Wild Sh*t Wrestling Did You’ve TOTALLY Forgotten About

5. Chris Jericho Trashes WWF Programming

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WWE

Everyone remembers Chris Jericho's hot WWF debut opposite The Rock in August 1999. It was an exchange so exciting everyone felt like a proper "bad mama jama" and an "ayatollah of rock and rolla" within seconds. Christ, some of Jericho's old catchphrases were truly something else, weren't they? What's a "bad mama jama" anyway?

Sorry for digressing.

Jericho cut a ton of promos after his debut in the summer of '99, and his character quickly developed into a sharp-witted babyface fans adored. However, it’s easy to forget that he literally blasted everything from The Undertaker’s “boring” promos to “awful” WWF pay-per-views like Unforgiven ’99 during his initial sprint on the mic. That's utterly fascinating to revisit now.

Seriously, how did 'Y2J' manage to get clearance for that? An incoming ex-WCW star trashing the quality of federation output was wild, especially during the heights of 'Attitude' when the WWF was crushing the competition weekly. It's surprising Vince McMahon gave Jericho this kind of freedom; you'd think he'd bash WCW instead, but no.

Contributor

Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.