7. Television Championship Match - Raven vs. Chris Jericho (Halloween Havoc 1998)
By 1998, Chris Jericho had developed into one of the best characters in all of wrestling. Even more impressive was the fact that, in an industry sporting heels the likes of Mr. McMahon and Hollywood Hogan, Jericho had established himself as one of the sport's most hated competitors. His over-the-top antics and insensate whining and complaining drew such heat that it was difficult to ignore the emerging star WCW had on its hands. How did Eric Bischoff and his company handle Jericho? They shoved him into the midcard and saddled him with the Television Championship, a title no one took seriously. How did the brash, cocky, arrogant young Canadian respond? By elevating the title in importance and continuing to steal shows with tremendous in-ring work and even better performances on the mic. http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xvgbkf_raven-vs-chris-jericho-wcw-halloween-havoc-1998_sport At Halloween Havoc, he squared off with fellow ECW alumni Raven in a match with little-to-no build that still managed to steal the show right out of the gate. A well-wrestled match between an all-time great champion and underrated challenger in Raven, who could certainly deliver when motivated. Together, they wowed the Las Vegas crowd with a dramatic title bout that saw the former leader of The Flock present the future Y2J with a very real threat but in the end, it was the Liontamer that proved to be the downfall for Raven.
Erik Beaston is a freelance pro wrestling writer who likes long walks in the park, dandelions and has not quite figured out that this introduction is not for Match.com. He resides in Parts Unknown, where he hosts weekly cookouts with Kane, The Ultimate Warrior, Papa Shango and The Boogeyman. Be jealous.
