Chris Jericho
Christopher Keith Irvine, better known by the ring name Chris Jericho, is an American-Canadian professional wrestler, rock musician, and actor. Noted for his over-the-top "rock star" persona, his in-ring technical wrestling prowess, and his ability to reinvent his character throughout the course of his career, Jericho has been named by journalists and industry colleagues as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time.
During the 1990s, Jericho performed for American organizations Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Championship Wrestling, as well as for promotions in countries such as Canada, Japan, and Mexico. In the latter half of 1999, he made his debut in the World Wrestling Federation. In 2001, he became the first Undisputed WWF Champion, and thus the final holder of the WCW World Heavyweight Championship, having won and unified the WWF and World titles by defeating Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock on the same night. Jericho headlined multiple pay-per-view events during his time with the WWF/WWE, including WrestleMania X8 and the inaugural TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs and the Elimination Chamber matches and the shows themselves. He was inducted into the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame in 2010.
Jericho won the Undisputed WWF Championship once, the WCW/World Championship twice, and the World Heavyweight Championship three times. He has also held the WWE Intercontinental Championship a record nine times and was the ninth Triple Crown Champion, as well as the fourth Grand Slam Champion in history. In addition, he was the 2008 Superstar of the Year Slammy Award winner and won the 2009 Tag Team of the Year Slammy Award—making him the only winner of both Superstar and Tag Team of the Year.
After his departure from WWE in 2018, Jericho signed with New Japan Pro-Wrestling, where he became a one-time IWGP Intercontinental Champion, becoming the first man to have held both the WWE and IWGP versions of the Intercontinental Championship. In January 2019, Jericho joined All Elite Wrestling and became the inaugural holder of the AEW World Championship in August of that year. While in AEW, Jericho would also capture the ROH World Championship twice.
In 1999, Jericho became the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Fozzy, who released their eponymous debut album the following year. The group's early work is composed largely of cover versions, although they have focused primarily on original material from their third album, All That Remains, onward. Jericho has also appeared on numerous television shows over the years, including the 2011 season of Dancing with the Stars. He hosted the ABC game show Downfall, the 2011 edition of the Revolver Golden Gods Awards, and the UK's Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards in 2012 and 2017.
Early life
Christopher Keith Irvine was born in Manhasset, New York on November 9, 1970, the son of a Canadian couple. He is of Scottish descent from his father's side and Ukrainian descent from his mother's side. His father, ice hockey player Ted Irvine, had been playing for the New York Rangers at the time of Jericho's birth. When his father retired, the family moved back to Winnipeg, Manitoba, where Irvine grew up. He holds dual American and Canadian citizenships. Irvine's interest in professional wrestling began when he started watching the local American Wrestling Association events that took place at the Winnipeg Arena with his family, and his desire to become a professional wrestler himself began when he saw footage of Owen Hart, then appearing with Stampede Wrestling, performing various high-flying moves. In addition, Irvine also cited Owen's older brother Bret, Ricky Steamboat and Shawn Michaels as inspirations for him becoming a professional wrestler. His first experience with a professional wrestling promotion was when he acted as part of the ring crew for the first tour of the newly opened Keystone Wrestling Alliance promotion, where he learned important pointers from independent wrestlers Catfish Charlie and Caveman Broda. He attended Red River College in Winnipeg, graduating in 1990 with a diploma in Creative Communications.Professional wrestling career
Early career (1990–1991)
At the age of 19, he entered the Hart Brothers School of Wrestling, where he met Lance Storm on his first day. He was trained by Ed Langley and local Calgary wrestler Brad Young.Two months after completing training, he was ready to start wrestling on independent shows, making his debut at the Moose Hall in Ponoka, Alberta, as "Cowboy" Chris Jericho, on October 2, 1990, in a ten-minute time limit draw against Storm. The pair then worked as a tag team, initially called Sudden Impact. According to a February 2019 interview with Rich Eisen on The Rich Eisen Show, Jericho stated that his initial ring name was going to be "Jack Action", but someone remarked to him that the name was stupid. The person then asked him what his ring name really was and he got nervous and said "Chris Jericho", taking the name Jericho from an album, Walls of Jericho, by the German power metal band Helloween. Jericho and Storm worked for Tony Condello in the tours of Northern Manitoba with Adam Copeland, Jason Reso and Terry Gerin. The pair also wrestled in Calgary's Canadian National Wrestling Alliance and Canadian Rocky Mountain Wrestling.
Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling (1991, 1992)
In October 1991, Jericho and Storm wrestled in Japan for Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling as part of its "Super Radical Force - To The West!" tour. Their opponents on the tour included Atsushi Onita, Tarzan Goto, Eiji Ezaki, and Gannosuke Honda. During the excursion, Jericho befriended Ricky Fuji, who had trained under Stu Hart.In September 1992, Jericho and Storm were invited by Fuji to return to FMW for the FMW 3rd Anniversary Show. After Storm declined the offer, Jericho selected the Edmonton-based wrestler Eric Freeze as a replacement tag team partner. At the event, which took place in Yokohama Stadium, Jericho and Freeze defeated Eiji Ezaki and Koji Nakagawa.
Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre and other Mexican promotions (1992–1995)
In the winter of 1992, Jericho traveled to Mexico and competed under the name Leon D'Oro, and later Corazón de León, where he initially wrestled for several small wrestling companies in Nuevo León. In March 1993, Jericho appeared with the Universal Wrestling Association.In April 1993, Jericho began competing in Mexico's oldest promotion, Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre. In CMLL, Jericho took on Silver King, Negro Casas, and Último Dragón en route to an 11-month reign as the NWA World Middleweight Champion that began in December 1993. Jericho made his final appearance with CMLL in September 1995, unsuccessfully challenging CMLL World Heavyweight Champion Apolo Dantés in the Arena Coliseo in Mexico City.
Wrestling and Romance / WAR (1994–1996)
In February 1994, Jericho began competing regularly in Japan for Genichiro Tenryu's Wrestling and Romance promotion as "Lion Heart". At the 2nd Anniversary of Revolution in July 1994, he teamed with Vampiro Casanova and The Warlord in a loss to Atsushi Onita, Crusher Bam Bam Bigelow, and Genichiro Tenryu. In November 1994, Último Dragón defeated him for the NWA World Middleweight Championship, which he had won while wrestling in Mexico.In March 1995, Jericho lost to Gedo in the final of a tournament to crown the inaugural WAR International Junior Heavyweight Champion. He defeated Gedo for the championship in June 1995, losing it to Último Dragón the next month at the WAR 3rd Anniversary Show. In December 1995, Jericho competed in the second Super J-Cup tournament, defeating Hanzo Nakajima in the first round, but losing to Wild Pegasus in the second round.
In 1995, Jericho joined the heel stable Fuyuki-Gun with Hiromichi Fuyuki, Gedo, and Jado, adopting the name "Lion Do". In February 1996, Jericho and Gedo won a tournament for the newly created International Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship, defeating Lance Storm and Yuji Yasuraoka in the final. They lost the championship to Storm and Yasuraoka the following month. Jericho made his final appearances with WAR in July 1996, having wrestled a total of 24 tours for the company. In his final match, at the WAR 4th Anniversary Show, he teamed with Gedo, Jushin Thunder Liger, and Juventud Guerrera in a loss to Lance Storm, Rey Misterio Jr., Último Dragón, and Yuji Yasuraoka.