10 Rare Awesome WWE Surprises
3. Chris Jericho Debuts
A countdown began on WWF television in 1999 that captured the imagination of all fans.
It marked the 'Countdown to the Millennium', playing on Y2K fears, but it obviously did not end on December 31, 1999. It ended on August 9, but in the meantime, early Internet adopters sleuthed the dirts and the forums to decode the mystery. The answer was arrived at quickly - Chris Jericho's WCW deal was up, and the machinations at play in that promotion capped his boundless potential as a pro wrestling superstar.
But the wait was significantly slower. A star of such brightness, that stardom was projected onto him by a fanbase ravenous for this wasted, abused polymath.
He finally arrived on the August 9, 1999 RAW, in what was more revelation than reveal: time has dented this promo somewhat - he tried to get too many catchphrases over, and he presented himself as more of a comedic irritant than megastar game-changer - but the moment remains immortal.
The pop was deafening, but it wasn't so much a pop. It was a primal roar so loud that it quietened any remaining murmurs that Billy Gunn might become a superstar.
That SummerSlam match was completely untenable for the poor sod.