5 Amazing Chris Jericho Matches Outside WWE

Chris Jericho and Chris Benoit went by the names of Lionheart and Wild Pegasus during their stint in Japan in the mid-1990s, but everything else about them was almost exactly the same.

In fact, this match arguably dwarfs any of their subsequent efforts in WCW and WWE. There's just something about the eerily quiet crowd - which amplifies the sounds of their bodies crashing off the mat - and the low camera angle which seems to put you right on top of the action.

It's a cruiserweight - or, more accurately, junior heavyweight - contest, but without the high-flying. Instead, the duo work the mat for most of the 15 minutes, save for a couple of high spots, including one where Benoit backdrops his opponent over the apron then joins him on the outside via a concrete-landed suicide dive.

Mainly, though, its just incredible to see two of the best wrestlers of their generation before either of their careers really took off. There's no ego involved here - just two masters of the craft doing everything they can to impress the tough Japanese crowd.