho "accidentally" punched Shawn's wife Rebecca in the face at SummerSlam and that really turned things up. They had a number of awesome matches in 2008 that ended at No Mercy in a Ladder Match for Jericho's World Title. It would have been nice to have the babyface Michaels win the feud in the end, but he didn't want to hold the World Title as a part timer, so they kept it on Jericho. It's probably the Ladder Match that had the best story going into it. Even though they didn't have a big WrestleMania match as part of their 2008 feud, it was still the best of the decade.
John wrote at WhatCulture from December 2013 to December 2015. It was fun, but it's over for now. Follow him on Twitter @johnreport. You can also send an email to mrjohncanton@gmail.com with any questions or comments as well.
