1. He Nearly Quit Before His WWE Title "Win" In 2000
Story: It was April 17, 2000. Jericho beat Triple H for the WWE Title on Raw thanks to a fast count from referee Earl Hebner. His reign ended up being wiped out and he gave the WWE Title back. For this one, let's let Jericho explain it. This is from a 2013 Interview with the Busted Open radio show: Before I won the title that time at State College, Pennsylvania against Triple H, I was on my way to Vinces (McMahon) office; it was like the movie Slap Shot: Who owns the Chiefs? Pay me or I will leave sort of thing. Im done! I lost to Viscera, I lost to the Godfather and this was a waste of my time. Im done. The writer at that time was Tommy Blacha and he said: Listen, before you go to Vince, I have to say something. I said: There is nothing you can say thats going to change my mind. He said: Youre going to win the World Title tonight. Did he really think about quitting? It sounds like something that makes for a good story. Whether it's true or not is tough to figure out. Why People Believe It: It was a tough time in his career, no doubt about it. Fans would have had sympathy for him if he quit that night. Should We Believe It: No. I have a hard time believing that he wanted to quit so soon in his WWE career. He worked too hard to get there. Things weren't going great in his career (see previously mentioned removal from WM2000), but to just quit seems like it's a bit of a reach. It's great that he didn't quit. What it also shows is that in WWE, the talent often times has no idea where their career is headed. It's not up to them. It's up the decision makers. Jericho learned that as well as anybody.
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.
