WWE: 10 Most Show Stealing Chris Jericho Performances

5. WCW Championship Match - Jericho vs. The Rock (No Mercy 2001)

By the time fall 2001 approached, The Rock was already enjoying mainstream success. A highly sought-after star who had recently finished shooting the Scorpion King, the self-proclaimed Great One was well on his way to bridging the gap between professional wrestling star and Hollywood celebrity. The WCW Champion and the leader of the WWE faction during the Invasion angle, he was still a major player in Vince McMahon's plans for his company. One of those plans included a rivalry with Chris Jericho that would elevate Y2J to main event status. From the moment the feud started, it was clear that Jericho and Rock were going to work well together and that the matches they would have would be the best of any show they were part of. That was certainly the case in October at No Mercy, when Jericho challenged the Most Electrifying Man in Sports-Entertainment for the WCW title. The story entering the bout was Jericho's inability to win the proverbial "big one." A hugely talented star who had captured every other major title in the company, he was never able to get over the hump and prove himself as a main event performer in the biggest matches possible. He regularly lost to Triple H, Kurt Angle and Steve Austin when they were heavyweight champions at the top of their individual games. He was badly in need of that one signature win to prove that he could succeed at the next level of competition and he became almost obsessed with making his bout against The Rock that win. Jericho and Rock turned in a stellar performance, creating drama with nearfalls that popped the fans in St. Louis and kept them on the edge of their seats. The finish featured interference from Stephanie McMahon, who had teased supporting one of the competitors in the weeks leading into the show. While an overbooked finish can bring some matches down a peg, the action between Rock and Jericho was so strong that it withstood the potential downfall.