10. Chris Jericho - Last Man Standing Match vs. Triple H - Fully Loaded 2000
Chris Jericho was an extraordinary talent, that much was known about him when he entered World Wrestling Entertainment in August 1999. His matches against Eddie Guerrero, Dean Malenko, Juventud Guerrera and Rey Mysterio earned his national recognition and a reputation as one of the sport's best young workers. Still, his first six months in WWE were anything but stellar. His ring work was not as strong as it had been elsewhere. His struggle to pick up WWE style had a lot to do with that. The rest could be chalked up to the heat he had on him when he arrived from the competition. Matches with Chyna, Chris Benoit and Kurt Angle had showed hints of greatness but it would take a brutal, violent Last Man Standing match at Fully Loaded 2000 between he and a Triple H on the hottest streak of his career to really solidify Y2J's status as one of the premier talents in sports-entertainment. Bloodied but relentless in his determination to prove himself both to management and his peers, Jericho turned in a performance that, even though he lost, allowed him to leave the July pay-per-view far better off than he was entering it. While it would take well over a year for him to finally ascend to the top of the industry and achieve heavyweight championship glory, it was the performance against Triple H that won the trust of Vince McMahon and the writing staff.
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.
