There’s a reason why people say Chris Jericho is one of the greatest of all time, and while a massive part of that is his incredible in-ring skill and ability to cut a great promo, and ability to reinvent himself constantly - but another part of it is that he has been around for a long time, Jericho is the personification of wrestling longevity.
Y2J has been around for everyone and has wrestled just about everyone humanly possible, aside from one big name that will be crossed off tomorrow night at the Wrestle Kingdom 12.
Being that he’s been in WWE alone for the past two decades and had already been about for the best part of another decade before that, it’s surprising that The Ayatollah of Rock n Rolla is even able to pick out his favourites, but he’s done just that in a recent interview with The Players’ Tribune.
So let’s find out… Who just made the list?!
#5 Último Dragón (WAR, July 7, 1995)
Many of you will remember him from WCW and WWE, but he and Jericho worked together long before that.
Although the two have completely different styles, Jericho ranks Ultimo Dragon as one of his five favourite opponents of all time.
WAR didn’t have quite the exposure of New Japan Pro Wrestling, but the program between Último and me, starting with his beating me for the NWA Championship belt in 1994, was one of the most important of my career."
The two headlined shows and even main evented shows in Japan - which was very rare for wrestlers of their size at that time. Jericho even stated that although they were very different, they just had chemistry and “it almost felt like it was impossible for us to have a bad match.”
The two eventually worked together in WCW but Y2J said he will always remember working together in Japan.
#4 Dean Malenko (Slamboree, 1998)
Dean Malenko has always been widely regarded as one of the best technical wrestlers on the planet, who would have been pushed to the moon had his charisma matched.
Although funnily enough, his personality is what brought out some of the best Y2J promos, including “Man of 1,004 holds” and “Conspiracy Victim”.
Jericho also goes on to say that his match with Ciclope was actually the best match they had together when Ciclope won a 14-man battle royal to face Jericho, and Ciclope won, took off his mask and revealed himself as Malenko.
Malenko is also a great friend of Y2J and even appeared alongside Chavo Guerrero on Talk Is Jericho to commemorate Eddie Guerrero’s life recently.
#3 Shawn Michaels (No Mercy, 2008)
Any feud between these two would prove to be monumental, as both are widely considered to be two of the best performers of all time.
Before Jericho’s most recent run, a lot of people would tell you this was one of their favourites if not the best of Jericho. Surprisingly, it was only seven months long.
Although Jericho states that as being its strength, as both he and Shawn knew they could give a lot more but channelled it all into one intense run.
The pair worked together in 2003 with a match at WrestleMania XIX being the culmination, but Jericho boasts 2008 as the superior rivalry.
The run even involved a retirement announcement, Shawn’s wife, and the rivalry ended in an epic ladder match at No Mercy with the world championship on the line.
#2 Rey Mysterio (The Bash, 2009)
Perhaps one of the simplest stories ever told, but with Jericho and Mysterio, this was always going to be a classic.
In Mexico, masks are a huge part of the Lucha Libre heritage, but it was all still pretty new to an American audience as WWE hadn’t really explored it as an option.
Jericho and Mysterio made sure it was one they’d never forget, though, with him trying to find a new way to unmask Mysterio every week - including wearing one himself and being disguised as a fan, then attacking Rey as he got a high five.
Funnily enough, just last year, Jericho also donned a Sin Cara mask to disguise himself in the crowd against Seth Rollins.
The Mysterio rivalry culminated in a mask versus title match at The Bash.
#1 Kevin Owens (Wrestlemania 33, 2017)
This is one we’ll all remember, and one no-one could ever throw a flag on.
Jericho describes it as going from a 1980s David Lee Roth video to the Game of Thrones Red Wedding.
I mean, who could forget the Festival of Friendship?
Jericho calls it “the opposite” of working with Shawn Michaels.
Y2J adds that Owens’ strength is his ability to adapt from funny to serious and that Kevin Owens is one of the only guys who could have pulled off the turn.
A lot of people say this was the best Chris Jericho they’ve ever seen, from The List to buying Kevin Owens a scarf, and even bringing out Gillberg - this was full of shocks. Jericho and Owens were THE talking point of RAW every week, and probably the reason a lot of people tuned in!
But Jericho goes on to say that lists have no rules and adds one final person to the list…
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