10 Wrestlers Who Were Right To Walk Out On WWE

4. Chris Jericho (2018)

Elias Chris Jericho Raw 25
WWE Network

It's almost unbelievable to think that Chris Jericho's final WWE appearances were a throwaway backstage skit with Elias at Raw 25 and a three-minute cameo in the (so-called) Greatest Royal Rumble. That doesn't seem like a fitting end for one of the greatest stars of all time.

Probably because nobody knew it'd be the end of his WWE run other than Jericho himself.

The former 'Y2J' has spoken at length on his podcast about how much he'd detest becoming that legacy star who returned for tired pops. He wants to constantly reinvent and stay on top of the industry on merit, not steal spots from others just because of his tenure and popularity with nostalgia-hungry fans.

He's 100% spot on with that assessment. Jericho would've become a WWE relic who showed up occasionally to yell ancient catchphrases, and that's not his style. Since leaving WWE behind for good in 2018, Jericho has re-established himself as AEW's kingpin and a merchandising machine.

'Le Champion' is as relevant as ever. That's not something he would've been able to say had he stuck around in WWE.

Advertisement
In this post: 
Steve Austin
 
First Posted On: 
Contributor

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.