8 Ways Chris Jericho Has Reinvented Himself During His Career
7. Man Of 1,004 Holds
Chris Jericho's current run isn't the only time he's used a list to his advantage.
With his Lionheart gimmick not really clicking with the audience in WCW, Jericho turned heel in 1997 by decimating cruiserweights Rey Mysterio and Juventud Guerrera; taking the latter's mask when he beat him.
This led to one of the hottest feuds of Jericho's career as he took on technical wizard Dean Malenko, then known as 'The Man of 1,000 Holds'.
Of course, Jericho being Jericho, he had to go one better (well, four better to be precise) and in a legendary promo on Nitro, he referred to himself as 'The Man of 1,004 Holds' to prove he knew more wrestling holds than his foe.
Unveiling a comically long list, Jericho read out all the holds he claimed to know, one by one. Hilariously, most of them were completely made up and every other entry was a version of an armbar. It's a classic segment.
After Jericho finally beat Malenko for the Cruiserweight title, he began to carry around a portrait of Malenko which he would mock. When Dean returned two months later and beat Jericho for the championship, Jericho kept his heel character fresh by claiming he was the victim of a conspiracy to get the belt off him.
In classic delusional heel fashion, Jericho blamed everyone for his loss, from Ted Turner to JJ Dillon to the U.S. government.
The gimmick was Jericho's first chance to show off his personality and, boy, did he rise to the occasion.