7 Wrestlers WCW Gave Up On
4. Chris Jericho
WCW didn't so much give up on Chris Jericho as never bank on him in the first place, making it pretty much the one company he worked for where he didn't become an undeniable star - despite his undeniable talents.
The future Y2J was caught in Eric Bischoff's talent dragnet in 1996, as the WCW honcho looked to saturate Nitro with the world's finest technical wrestlers. Unfortunately, this policy gratingly clashed with the star-studded portrait at the top of the card, meaning Eric's Fledglings were exclusively restricted to the undercard.
Lost in the shuffle was 'Lionheart' Chris Jericho, a generic babyface with less colour than a Humphrey Bogart noir flick. Although Bischoff reckoned Jericho could be the next Sting, his retrograde character - one who refused to take a countout victory - had been made passé by his peers in the nWo. Going heel was the only solution - and in taking matters into his own hands, WCW lost all interest in any Jericho push.
This was despite the fact that, under his own steam, the Canadian became the most entertaining part of Nitro, as he was given fifteen minutes every week to more or less fill as he saw fit. Over time, Jericho became dangerously over, and as soon as he started tapping on the ceiling with a challenge to Goldberg, WCW took notice.
It was the worst thing that could happen. Goldberg refused to answer the call, and Jericho was admonished for his impertinence. He knew there and then he'd never accomplish anything in Georgia.