10 Wrestling Photos Taken Moments Before Disaster

1. Chris Jericho Adds His Downfall To The List

Shane McMahon WWE WrestleMania 39
X (@IAmJericho)

Not a photo, obviously, but certainly something posted moments before disaster. 

Chris Jericho was hardly a hot pro wrestling act as the holiday season of 2023 approached. He had developed a reputation as "clout vampire" to such an extent that it drove his storylines in AEW. At of all times Christmas Day, when once again litigating the events of Brawl Out, Jericho went off on Stephen P New - a lawyer whose ads appear on Jim Cornette's podcasts. 

In response to this lashing out, journalist Nick Hausman asked Jericho: What about the NDAs you make other people sign? 

Then, a possible connection was drawn between Jericho and the exit from AEW of the very promising Kylie Rae. Rae herself offered a heart emoji in response to a tweet - posted by ISO Wrestling - unearthing a suggestion that Jericho might be somebody of interest in the 2020 #SpeakingOut movement. 

He wasn't hot, Jericho, but the rumour, as vague as it was, expedited his career downfall. Tony Khan's failure to definitively state that Jericho has never been the subject of a sexual harassment investigation compounded it. Would Jericho's reputation and interest as a commodity waned, had this all unfolded when Jericho was red-hot as 'Le Champion'? 

That's a bleak one to consider, because the answer is probably 'no'. That's how these things work, unfortunately. 

Still: Jericho's career has spiralled ever since.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!