10 WWE Greats Who Made TERRIBLE First Impressions

3. Chris Jericho

Chris Jericho Debut
WWE.com

You might notice a recurring theme with most of these wrestlers; someone else thought the company should go out of their way to sign them, but Vince wasn't sold. Chris Jericho is another who fits into that category - again, it was Jim Ross who figured Jericho would be a huge asset to the WWF in 1999.

Eventually, after seeing some footage, McMahon gave JR the go-ahead to pursue him. Mere months later though, Vince was shaking his head backstage and telling Jericho that his contract wasn't worth the paper it was printed on. He was disappointed by the WCW incomer's performances and didn't think he was living up to the hype.

Ouch.

Jericho wrote in one of his books (they're all worth a read) that he couldn't believe what he was hearing. McMahon had effectively told him that he was the sh*ts and didn't belong at an elite level. That had to sting, and it cannot have been easy for the then-Y2J to overcome.

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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.