What has been the greatest gift of Jericho?

[LBGetBack]

And I should leave open the possibility that he tops all of these in the coming years. You never know. I would put nothing past him. His character work is amazing. This guy has done it all and constantly reinvents himself and keeps his character fresh. Because of that he's still going strong after 26 years in the business and 20 years in the big leagues. Which is your favorite version of Jericho? Yes he's had other runs with strong work too, but these are the clear top 5 in my opinion so I won't clutter the poll with too many choices.

97-98 WCW Jericho - Mispronouncing everyone's names, Ralphus, Lion Tamer, antagonizing Goldberg, classic feud with Malenko, Cruiserweight champ, 1004 holds promo, conspiracy victim, etc.

2000-01 WWF Jericho - Ayatollah of Rock N Rolla, Y2J, constantly ripping on Stephanie, feuding with HHH, peeing in Regal's tea, frequent IC champ, Benoit matches, probably the 2nd most popular face to the Rock.

2002-03 WWE Jericho - King of the World, first title reign, Shawn Michaels feud, the Highlight Reel, Goldberg feud, true cowardly heel.

2008-2010 WWE Jericho - The best in the world at what I do, suit wearing, slow talking, gelatinous tapeworm insulting, classic HBK feud, I'm from Winnipeg you idiot, Rey Mysterio feud, picking a feud with Mickey Rourke.

2016 WWE Jericho - The Gift of Jericho, stupid idiot, the list, Aj Styles feud, Ambrose feud(he still owes Jericho money!), Kevin Owens' best friend, jack of all trades who fills any role on the show whenever needed.

 

[Cena Is A Punk Rocker]

There isn't a wrong answer. Jericho has been great in every incantation of his character.

 

[S.J. Maximus]

I completely agree with the poster above me; there isnt a wrong answer.

I personally voted for 2000-2001 "Attitude Era" Y2J: The Ayatollah of Rock N Rollah. IMO his run in 2001 was the only true time where WWE Creative, the fans, and Chris Jericho himself were on the same page with how valuable and talented he is. He was unquestionably the top face behind Rock (and Austin for the 5 months he was face) and received massive pops on a weekly basis.

This all culminated into his legendary victories over Rock and Austin in the same night to unify the titles. I honestly don't think there has ever been a moment in WWE history that has screamed "THIS IS THE MAN" more than this feat. Savage winning the tourney in WM4 was huge but it's not like he beat Hogan in the main event, he beat Ted DiBiase (no disrespect but obviously Hulk/Andre were "THE GUYS"). There were only 2 people who you could argue were the biggest star in wrestling in November 2001 and Chris Jericho beat them both for their titles and became the sole World Champion in U.S. pro wrestling in one single night.

Not to mention he had just as many catchphrases as the Rock, just as much technical ability as Benoit, and a special charisma that'd give anyone a run for their money. His Last Man Standing Match against Hunter in July 2000 is a classic, he had many more high profile battles during this time that just established him as an all-time great. While he obviously was both very good and very entertaining throughout all of his incarnations (or gifts as the OP calls them), I think this is the only gift/incarnation in which the accolades match the talent.

 

[yourdamnluck]

I'd say 2000-01 jerico. He had the looks of a rockstar, was entertaining, could wrestle circles around both Austin and Rock and put phenomenal matches. His feuds with angle/benoit set the bar for triple threat matches. Unfortunately he couldn't do well with bigger guys. That run was his greatest number two will be his feud with shawn.

 

[OYDK]

I too say 2000-2001 Jericho; the guy was putting on great performances every single night and I'm not necessarily just talking about his ring work. In this period, all things considered, there was nobody who could match Jericho's pure ability as a performer. The guy could speak as well as The Rock and than go out and wrestle a match as well as Chris Benoit. And he was over. His "title win" over HHH in 2000 elicited one of the biggest pops I had heard during that period.

Although his run this year may be great, I ultimately went with 2000-2001 because of the competition he was up against. Even with the likes of Rock, Austin, HHH, Taker, Angle, Benoit, etc. running around, he never faded into the background. On the contrary, he put himself on their level.

 

[ShinChan]

Out of given choices, I haven't seen WWF's Chris Jericho.

So comparing the remaining options, 2016 Jericho is the best one for me. He's doing a great stuff this year and he hasn't impressed me this much in any other year.

What I think that he's actually interested in giving his best here instead of just coming back and going for a hiatus again.

Owens' friendship is an icing on the cake. Two heels who are good enough on mic. What more can you ask for?

 

[Khalifa]

I voted for the 2016 version of Jericho. I have seen a few mentions of Jericho should retire or Jericho is overrated over the last year or so from a few places. Hell even I was thinking how much Jericho had left in him when he returned. I think what he has done this year has proven that he has still got it and isn't overrated at all. He is so good at being entertaining in various ways, whether it be heel or face. He even puts on good matches still. All of them are watchable and he has been the best thing Raw has had since The draft split.

Obviously he isn't in as good as he was in his prime but it's definitely been the best gift of Jericho. It's a shame that he is going to leave soon (probably Mania being his last match for a while?) because he has been the main reason why I even watch Raw since Owens became champion. I have enjoyed this run the most. Ignore the fact that I had no live access for most of the first two.

 

[King Patrick Star]

Yes, Chris Jericho is my favorite Professional Sports Wrestling Entertainer of all time. I’ve been a fan since his WCW debut. I became a Jericho-holic before I was legally allowed to drink…it…in man!! I was calling him the G.O.A.T. way before he put G.O.A.T. on his trunks. I voted for 2000 – 2001, but I believe the “greatest gift of Jericho” was actually from 2001 – 2002, which I refer to as the “Undisputed Era”.

I’d like to thank Mr. McMahon, Kurt Angle, Nick Patrick, Booker T., Christian, Lance Storm, the New World Order (Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, and Hollywood Hulk Hogan), and Stephanie McMahon for all of their help in making a successful 98 day reign as the Best In The World At What Jericho Does.

 

[The Yes Guy]

I'm going with the 2008 Jericho.

This showed us the great range that Jericho has. The ruthless heel, hitting HBK's wife, all was done to perfection.
We even got the Codebreaker during this run.

On a side note, I loved his return on Raw 2011 the most. It was pure genius. He knew the crowd would go wild. And he toyed with them. He celebrated and over did his stuff and left without saying a word.. Pure Gold

 

[LBGetBack]

Yes, Chris Jericho is my favorite Professional Sports Wrestling Entertainer of all time. I’ve been a fan since his WCW debut. I became a Jericho-holic before I was legally allowed to drink…it…in man!! I was calling him the G.O.A.T. way before he put G.O.A.T. on his trunks. I voted for 2000 – 2001, but I believe the “greatest gift of Jericho” was actually from 2001 – 2002, which I refer to as the “Undisputed Era”.

I’d like to thank Mr. McMahon, Kurt Angle, Nick Patrick, Booker T., Christian, Lance Storm, the New World Order (Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, and Hollywood Hulk Hogan), and Stephanie McMahon for all of their help in making a successful 98 day reign as the Best In The World At What Jericho Does.

Yeah, I put 2002-03, but really that run started in late 2001. I wanted to differentiate from Jericho as a face in 2000 and most of 2001, and then his heel run which started around the time of his title run. But I wanted to extend it enough to include his first feud with HBK which was 2003. I should've just said 2001-03.

 

[LBGetBack]

I'm going with the 2008 Jericho.

This showed us the great range that Jericho has. The ruthless heel, hitting HBK's wife, all was done to perfection.
We even got the Codebreaker during this run.

On a side note, I loved his return on Raw 2011 the most. It was pure genius. He knew the crowd would go wild. And he toyed with them. He celebrated and over did his stuff and left without saying a word.. Pure Gold

Yeah it really was amazing how Jericho morphed into a completely different character in 2008. That was so far away from anything he had done before, and it was incredible. That feud with Michaels is probably my favorite thing in wrestling history. Just amazing work, and as great as Michaels was....Jericho was just unbelievably good at that time.

 

[MillionDollarMan]

He's done a fantastic job in each incarnation. Only down point was that stupid dog and Stephanie.

Every time he called her a "filthy, dirty, disgusting, brutal, skanky, bottom-feeding, trash-bag ho!" was hilarious.

But I'd go with his entrance to WWF. Still the biggest entrance moment in WWF that I can remember.

Then getting the Rock right away. Wow.

 

[Navi]

There is no wrong answer to this question. Each time he has come back it's been different and yet better than the last run. Somehow he has a knack for keeping his character fresh and this time with the "List" and "Stupid idiot", he's done it again.

Jericho is never one of these guys that when we see him we groan. Other wrestler's on the roster should look at him and find it within themselves to do what he's done. I will certainly miss him when he does decide to retire for good.

 

[ColeMc]

Jericho gets better and better with age. He reinvents himself over and over, turns whatever creative give him into pure gold and if there is anyone questioning when he should retire...the answer is never. And when never comes, he isn't just a first round ballot HoF, he's the headline.

I was amazed to learn his on a month to month contract so he could in theory walk away at any time and yet this doesn't strike me as a guy just phoning it in(ADR anyone?).

So, I went for the 46yo Jericho who is still delivering to this day at the highest level.

 

[JoeFromTomsRiver]

This current Jericho run has been incredible and I really hope they have him turn face (without really changing his persona) and put the belt on him for a while before he goes on hiatus. The guy has managed to get "IT" and a "list" over when hardly anything gets over anymore. His 2008-2010 (big words/wearing a suit) run would have been my vote if this current run didn't happen.

 

[ComeOnVince]

There is no wrong answer to this question. Each time he has come back it's been different and yet better than the last run. Somehow he has a knack for keeping his character fresh and this time with the "List" and "Stupid idiot", he's done it again.

Jericho is never one of these guys that when we see him we groan. Other wrestler's on the roster should look at him and find it within themselves to do what he's done. I will certainly miss him when he does decide to retire for good.

I agree with this.

We never groan when we see Jericho. We scratch our heads sometimes (Fandango) at the lengths he will go to for the business and for the young guys, all while going 100% and getting better all the time.

Jericho, to me, is the antithesis of Triple H. HHH thinks he is gifting the WWE Universe with his big feuds and his very presence. Jericho, on the other hand, is still entertaining the piss out of audiences everywhere and giving BACK to the biz by putting over young/newer talent. He seems to truly be aware of the true greatness of his own growing legacy and he is secure enough in that to be the Jericho he is today. Because of that, he continues to be one of the best on both rosters and it never seems to be all about him.

My vote went to 2016 Jericho, not because it's as monumental as anything he's done, but because he continues to up his game and get better and better at the nuances of his character while STILL being one of the best in-ring/on-mic performers in the biz.

Long live Jericho.

 

[Snugglebites]

For me, it's the 08 - 10. Absolutely loved everything about him.

 

[Deoxyribonucleic A.C.I.D.]

Jericho is a guy that deserved far more than what he achieved and this guy has achieved many things in the world of pro wrestling. That alone says a lot. I'm really torn between 2000-2001 Y2J and 2008 Chris Jericho. At one hand we have countless hours laughing my ass off on Youtube with his segments, some great matches and probably the most over midcarder that wasn't a world champion of all time. On the other time we have, maybe the best heel persona of all time, an amazing feud with HBK, a good tag team run that would have been better had Edge not been injured.

To me those two stand on equal footing, because in 2008, Jericho just redebuted, with that big change he made and it felt like 1999 again. The hype was real.

I go with 2008-2010, because it was the Y2J I lived with and enjoyed booing the hell out of him.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

It's a toss up between the 2000-2002 version and 2008.

Here's the thing, Jericho WAS more over than The Rock & Austin during that first period. WWE went out their way to stop him actually being more over and it still didn't work.

Remember when Jericho did a personalised ring trash talk EVERY match? ending with the "Never EEEEVVVAHHH AGAIN..." catchphrase? It was getting more over than "If Ya Smell.." at the time so they stopped it as soon as it got time for Jericho to properly feud with the Rock. They cut his legs away so to speak. Was that on Dwayne? Very likely, especially now we know the relationship between he and Brian Gerwitz. It's very easy to imagine both pitching Vince and Kevin Dunn to stop Jericho's best feature...add a newly powerful HHH backstage eliminating competition and it's easy to see why Jericho got the shaft.

By the time the 2008 incarnation rolled around, he was in a position where he had the power that he hadn't had prior. Now he WAS someone and respected enough to be creative. Some good fortune helped the Shawn feud along, like Rebecca fucking up and moving into the path of a fist... but arguably that was the best Jericho has ever been. He took a disappointing return that could have fizzled, turned it on his head and made a "throwaway" feud into the best of the last 10 years. So good they HAD to give him the belt...

It also showed that you could take a character and completely remould it, without losing the value they had built. It was still the guy everyone had loved, that's what made his monotone, fan hating ways work so well. Fans genuinely felt snubbed and missed their hero.

His recent work is up there, but there is no end product, unless they throw a swerve and give him a Rumble win, which I think could happen and would be deserved. Sure he won't win at Mania or if he does he'd drop to Balor almost immediately... more likely he gets one last and his 10th IC title... but even if nothing happens, he's had a hell of career and arguably should go into the HOF while still active.