The Top Ten 12.4.07: Chris Jericho Matches
Posted by Julian Williams on 12.04.2007
....and the wrestling world was never, evvvveeerrr the same AGAIN!
Hello good people and welcome back to another edition of The Top Ten. This week we're going to look at The Top Ten Chris Jericho Matches and believe me when I say there was A LOT of material to choose from. No reader feedback, but don't worry because it'll be back for sure next week. I know I been slacking with the feedback, but I get so much good stuff from you guys it's hard to narrow it down. Ok, let me stop kissing your asses and get into this column.
Random Thoughts Of A Disturbed Wrestling Fan
-I ordered the ROH PPV Man Up and I must agree with Larry Sweeney's #1 Fan that it is the PPV of the Year. HANDS DOWN! (What the hell does that mean anyway) Every single match was good to great and the ladder match that capped off the show is one of The Top Five Ladder matches of all-time. Seriously, it was THAT good. I haven't seen that much insanity in a match since the glory days of TLC. I don't care if you've never seen an ROH show in your life, if you have $15 to spare, BUY THIS SHOW! You will not be disappointed.
-Everything that Samoa Joe said at Turning Point was true and it's about damn time that somebody said it. TNA has the talent to be the best wrestling company in the world, but idiotic booking decisions and washed up older stars are killing the company. Hopefully his speech opened the eyes of some of the people in charge in TNA, but most likely it just pissed them off and gave them even more of a reason to bury Joe and all the younger guys.
-I love Beth Phoenix's music. It makes me feel like I'm a coked up figure skater in the 1970's.
-I must make Hot-Asian-looking-girl from the Smackdown vs. Raw commercials MINE! She's hot, she's Asian and she plays wrestling video games. Does it get any better than that?
-Am I the only one who feels happy in their pants everytime Melina makes her split legged entrance and gazes at Mickie James with the look of lesbianism in her eye. Or maybe that's just wishful thinking on my part.
-So WWE 24/7 has this feature going on this month where different superstars give us the "gift" of presenting us their favorite matches. Everything was rolling along fine with Triple H proclaiming his favorite match as Flair/Steamboat at Clash Of Champions and Chuck Palombo declaring his favorite as Triple H/Undertaker at WM17 (which actually fits with his whole biker gimmick). Then all of a sudden everything came to a screeching halt when Val Venis declared his favorite match as Shawn Michaels vs. Carlito on some random episode of Raw two years ago. Seriously Val, who did you lose a bet to where you had to proclaim that as your favorite match? Because I can't see you actually being SERIOUS about that one. Out of all the thousands of matches in the annals of wrestling history, you choose a Carlito match?!?!? Jeez, Val even jobs in real life.
-Can everyone who was talking crap about Heroes officially shut up now? Thank You.
-Am I the only one waiting for JR to accidentally call Chris Jericho "Chris Benoit" one of these days? It was cute back in the day, but now it would just be supremely awkward. Kind of like Survivor Series.
-Ten more days until I Am Legend. I can't wait.
-Dammit, I love those Burger King commercials. They never cease to be funny. Angry moms trying to whack The King? Priceless.
-Trish Stratus back on Raw next week? I'll be getting the lotion ready.
The Top Ten Chris Jericho Matches
Honorable Mention: Chris Jericho vs. Triple H (Raw, 4/17/00)
This is the now-famous match where Jericho "won" the WWE Championship from HHH. Jericho made an impromptu challenge at the beginning of the show and after insulting Triple H's wife, Stephanie, the shit was on. This match had one of the most electric crowds that I've ever seen for a match as they all seemed to be PRAYING for Jericho to score the upset. Both men had a very entertaining back and forth match and after the main referee, Mike Chioda, got knocked on his ass, Earl Hebner ran down to call the match. Triple H immediately got in Hebner's face since he had prior issues with him and that allowed Y2J to hit a spinkick out of nowhere and then nail the Lionsault for the 3 count. The crowd went absolutely NUTS as they thought they had just witnessed history and their man, Jericho, had finally dethroned the Evil H's. But alas, it was not to be as the decision was quickly reversed due to Hebner fast counting Triple H so Trips got to retain his title. Despite the screwy result, this was one of the most enjoyable matches I've ever watched and even to this day I get goosebumps when Jericho scores the upset victory.
Honorable Mention: Chris Jericho vs. Chris Benoit vs. Shelton Benjamin vs. Christian vs. Edge vs. Kane (Wrestlemania 21)
This was the first ever Money In The Bank match and the spectacular performance that these six men put on made it inevitable that this would become a yearly tradition at Wrestlemania. The match started off at a fever pace with five of the competitors diving to the outside onto their opponents, even The Big Red Machine! From there, we saw even crazier spots like Shelton giving Edge a T-bone suplex from the top of a ladder, Benoit german suplexing Jericho with a ladder in his hand, Christian giving Benoit an armbreaker from the top of a ladder, and of course Shelton doing one of the most insane moves ever by running up one ladder to knock Chris Jericho off another one. At the end, the opportunist Edge laid in wait until everyone was out of the equation and then cracked Benoit's already injured arm with a steel chair and climbed the ladder to become Mr. Money In The Bank. While Edge was the winner of this match, this was Y2J's (kayfabe) creation, so I guess we have him to thank for all the insanity we've seen at the last 3 Wrestlemanias.
Honorable Mention: Chris Jericho vs. Christian vs. John Cena (Vengeance '05)
This was the first PPV match for Cena as a member of RAW and it was a triple threat match for Cena's WWE title. This was a fast paced matchup with many near falls and counters and these three guys busted their ass to provide an entertaining match. If not for the HIAC match later on that night between Batista and HHH, I think this match would be held in higher regard. A fantastic three way that showed the great abilities of all three participants.
10) Chris Jericho vs. Juventud Guerrera (Superbrawl VIII)
This match was officially one of my favorite matches ever from the opening bell given the fact that Jericho wanted to wrestle with his Cruiserweight belt on which, to this day, still makes me bust out laughing. This was a match for Jericho's Crusierweight Championship and the stipulation was Mask vs. Title meaning that The Juice would have to take off his mask if he lost. Jericho eventually took off the belt when Juvi kicked the crap out of the belt which took all the air out of Jericho. From there, these two had a wildly entertaining match that featured some incredible back and forth action and featured one of my favorite moments in any match ever as Jericho feigned being knocked out on the floor to try to lose by countout so he could retain his title. Now that's strategy, baby. It seemed like Juvi had the match won after hitting a SWANK 450 splash, but Jericho was able to grab the bottom rope which made the referee reverse his initial 3 count. From there, Juvi continued piling on the offense including a springboard hurricarana while Jericho was perched on the top rope, but Jericho eventually got the victory when he did a SWEEEET reversal to a hurricarana and locked on The Liontamer in the middle of the ring. Juvi had no choice but to tap and lost his mask in the process, all while Jericho taunted him. What a good sport.
9) Chris Jericho vs. Eddie Guerrero (Fall Brawl '97)
Chris Jericho entered this match as the Cruiserweight Champion and Eddie was on a warpath to try to get his hands on that gold. The match started slow with the two trading various counters and Eddie working over Jericho with various submission moves. Once Jericho started to make his comeback, though, this match picked up very quickly and it was near fall after near fall. The ending saw Jericho attempt a superplex only for Eddie to reverse it and land on top of Jericho and then go to the top rope to deliver one of the prettiest frog splashes you'll ever see. An absolutely terrific match that made Eddie look like a true badass and made Jericho look like a CHAMP for being able to absorb so mch punishment and almost pull out the victory.
8) Chris Jericho vs. John Cena (Summerslam '05)
This was a rematch of the triple threat match the previous month, sans Christian, and once again it was over Cena's WWE title. This match was excellent, but it was also historically significant because this signaled the first real time that the crowd began to turn on Cena. In the months before this match, there would be a few smattering of boos directed towards Cena, but then they would be overwhelmingly drowned out by the cheers for him. In this match, the crowd was split 50/50 between Cena and Jericho with the crowd very audibly booing at times. This match signaled the transition of Cena from an overly popular face to a tweener role as half the crowd would cheer him and the other half would boo the hell out of him. Jericho seemed poised to finally dethrone Cena, but White Jesus was able to pull off the W. The next night, Jericho would be "fired" after losing another great match to Cena and he would be off our television screens until his glorious return a few weeks ago on Raw (let's forget about Celebrity Duets).
7) Chris Jericho vs. Triple H (Judgment Day '02)
Triple H and Chris Jericho had a long history with each other dating back to when Jericho "beat" Trips for the WWE Championship in 2000 and continued when Triple H defeated Jericho at WrestleMania 18 for the Undisputed Championship. Their feud continued when Jericho cost Triple H the Undisputed Championship against Hulk Hogan and The Game was seeking revenge. The best way to settle the score? Hell In A Cell, of course. They beat the piss out of each other while using steel chairs and ladders and it wasn't too long until both men were bleeding immensely. The referee, Tim White, also got hurt (legitimately actually) and refs from the back had to cut the cell to get him out since White was the only one with a key to the cell. After Triple busted Jericho wide open with a sledgehammer, Jericho tried to retreat by escaping out of the hole in the cage that had been cut open. Triple H eventually caught up with him and gave Jericho a DDT through an announce table and then grabbed a 2x4 wrapped in barbed wire. This prompted Jericho to hightail it up the cell with HHH in pursuit. Jericho gained control of the barbed wire-wrapped 2x4 and smacked HHH in the back with it while on top of the cell. After Triple H went low and backdropped Jericho on top of the cell (which almost gave out), he picked up the 2x4 and SMACKED it on Jericho's head, ripping out some of his hair and flesh. A Pedigree after that made the pin academic. This was a wild brawl and epitomized just how brutal a HIAC match should be.
6) TLC 3 (Smackdown, 5/24/01)
This was the third ever TLC match and it was made by Mr. McMahon as a way of insuring that Chris Benoit & Chris Jericho would lose their newly won tag team titles after defeating the Two Man Power Trip of Stone Cold and HHH. This match featured some absolutely insane spots including Jeff Hardy delivering a leg drop from the top of a ladder through Bubba Ray Dudley on an announce table and Chris Benoit landing sternum first through a table after attempting a diving headbutt. After that bump, Benoit's ribs were injured and he had to be taken to the back, leaving Jericho alone to fight for their tag team gold. Jericho put on a valiant effort, but it seemed as if the numbers were going to be too much for him. Suddenly, Benoit came back out to the ring with his ribs taped up and showed some tremendous courage by fighting off members of the opposing teams, but once E&C gave him a conchairto to the ribs, it seemed as if Benoit's night was over. Jericho was able to stave off the teams long enough for Benoit to recover and climb the ladder to retain their tag team gold. This was a great match that lived up to the insanity of the previous TLC matches and what made it even better is that we got to see it for free.
5) Chris Jericho vs. The Rock (Royal Rumble '02)
This is a match that I feel is unjustly overlooked when people talk about some of the best matches ever at The Royal Rumble. Jericho had won the Undisputed Championship the prior month at Vengeance and The Rock was poised to dethrone Jericho of his title. This match featured some absolutely awesome action and Jericho hung in tough with The Rock, making him seem like a true main eventer. Everytime that it seemed that The Rock might pull off the win, Jericho would reach in his bag of trickeration to stay alive. The ending to this match is one of my favorite ever as Jericho used not one, not two, but THREE illegal maneuvers to pick up the W. First he gave The Rock a low blow, then threw him into an exposed turnbuckle and then rolled Rocky up with his feet on the rope. THREE TIMES THE HEELERY!! I felt this match made Jericho seem like a big time heel capable of using his cheating ways to outsmart his opponents ala Ric Flair & HHH, but alas Jericho would be promptly bitched out at Wrestlemania 18 and would never get another chance to run with the big belt. Shame I say, he was a damn good champ.
4) Steve Austin & Triple H vs. Chris Jericho & Chris Benoit (Raw, 5/21/01)
I remember this match as vividly as the day I watched it and I remember being absolutely blown away by it. This match featured the Two-Man Power Trip taking on the up-and-coming Canadian duo of Chris Jericho and Chris Benoit and the match these four men put on was an absolute classic. This match is mainly remembered for being the match where HHH tore his quad, but before the injury occurred, this was one of the best tag team matches I've ever seen. The action was hot all throughout and as the match progressed, the crowd got more into it with the realization that the Chris' might be able to pull it off. The ending of the match was one of the hottest endings I've ever seen where Y2J locked on the Walls Of Jericho to Triple H (with a torn quad) on the announce table while Austin hit Benoit with a Stunner. Jericho barely made the saved and hit the Lionsault which brought in HHH with a sledgehammer, but instead of hitting Jericho, he hit Austin which allowed Jericho to pin him for the three count. To say the crowd went nuts would be an understatement and this is a match that I will not forget anytime soon.
3) Chris Jericho vs. Triple H (Fully Loaded 2000)
This match was inevitable due to the hatred that these two men had towards each other. Leading up to this match, Jericho had gotten screwed out of the title in a match he beat Triple H in and Jericho retaliated by causing Triple H to lose his #1 contender's match, having Rikishi give The Game a stinkface and causing Trips to lose to the friggin' Brooklyn Brawler of all people. As a result, HHH started to abuse Jericho, including a shot to Y2J's ribs with The Game's trusty sledgehammer. The resolution was this excellent Last Man Standing match which, for my money, is the best Last Man Standing match I've ever seen. This match included some intense action including some wicked chairshots, a bulldog to a steel chair, and Jericho locking in the Walls of Jericho to Stephanie. The match ended when HHH back suplexed Jericho through an announce table and was able to get up at the count of 9 before collapsing to the floor to pick up the win. This was the type of match where both competitors looked like a million bucks coming out of it.
2) Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels (Wrestlemania 19)
This match is a personal favorite of mine as it had two of my favorite wrestlers ever squaring off on the biggest stage of them all. A lot of people downplayed this match at the time because they felt that Jericho should have gone over and while that is certainly an understandable point, I don't think you can ignore the quality of this match. This was a great battle between these two showmen and seeing Chris Jericho mimic HBK and give him Sweet Chin Music is one of the most glorious things I've ever seen. Even though some people were sour about HBK picking up the win (including me at the time), I think that he needed it being his big Wrestlemania comeback and all and Jericho got to get revenge in a HEELISH fashion after the match by kicking HBK square in the nads. Overall this was just an awesome match between two of the best performers to ever step foot in the squared circle.
1) Chris Jericho vs. Chris Benoit (Royal Rumble '01)
This, in my opinion, is the greatest one-on-one ladder match in the history of professional wrestling. Yes, better than HBK/Razor at Wrestlemania X and Summerslam '95. This match featured some of the best action I've ever seen in a ladder match as everytime you thought that one man finally had the match won, they would get knocked down. Some of the awesome action in this match included Jericho applying The Walls Of Jericho on the TOP of the ladder, Jericho seesawing the ladder in Benoit's face, and Benoit taking an absolutely SICKALICIOUS bump by taking a chairshot to the face while in midair after diving through the ropes. Jericho picked up the win, but in a match this good, it really didn't matter who the winner was. A great effort by both men that stands as one of the greatest ladder matches ever.
Drive-By Pimpin'
Check out all these great columns by my 411 brethren:
-Andy Clark's "Shimmy"
-Ari's "Column Of Honor"
-Sean, Alex and David's "Triple Threat"
-Bayani's "Truth B Told"
-Weyer's "Shining The Spotlight"
-Byers' "Cheap Wrestling for Cheap People"
-Larry and Geoff's "4R's"
-Fact Or Fiction
-Sat and Uncle Trunx's "High Road/Low Road"
-Phill Feltham's "Quick Talkdown"
-Sarnecky's "Piledriver Report"
-Slimmer's News Report
-Hidden Highlights
-Carapola's "That Was Then" and "Friendly Competition"
-The Fink's Payload
-Gamble's "Just 'Spose"
-Cook's "Ask 411"
-Wilcox's "Thoughts From The Top Rope"
-Meehan's "Meethinks"
-Sforcina's "Evolution Schematic"
-Prag's "In Defense Of?."
-Wrestlers of the Week
-Randle's "Wrestling News Experience"
-Linkous' "Why I Love Wrestling"
-Double M's Rasslin Report
-News To Start Your Weekend
-Dunn's Rawtopsy, Smackdown Breakdown, & ECW eXperience
-Your News, Larry's Views
-Zac Calhoun's "The Ripple Effect"
-Joe Estee's "Keys To The Game"
-Halden's "You're An Idiot And Here's Why"
-Buy......OR SELL!!
And don't forget about the new guys:
-Chris Lansdell "The Way I C It"
-Alex Barcham's "Hitting Below The Beltway"
-T.G. Corke's "The Seventh Dimension"
-Magnus Donaldson's "Cut To The Crap"
-Tim Haught's "Pro Wrestling Pundit"
-William Bumgarner's "What Were They Thinking?"
-Jarrod Westerfield's "Viral Dose Of Reality"
The Sign-Off
That's all I got for you this week people. Be sure to send in all your thoughts (since I'll actually include it next week) and be sure to come back here next week when the topic will be The Top Ten Moments of 2007. Until then, go wash your ass!
