WWE's 15 Hottest Stars Of The Summer Since 2001
8. Chris Jericho - 2008
Chris Jericho was welcomed back into the WWE fold by fans when he returned in November 2007, but it was painfully apparent that his "greatest hits" shtick was only going to get him so far. He floundered for the first few months of 2008 before finally flipping the switch that summer and engaging in the single greatest rivalry of his career with Shawn Michaels.
With one attack on HBK on The Highlight Reel in early June, Jericho instantly emerged as the WWE's most hated heel. Although he lost his Intercontinental Championship not long afterward, it hardly mattered because he didn't need a title to get over with the audience. It was his brilliant mic work that caused the fans to turn against him and pay to see him get his backside handed to him by his opponents.
Following a complete decimation of Michaels at The Great American Bash, he walked into SummerSlam demanding his adversary admit that he was the one who caused him to walk away from wrestling. When Michaels refused, Jericho inadvertently planted a hard right on HBK's wife and went to become world champion for the fourth time a few weeks later.
Yeah, I'd chalk that up to being a successful summer for the artist formerly known as Y2J.