WWE: 10 Most Show Stealing Chris Jericho Performances

8. Battle Royal And Cruiserweight Championship Match (Slamboree 1998)

One of the greatest rivalries ever produced by World Championship Wrestling involved Chris Jericho and Dean Malenko. Jericho, the cocky and arrogant villain with a knack of wildly entertaining promos, targeted Malenko by poking fun at his family. The rivalry, which began over the WCW Cruiserweight Championship evolved into a highly personal war between two immensely talented workers. As good as Jericho was between the ropes, however, it was his mouth that carried the feud. His ability to incite both laughter and jeers with his work on the microphone made fans sit up and take notice to the feud unfolding before them. It was one of the few programs at that time that did not involve the New World Order or Goldberg that managed to get fans to emotionally invest themselves in it. Slamboree in May 1998 was to feature a battle royal to determine the number one contender to Jericho's Cruiserweight title. Top stars from all over the world, including the United States and Mexico, would vie for the opportunity to unseat the overconfident, loudmouth champion. Jericho was given the spotlight, introducing the competitors and poking fun at them while doing so. He had a different insult for each man that stepped through the ropes. So obnoxious was he that fans could not wait to see him get his comeuppance. When Ciclope won and revealed himself to be Dean Malenko, the arena exploded. The ensuing title match is, arguably, the hottest cruiserweight title bout ever produced by WCW. The crowd basked in the glory of Malenko reversing everything Jericho threw at him, then forcing a submission with the Texas Cloverleaf. It was a glorious moment for Malenko, one of the best of his entire career. It was also the performance of Jericho's life to that point. He was overbearing, annoying and played the perfect heel to Malenko's straight babyface.