Chris Jericho walked into the Sears Centre in Chicago Illinois last Saturday night with a pocketful of dreams and walked out as the first-ever All Elite Wrestling (AEW) World Heavyweight Champion.
Jericho defeated Adam “Hangman” Page at All Out to claim All Elite Wrestling’s most prized possession. Jericho will now be the face of the franchise as the promotion shifts from a series of pay per view events to its weekly television deal with TNT. The deal with TNT is to broadcast weekly shows on Wednesday nights beginning October 2nd. The newly crowned champ wasted no time voicing his displeasure for a lack of adoration from his colleagues at AEW after winning the company’s first-ever championship belt.
Chris Jericho earned his title shot by defeating Kenny Omega via pinfall at AEW’s Double or Nothing May 25th from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. While Adam “Hangman” Page punched his ticket by winning the Casino Battle Royale at the same event. Page entered the tournament as a wild card after his scheduled match with PAC was moved forwards to a show in the UK. Victories by Page and Jericho on the same night during the same event would propel these men on a collision course with each other that would culminate with Jericho being crowned AEW World Heavyweight Champion.
All Out would be the first time Jericho and Page would square off against each other in a sanctioned match in AEW but it would not be the first time the two tangled with each other. At Fight for the Fallen, Adam Page defeated Kip Sabian in a grueling match that ended with Page pinning Sabian. At the conclusion of the match a masked marauder, thought to be one of the creepers from The Dark Order, brutally attacked Page. The attacker delivered a vicious message to Page when he administered a Codebreaker followed by The Judas Effect. The creeper removed his mask to reveal himself to the crowd as none other than Chris Jericho. Jericho made a statement that he would be willing to do whatever it takes, including intimidation, assault, and mind games to gain a competitive edge going into All Out.
Chris Jericho was born Christopher Keith Irvine on November 9th, 1970. Chris is the son of former professional hockey player Ted Irvine. The younger Jericho made his professional wrestling debut in October of 1990 after a two month stint at the famed Hart Brothers School of Wrestling. Jericho wrestled for several promotions throughout Canada and Mexico before eventually finding his way to Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) in 1996. Following his stint in ECW, Jericho made the leap to World Championship Wrestling (WCW) where he refined his craft until 1999. It was then that Jericho made his highly anticipated debut in the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) in 1999. During his first tenure in WWE Jericho had memorable feuds with the likes of Triple H, and John Cena among others. Chris Jericho took a hiatus from professional wrestling from 2005-2007. He spent much of this time focusing and touring with Fozzy, his rock band, and establishing his brand outside of professional wrestling.
Y2J would make his return to WWE in 2007 where he would have a notable feud with The Heartbreak Kid (HBK) Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker. He would then depart again in 2010. Jericho made his second return to WWE in 2012 where he feuded with CM Punk prior to leaving and making yet another return in 2014. Jericho worked with Kevin Owens and expertly pulled off the “you just made the list” gimmick during this phase of his WWE career. From here Jericho went to New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) claiming the IPWG Intercontinental championship but then made an appearance at RAW’s 25th anniversary episode and later that year was a contestant in the promotion’s Greatest Royal Rumble. In January of 2019, Chris Jericho joined the newest company on the block founded by Tony Kahn called All Elite Wrestling and the rest, as they say, is history.
Jericho has accumulated an impressive set of hardware throughout his time in professional wrestling. This includes heavyweight titles, intercontinental titles, tag team titles, European titles, hardcore titles and cruiserweight titles across multiple promotions throughout the professional wrestling universe. These championships and titles are far too numerous to mention in a single article without making the article solely about his titles. Chris Jericho is the only professional wrestler to have claimed titles in all of the following promotions: NWA, ECW, WCW, WWE, NJPW and AEW.
Often times people that excel in their profession, particularly in sports and sports entertainment, do so by devoting all of their time to their craft. Chris Jericho is an anomaly in this respect. He has found an additional outlet for his creativity, which manifests itself in many completely different fashions. Jericho is the lead vocalist for the rock band Fozzy. The band is currently in the midst of the Judas Rising Tour which will conclude at the end of this month in Atlanta, Georgia. The song Judas claimed the top spot on the iTunes metal chart while the song Drinking with Jesus hit number 5 on the iTunes rock chart. The goal of Fozzy, according to the fozzyrock.com website, is simple “Fozzy is setting out to force fans to dial back into the art of rock and roll. It’s time for fans to fasten their seatbelts, ease the seat back, and let Fozzy delight and excite you. It’s time to remind the world that not only is “Judas Rising”, but so is Fozzy’s stamp on the world of music.”
Chris Jericho also hosts a podcast entitled Talk is Jericho where he discusses topics not only associated with the world of professional wrestling but also ventures into the realm of entertainment as well as the paranormal. Jericho began his foray into the podcasting world in 2013 and has been going strong ever since. Chris Jericho had a show on The Travel Channel called The Legend of…With Chris Jericho in episode 1 he explored the mystery of Butch Cassidy and his “lost loot” from a robbery in Utah. Jericho was also featured on another Travel Channel show entitled Hunting Monsters in which he “visits the far corners of the earth to chase legendary monsters.” Additionally, he has launched a ”new home for all things online” called, as you might expect, WebIsJericho.com. The site promises to be the destination for discussions on rock n roll, horror movies, and of course wrestling. Oh and by the way, go ahead and add the title of four time New York Times Best Selling author to the impressive resumé and you begin to see the image of a modern day renaissance man emerge.
Jericho has also appeared on Dancing With the Stars, and That Metal Show among other television and media projects he has been involved with over the years. Jericho also offers fans an up close and personal experience through his Rock ‘N’ Wrestling Rager at Sea. This 4-day cruise features the stars of AEW, including Luchasaurus, Jungle Boy, MJF among many others. The voyage leaves from Miami and will travel to the Bahamas. During the festival at sea, Fozzy will perform, as will a multitude of other bands and even some comedians. The trip offers fans a photo opportunity with Jericho, autograph sessions, and the chance to witness live podcasting recordings.
Winning the first ever AEW title does not come without its fair share of risks, however. It appears that Jericho had the championship belt stolen from him while he went out for a celebratory steak dinner at The Longhorn Steakhouse in Tallahassee Florida. For his part, Chris Jericho launched an immediate and urgent worldwide investigation for the missing hardware.
Fortunately, the Tallahassee police department were successful in recovering the missing belt so all is right in the ranks of AEW. Be sure to join fans from across the wrestling world and watch Chris Jericho begin defence of his AEW Heavyweight Championship this fall on TNT. Don’t forget to enjoy “a little of the bubbly” as you watch.
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