Chris Jericho's 5 Biggest Career-Defining Matches with WWE

One of the most complete performers in WWE history, Chris Jericho continues to make waves in Vince McMahon's company thanks to his ability to entertain fans both on the microphone and inside the squared circle.

A highly skilled storyteller, he has been part of some of the greatest matches in WWE history, legitimate classics that will stand the test of time.

But not all of those classics define the character of Y2J or the way it has evolved over the years.

Beginning as a flashy and flamboyant wannabe rock star in 1999 and developing into a charismatic underdog of sorts before undergoing a change that turned him heel for a three-year stretch, Jericho has played every role imaginable.

And that's not counting his revolutionary run as the most hated man in wrestling in 2008.

Over the span of his 17 years with WWE, he has competed in matches that told stories of who Jericho was at his core. There were those that positioned him as the aforementioned underdog, while others showed how tough he could be.

Then there were those that demonstrated his cunning and sneakiness as a lead villain.

One, though, stands heads and shoulders above all others as arguably his greatest single performance.

As Jericho continues to be essential in the acceptance and development of AJ Styles as a WWE Superstar, let's take a stroll through these five matches that not only define Y2J but also epitomize the character fans have fallen in love with for the last two decades.

5. WWE Championship Match: Chris Jericho vs. Triple H (Raw; April 17, 2000)

The April 17, 2000 episode of Monday Night Raw kicked off in molten-hot fashion, with Chris Jericho insulting Stephanie McMahon and goading Triple H into putting his WWE Championship on the line in their match.

With The Acolytes Protection Agency backing him up, ensuring a lack of interference from The McMahon-Helmsley Regime, Jericho set out to win his first heavyweight title.

And for a second, it looked like he did.

Late in the match, pandemonium reigned supreme, with Bradshaw and Faarooq chasing Shane McMahon to the locker room and Jericho intercepting the Women's Championship from Stephanie, then using it to clock The Game.

Earl Hebner, who had been bullied repeatedly by Triple H, watched as Jericho flattened him with a spinning heel kick, then counted a lightning-quick pinfall on The Game, bringing his title reign to an end.

The crowd in State College, Pennsylvania, erupted with one of the biggest ovations ever witnessed on Raw. Unfortunately, Triple H and the rest of his associates would "convince" Hebner to reverse his decision, then fire him minutes later.

Jericho may not have won the title that night, but the match still ranks among the most memorable of his career, the adulation that was shown to him by the fans in Happy Valley proof of the popularity of his character.

After a rough start and a few bumpy months, it was apparent that Y2J had arrived.

4. World Heavyweight Championship Scramble Match (Unforgiven 2008)

One of the greatest heel runs in WWE history came in 2008 as Chris Jericho developed into the most despicable villain the company had seen, probably since the height of the Mr. McMahon character.

Basing his character on the No Country for Old Men antagonist Anton Chigurh, Jericho was cold and calculated. He spoke slow, dressed in suits and stopped at nothing to get what he wanted.

That includes heinous acts like punching Shawn Michaels' wife Rebecca in the face or trying to blind HBK and end his career.

At Unforgiven in September 2008, Michaels avenged his wife and seemingly ended his rivalry with Jericho in a brutal and violent Unsanctioned match in which he bruised and bloodied his rival.

But any speculation on the downfall of the greatest heel of the decade was premature.

As all great villains do, he popped up later in the show, replacing the injured CM Punk in the World Heavyweight Championship Scramble match and, in true Jericho fashion, seized the perfect opportunity to make a pinfall and win the title.

It was a brilliant bit of storytelling, executed beautifully by a Jericho still smarting following the assault he suffered earlier in the night. While there are other promos and matches that some will certainly favor more than this one, it is difficult to pick out one in-ring performance that better defines the heel persona that Y2J had perfected at that point.

3. Last Man Standing Match: Chris Jericho vs. Triple H (Fully Loaded 2000)

The Fully Loaded pay-per-view in July 2000 was an interesting one in that WWE tested out three young stars in high-profile main event matches.

Chris Jericho competed in what was arguably the most heated of those bouts, a Last Man Standing match against Triple H.

The Game was furious over Jericho's continuously insulting his wife Stephanie and looked to shut the loudmouthed Canadian up. Y2J, on the other hand, was determined to avenge a beatdown that left him bloodied on an episode of Raw prior to the event.

Jericho endured a brutal beating at Fully Loaded, his ribs the target of Triple H's calculated attack. But he never gave up. Jim Ross and Jerry "The King" Lawler did a phenomenal job of putting Jericho's toughness and resilience over on commentary; Good Ol' J.R. applauded him, while The King squawked about his stupidity.

Late in the match, Jericho mounted a comeback, but a win was not to be. A side suplex from Triple H sent both men crashing through an announce table. The Game barely made it to his feet at the count of nine before falling back to the ground, but that was all he needed to ensure the victory.

The match was the first piece of evidence that Jericho could deliver in one of WWE's Attitude Era's signature brawls. More importantly for the sake of this piece, the match represented Jericho's resilience, which he showed throughout the course of his Hall of Fame career.

Of all three of his peers to get a taste of the main event that night, it was Y2J who most proved himself capable of succeeding at that level sooner than later.

2. WCW Championship Match: Chris Jericho vs. The Rock (No Mercy 2001)

Over the first two years of his WWE career, Chris Jericho was plagued by critics who doubted his ability to win the big one. He had been handed opportunities but had never seized them and actually captured the heavyweight championship of the world.

Officially, that is.

It became such a part of the Jericho narrative that it was actually worked into a storyline in the fall of 2001. At that point, Jericho was engaged in a friendly rivalry with The Rock. Things eventually turned contentious, and the two headed to No Mercy in October, their differences to be settled at that pay-per-view event in a match for the WCW Championship.

With all eyes on Jericho as he battled the standard-bearer of World Wrestling Entertainment, The Ayatollah of Rock and Rolla pulled out one of his finest performances to date.

The popular Superstars wowed audiences with a dramatic match that came down to interference by Stephanie McMahon and the questionable use of a steel chair. In his biggest win to date, Jericho defeated wrestling's most electrifying performer and proved that he was not only on the level of the megastar, but also that he could win the proverbial big one.

At any cost.

1. Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels (WrestleMania XIX)

If fans remember only one match that Chris Jericho ever wrestled in WWE, odds are it will be the WrestleMania XIX showdown with his idol, Shawn Michaels.

In the weeks leading up to the match, Jericho had aired video and photos that proved just how much he looked up to The Heartbreak Kid, even modeling his early look after him. But, as he put it, somewhere along the line he became more focused on being the first Y2J rather than the next HBK.

At The Showcase of the Immortals at Seattle's Safeco Field, Jericho cemented his greatness as an in-ring performer when he essentially carried Michaels to a modern classic.

Yes, carried, because Michaels was still shaking off ring rust that he had incurred from four years on the shelf. Always a cerebral wrestler, there was no denying that he was smart enough to work a match that fit his strengths at that point. But it was Jericho who put the match over the top, his timing and theatricality playing a major part in the success of the match.

Every move was crisp, while his body language and facial expressions were key to getting over the frustration he felt at being unable to put Michaels away.

He would go on to lose the match via roll-up, but that notch in the "L" column meant nothing. After years of proving himself time and time again, Jericho finally delivered a definitive classic in which he was undeniably the star.

Simply put, it was a match for the ages.