That Time Chris Jericho Was WWE Champion For 30 Minutes

by Michael Sidgwick
triple h earl hebner royal rumble 2000
WWE.com

A furious (and defensive) Triple H, holding the power, bullied Hebner into acknowledging the fast count. Hebner, reluctant, only reversed the decision after seeking the assurance of Triple H that he would never again suffer physical harm at his hands. “One more thing,” Triple H said, after demeaning Hebner into wrapping the title around his waist. “Your ass is fired,” he said, before putting the boot into the hapless prick.

This incredible marriage of action and angle conditioned fans to embrace Jericho as a top guy, solidified Triple H as a mega-heel, used the full resource of a loaded roster to coherent, marvellous effect—and, this is quite depressing, did more with a referee than WWE does now with several, drastically misused talents. It was arguably the greatest Dusty finish of all time, because nobody left the arena mistaken: they left clear in the belief that Jericho had made it.

For an age, little of Jericho’s initial WWF run clicked—but on April 17, 2000, Jericho’s WWE career clicked like a pen, with which he added Sports Entertainer to his List of accomplishments.

A totem of both Jericho’s brilliance and Kreski’s intricate narrative genius, this wasn’t the launchpad to a lasting, main event run—one could argue this only happened during Jericho’s second stint—but it was a perfectly-balanced exorcism.

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Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and surefire Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!