That Time Chris Jericho Was Almost The Goon

How Y2J went from to Ice Hockey Loser to Millennium Man...

Chris Jericho
WWE

For those that lived through it, WWE's 'New Generation' period was one of great change and - on select occasions - great shame.

However, much of the supposed fan tumult is a touch overstated by hindsight reflections. Though the organisation lacked Hulk Hogan, The Ultimate Warrior and most of the other over-inflated bodies and personas that once defined the product entirely, a maturation process had begun thanks to the vastly superior in-ring work of stalwarts Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, Diesel, Razor Ramon and The 1-2-3 Kid.

Arenas and men were smaller, but like the audience itself they were becoming perfectly formed. Some of the finest matches of the decade took place with the smallest audience watching, including the Bret Hart/Stone Cold Steve Austin WrestleMania 13 match that transformed an industry in front of a catastrophically small pay-per-view audience.

These were the complex contradictions that defined the New Generation. 'The Rattlesnake' was a 'Ringmaster' before his tea's temperature dropped, whilst Triple H's start in life as a Greenwich Snob was a far cry from 'The Game' he became. Future icons were signed with inadvertently fatalistic intent.

Stars were goobers, and one was very nearly a Goon.

CONT'D...

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Contributor
Contributor

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