Vince McMahon's REAL Reaction To Chris Jericho's WWE Audition Tape
How did the main man react when Jim Ross showed him the footage?
Some of the stories in JR's new book 'Under The Black Hat' are incredible, and this is one of them.
In 1999, Jim Ross suggested that the WWF look into signing WCW's Chris Jericho. Vince McMahon didn't seem too interested at first (he didn't know who Jericho was), so Ross knew he'd have to tread carefully and make some concessions if he was going to get the boss on board.
After getting the green light to secure some footage of Jericho in action, Jim specifically asked the WWF's production team for a highlight reel no longer than two minutes. He knew McMahon's attention span wouldn't go beyond that.
As soon as the tape started rolling, Vince asked, "What height is this guy?". When JR said he was between 5' 7" and 5' 10", McMahon gasped, "Five seven!?".
He calmed down and asked Ross, "What do you see in him?". JR replied that Jericho was durable and could be a top-tier talent, if booked correctly, for years to come. Before the two minutes were up, McMahon said to get it done if possible and said, "Meet him first, then bring him to the house".
That told Jim everything he needed to know. The boss was impressed.