Chris Jericho: The Best in The World?

Chris Jericho is one of the most talented and hard working wrestlers in the business. Since his ring debut in 1990, Jericho has been consistent in his work ethic and love for professional wrestling. Jericho’s catchphrase boasts that he is the best in the world at what he does. Is that truly the case?

The debate about who the greatest wrestler is today happens all the time among fans, but it doesn’t seem that Jericho’s name is thrown around too often. Why is that exactly?

No one can deny that this guy has grown since his early days in WCW.

When I first saw him, I didn’t know what to expect. I had only seen him a few times in ECW so I knew he was a solid worker, but how WCW would handle him would be a whole other matter.

While his run in WCW wasn’t bad, Jericho soon fell victim to the same fate that a lot of other talented young wrestlers suffered. He was beginning to be left behind, slowly but surely being edged out by the older, more established stars of WCW.

After three years with the Atlanta-based promotion, Chris Jericho went to the WWE in 1999, and finally enjoyed main event status.

“Y2J” had arrived, and along with a new gimmick came an apparent new enthusiasm for the business. The guy who had previously been known for having a lot of promise, suddenly became the guy who was delivering five star performances every time he was in the ring.

Then, in 2002 came the Undisputed Championship.

For me, while it was nice to see Jericho get a shot, although his title run was less than stellar.

It was a lot for one guy to handle, being flanked by the hottest stars in the WWE, like Steve Austin and The Rock. Here was Jericho, while a great talent in his own right, being expected to carry the title of wrestling’s first Undisputed Champion, in a company that boasted the biggest names in the business.

Chris Jericho did what he’s always done—consistently turned in great performances, but was made to look a little foolish.

Instead of trying to sell him as the top wrestler because he was the Champion, the WWE instead put him over as being the heel who was barely getting out with his title run intact.

I remember watching Jericho defending the belt, and being amazed at how many times he was nearly pinned, or was disqualified, basically did everything possible to escape with the gold.

Now, don’t misunderstand me here, I’m not against that type of heel. After all, Ric Flair made a career in the NWA with just that type gimmick.

Ric would wrestle a great match, make his opponent look extremely good in the process, and truly make you believe his title was in jeopardy. Then, when you least expected it, Flair would use the ropes, get an assist from one of the Horsemen, do something, to get the win.

But, this was different. In my mind, Jericho was being made to look weak, as if he didn’t deserve to be the top guy. After all, why give him the belt if he was not going to be allowed to become one of the best, and most respected in the locker room?

Simple. He had to earn it.

Therein lies the difference between Jericho and some of the other talents that the WWE has pushed over the years. While Jericho’s first championship run was a little rough, it did nothing but help him grow as a wrestler and he indeed weathered the storm to become one of the best the WWE has ever seen.

But is he the best in the business today?

A big part of the argument against him may very well be his interests outside of the business.

Jericho took a two year break to pursue his love of music. Now, while I questioned his commitment to the sport, I tried to be open minded. After all, I love music, rock in particular, and I didn’t blame the guy for giving it a shot.

Then I heard Fozzy perform. Not exactly Led Zeppelin.

He caught a lot of heat for that from fans, as a lot of people tend to believe that a wrestler should stay true to the business first and feel free to pursue his other interests on the side.

But, Chris flat out left the business. Apparently, music had become more important to him.

It’s all speculation on my part, but when he returned in 2007, my first thought was, “I wonder how long before he leaves again?”

I don’t say that out of contempt for Chris. Not at all. I happen to believe that he is one of the best wrestlers the business has ever seen, and would love nothing more than to see him go down as one of the all time greats.

He’s paid his dues, he came up the hard way, working for promoters who didn’t appreciate his work ethic, and he became a better man and a better wrestler for it. He is committed to the business and to the fans who put him on the map.

Yes, Kurt Angle’s name is often mentioned when discussing who the greatest active wrestler is in the sport today. I cannot deny his ability, or what he’s accomplished over the years.

But, I believe that Chris Jericho has a place in the conversation. The fact that he’s often overlooked is perhaps because he has been so good, in so many matches, that we as fans expect that from him and don’t recognize his efforts.

Also, in this day and age of the selfish controversial athlete, Jericho is the complete opposite. While he did take a sabbatical from the business, he never forgot where he came from, or the fans who made him famous.

Despite his recent turn as host to a prime time game show, Jericho has said that he’s not ready to leave the business, and that what he’s done over the past three years has been the best of his career. With that, I wholeheartedly agree.

“Chris Jericho is the best in the world at what he does.” Perhaps it’s not just a catchphrase after all.