Chris Jericho is one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time and while hyperbole runs high in the industry and a new GOAT is crowned every once in a while (at least in kayfabe), it is indisputable that Jericho holds a place in the upper-echelon of industry greats, and he will retain the same position for a very, very long time.
During the formative years of his career, Jericho wrestled all over the world and while he was never the biggest or most well-built, his skills in the ring and on the microphone were nearly peerless and for many, Chris Jericho was the next Shawn Michaels.
After honing his craft in the rings of Japan and Mexico, Jericho landed a job with WCW and he spent a couple of years in the mid-card while trying to reach for the main-event spots. Unfortunately, but predictably, WCW botched one of the brighter talents, and Jericho packed his bags and went over to the rival promotion, WWE.
Jericho Is A Certified All-Time Great
WWE hyped his debut appropriately and Jericho was face to face with the Great One during his very first segment, a sign of great things to come. Unlike in WCW, Jericho went on to enjoy considerable success in the company, capturing the world title a number of times as well as participating in several high-profile matches.
More importantly, as often reminded by the man himself, Jericho was the first undisputed champion in WWE history and he accomplished such a feat by beating Austin and Rock, two of the greatest superstars, during the same night.
Jericho is a six-time world champion in the WWE, and he first got his hands around championship gold when he beat the Rock at No Mercy 2001. The company recognizes this triumph as his first title win but Jericho actually won the title a year prior to his victory against the Rock, and against Triple H of all people.
RAW 17/04/00 featured a world title match, with Triple H defending the title against Jericho. During the past few weeks, Jericho had gone through a tour of ribbing Triple H’s wife, Stephanie McMahon and during the opening segment of the show, HHH declared that he would tolerate no more and the next time Jericho ran his mouth, he would defend the honor of his wife.
Meanwhile, as this played out backstage, Jericho held a live microphone while in the ring and he continued where he left off, insulting Stephanie McMahon to the point that Triple H stormed out to the ring.
The mocking continued and Jericho pushed his foe to the point that Triple H agreed to put up the title, as long as he could get his hands on Jericho. Moreover, as his insurance policy, Jericho announced that the Acolytes would be ringside.
The crowd was red-hot for the match and with the implication of Jericho being in the head of the champion’s head, fans were excited at the prospect of a massive upset. Chris Jericho carried much of the match and the contest more than lived up to the expectations, with a couple of very believable falls and an ever-deafening crowd to boot. In the end, Jericho pinned the champion and won the world title. Incredibly, within mere months of his debut, Jericho had ascended to the top of the mountain!
For a grand total of 20 minutes, give or take a few. After the match came to a close, Triple H was irate and he chased down match referee, Earl Hebner, bringing him out to the ring. Inside the ring, Triple H accused Hebner of cheating him out of the title, and subsequently, he brought out another official, Mike Chidoa to ascertain the match finish.
Upon reviewing the tape, Chidoa concurred that Hebner had indeed cheated Triple H out of the win, via a fast count. Therefore, HHH sent the official to get the title back from Jericho.
Jericho emerged from the backstage area, with the title belt wrapped around his waist. Despite continuing his onslaught against Stephanie McMahon, Jericho surrendered the belt and the championship went back to Triple H as the fast count rendered the match a no-contest, as if the same never took place.
The Match Was Reversed As Triple H Abused His Power
Upon putting the belt around Triple H, Hebner was beaten down by Triple H and Shane, with the veteran referee suffering a pedigree to close out the segment. As convoluted as all this sounds, the mini-saga between Jericho and Triple H elicited massive heat and only furthered Triple H as the biggest heel in the company.
Yes, the first world title reign of Chris Jericho lasted a mere 20 minutes. This was later on referenced by Jericho during his infamous promo with the Rock, as Jericho stated that he had only tasted WWE gold.
Regardless, while the company barely acknowledges this particular moment, Jericho winning the title from Triple H might as well be one of the most underrated moments in the history of RAW. The pop upon the third count was massive, and the match personified the Attitude Era: chaotic, wild, and drummed up with the voices of a very passionate crowd.