10 Wrestlers We Had To Love Before We Could Hate

4. Chris Jericho

chris jericho world titles
WWE.com

With catchphrases and gimmicks like, "Raw Is Jericho", "Would You Please Shut The Hell Up" and "Jerichoholics", Chris Jericho turned himself into a killer babyface by 2000. 'Y2J' was smart, worked great matches and had an underdog quality aided by his quest to topple Triple H's dominance and become WWF Champ.

Through it all, he was actually kinda' heelish.

Still, fans ignored his early attempts to be an incoming WCW villain with an inflated sense of self-worth, and cheered him wildly. Between 2000-01, there were few as over as Jericho, and he existed on that rung just below other top babyfaces like The Rock and Steve Austin.

When Jericho finally did find his place as a heel, he did it by cranking up the obnoxious dial and rubbing his first Undisputed Title win in the faces of fans and peers alike. The old poodle-haired Jericho had been a flop, but this self-aggrandising 'Ass Clown' was just the ticket to turn support into hate.

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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.