10 Reasons Why Chris Jericho’s Last Run Was His Best Ever
9. Iron Man
Chris Jericho is known for putting in tremendous physical shifts in matches, particularly since his reduced schedule afforded him valuable rest and recuperation time from the rigours of in-ring competition.
Two particularly long nights for 'Y2J' in his most recent stretch earned him a place in history, as 51 and 61 minute stints in the 2016 and 2017 Royal Rumble matches respectively smashed the previous record for spending more time in Royal Rumble matches than any other superstar.
It's a dubious honour in storyline terms of course, with all that energy looking wasted considering that Jericho has never actually won the famous 30-man war.
It does however highlight the faith management had in his physical and mental ability in such a complex and challenging environment, despite his advancing age over an increasingly younger roster.
His work in the 2017 Rumble drew particular praise, with fan support growing for his sidekick persona alongside vindictive Universal Champion Kevin Owens. With the audience already partial to him after a spell inside a shark cage during his best friend's successful title defence against Roman Reigns, he became a sympathetic figure after his marathon stretch, and was perfect fodder for the despised 'Big Dog' when he made his surprise entrance at #30.