It's strange to say that WWE never banked on Chris Jericho becoming a top guy, but early on, they didn't. He came into the company with white-hot momentum in his unforgettable segment with The Rock, but he was nowhere near the main event scene after that. Once they decided to give him a run as the Undisputed World champion in December 2001, he was made to look inferior to his adversaries at every turn. It's one thing to make a champion look vulnerable, but when a heel can never win a match on their own without interference from Christian, Lance Storm, Stephanie McMahon or the nWo, no one can take them seriously as the top title holder. It didn't help matters Jericho's championship match at WrestleMania 18 paled in comparison to The Rock vs. Hulk Hogan. Jericho had significant success in the next three years he was with the company, but he was never able to regain the gold. He only ever truly solidified himself as a main event player when he returned in 2007 and had one of the best heel runs of anyone, winning the world title a total of three times. But at the onset of his WWE run, there never any plans to make Jericho a top priority. Thankfully, his hard work paid off and proved the naysayers in the back wrong.
Since 2008, Graham has been a diehard pro wrestling fan and, in 2010, he combined his passions for WWE and writing when he joined Bleacher Report. Equipped with a master's in journalism, Graham has contributed to WhatCulture, FanSided's Daily DDT, Sports Betting Dime, and GateHouse Media. Along the way, he has conducted interviews with wrestling superstars like Chris Jericho, Edge, Goldberg, Christian, Diamond Dallas Page, Jim Ross, Adam Cole, Tessa Blanchard, Ryback, and Nick Aldis among others.
