10 Ways Wrestlers Proved Their Gimmicks Outside WWE

1. Chris Jericho Becomes A Genuine Rockstar

Mark Henry
Century Media

That "Ayatollah Of Rock N' Rolla" nickname Chris Jericho shouted between 1999-2000 eventually got real. The wrestler started dabbling with music by developing a mock-rock band called Fozzy on the side; originally, Jericho went under the name "Mongoose McQueen" for the gig.

Separation between both childhood loves was never going to last.

A lot of Jericho's presentation as the loudmouth 'Y2J' was based on rockstar heroes from his youth. He was David Lee Roth, Vince Neil, Ozzy Osbourne and more with muscles, and the Canadian excelled at getting fans excited on the mic during promos as soon as he joined the company.

By 2005, Fozzy's early joke style had given way to seriousness. Jericho comfortably slid into the frontman role to become a bonafide rockstar, and that continues to this day. Just look at the way AEW Dynamite audiences react to 'Judas' for proof.

For more wrestling, check out 10 Forgotten WWE Cameos From Major Stars Before They Were Famous and 18 Things You Probably Missed From WWE Raw (April 26)!

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.