Despite suspect acting, the romance angle between Chris Jericho and Trish Stratus in early-2004 had turned 'Y2J' babyface thanks to the transcendent popularity of the the biggest star in the Women's division.
Beginning life as a skit between heel chums Jericho and Christian, the relationship was formed after the cocky Canadians made a $1 bet that they could sleep with Trish or Lita respectively before the other. The former awkwardly admitted he had started to fall for Stratus after the details of the wager were eventually divulged.
Christian triggered his former friend by attacking both lovebirds, but it set the stage for an understated 'Show Of Shows' gem and a low key 'Grandest Stage' shocker. At the tail-end of the contest, Stratus inadvertently clocked Jericho in the face to gift Christian the win, but she brutally revealed a ruse.
Bitter at the bet from the very beginning, she viciously snapped with wild slaps, allowing Christian to floor him with an Unprettier. The two passionately kissed to the bewilderment of Jericho and the Madison Square Garden crowd, cementing their new relationship. It was sh*t hot sh*thousery.
Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett
