Chris Jericho: Mic Skills or In-Ring Skills?

[Ruthless-RKO]

I think you will all agree with me when I say this is one tough question!!!

What is Chris Jericho best at?? his Mic Skills or In-Ring Skills???

I think he is great at both!! But if you had to pick 1!!! What would you say??

I'm going to have to pick his in-ring skills!! I know he has given sooo many great promos in his career whether it was WCW or WWF/E, he made us laugh as a face and as a heel.. but i'm going with his in-ring skills, because when I look at wrestling, its the quality of his matches and how much he has given us fans.. He has proved to us many many times that he is great in the ring and arguably the best in-ring skills ever!!

What would you pick??

 

[S.J. Maximus]

I'm actually going to go with mic skills here, even though this is a pretty tough question. Chris Jericho is one of the best wrestlers of all-time and he's given us gold both in the ring on the mic over his illustrious career. But let's look at all time lists - for mic workers my top 5 in order is 1. Ric Flair 2. The Rock 3. Chris Jericho 4. Roddy Piper 5. Stone Cold. Yet my top 5 for ring work is 1. Shawn Michaels 2. Bret Hart 3. Ric Flair 4. Kurt Angle 5. Undertaker. Therefore, since I think Jericho ranks much higher all-time in mic work I'm going to say he's better on the mic than in the ring

 

[Rammsteinerteen]

WOW, this is a tough one. Chris Jericho was great at both. His wrestling skills were much better in his early years in Japan, ECW, WCW, and WWF attitude era. His mic skills were also good in those days, but not as good as his wrestling skills. Chris Jericho, when he came back and turned heel and dropped that Y2J gimmick, his mic skills were better. The man was still a great wrestler though, watch him against Evan Bourne and Edge if you don't believe me. Chris Jericho was always great at both, but I would have to say wrestling skills. I loved his promos, but his matches were all so great over the years.

 

[CerebralViper96]

Mic skills but Jericho can also put on entertaining matches.I loved the fued with Mysterio for the I-C Championship.The No Holds Barred Match at Extreme Rules '09 was awesome

 

[Ultra Awesome]

Honestly, I would have to go with his mic-skills. In his early days, Jericho was amazing in the ring. Pulling off all kinds of great matches while on ECW and WCW and then WWF. However, as time went on, I soon became to be less interested in the in-ring skills that Jericho portrayed. Especially in his reutrn as the 'narcisistical bastard'. I found him to be much less entertaining than I found him to be back in the early days. Sure, he still pulled off great matches to be sure, but they weren't as good as he could once do them. Though, I guess to be fair, Jericho was never the best when it comes to wrestling in the ring.

With that said, his mic-skills are a different sory. His mic-skills, when he began were really not all that great. Most of what he did was say a bunch of jiberish - oddly enough, that worked for him and he was able to become a star because of it. Thus, it was then viewed as Chris Jericho had awesome mic-skills. In his return as the 'narcsisitical bastard' it was shown even more that Chris Jericho was amazing on the mic. Getting the crowd rild up at any given oppurtunity - Chris Jericho proved that he was the master of the shtick.

The hype built up for Chris Jericho's mic-skills are far more superior that the build-up of hype on his in-ring skills. It's always been talked about how Jericho is this god when it comes to cutting promos; and while figuratively speaking, that may be true - but his in-ring skills stand alot lower than his skills on the mic.

In short, Jericho is much better on the mic than he was in the ring. Jericho was always able to deliver 5 star promos that when compared to the greatness he delivered in a match, it far surpasses the in-ring skills.

 

[JGlass]

Jericho is talented both on the mic and in the ring, but it is his talking ability that made him one of the biggest names in wrestling.

Chris Jericho's in ring ability is extremely impressive, especially for a fairly unimpressive looking guy. He's not big enough to look like a power guy but he's not small enough to look like a typical high flier either... so he found a place to settle in between. He's got his fair share of aerial moves, like the lionsault, and he has some impressive ground moves, like the Walls of Jericho or his suplexing abilities.

However, he is also known to botch spots fairly often, and while he has had some great matches I'm hard pressed to say he's ever had one that was truly mind blowing.

On the other hand, he has many promos/catch phrases/bits that were extremely memorable. When it comes to promos, look no further than his first promo in the WWF when he debuted, interrupting The Rock to declare that "RAW is Jericho!" And he's been in more memorable backstage bits than I can keep track of, my favorite being when he, Edge, and Christian humiliated Stephanie McMahon by making fun of a zit.

Chris Jericho delivers every time he gets on the mic without fail. The same can't be said for his ring work. That's why Chris Jericho's mic skills are superior to his in ring ability.

 

[The 1-2-3 Killam]

First of all, do you think you could have used more exclamation points and question marks in asking your question!!!!???? hahaha

Chris Jericho is quite possibly my favorite of all time. His mic skills are only rivaled by his in-ring ability, so determining which he's better at.... that is one tough question! If I had to decide I would go with his mic ability. When he made his debut with WWE he went up against the Rock, and many people thought he would be out done and jobbed because of it. But he stood his ground and performed extremely well. Fast forward nine years and Jericho is stealing the spotlight of every episode of Raw and every PPV for months in the greatest feud of his career in HBK vs. Y2J II. There are a half dozen matches I can remember of his that will stick with me, but many more feuds that have shaped the face of the WWE. Again, it's a REALLY hard decision to make, but I would have to go with mic ability over in-ring ability. In defense of the other, he has pulled out some fantastic matches with superstars that normally wouldn't draw well at all.

 

[Ferbian]

It's really hard to say really. Chris Jericho is a very good all-around wrestler. He has been one of the best promo cutters in WWE over the past 10 years for a long period of time, and he has been absolutely amazing overall in his career on the microphone, mostly shining through in WCW and WWE though.

However his in-ring work is pretty damn great as well. Like Mister Awesome has noted, his ring work has slowed a bit down over the past couple of years, but it's not to the extend that it's any worse, because when it all comes down to it Chris is still one of the best in-ring workers in the business currently active. He's able to wrestle any style, from muscle guy John Cena to submission wrestler Daniel Bryan. And that has a lot of say in how great he is in the ring, because he can get a great match out of anyone, at any given day.

I think I'm gonna have to go with "I can't decide" because I love each part of Chris Jericho, yet I don't think it'd be fair to choose one of the choices over the other, cause he's very close on both in-ring ability as well as microphone skills.

 

[Hulk Hogan's Brother]

Well I am going to go with mic skills. He is really very good both on the mic as well as in the ring but not as perfect, in my opinion, as other posters have made him out to be.

He is really good in the ring but earlier in his career he was a bit stiff and used to injure his opponents quite often. Also he used to botch moves at times. Its probably not a huge deal from an entertainment perspective but it means that he could not be trusted enough in the ring. Nonetheless its a point that is not in his favor. To be fair to him though, he has improved over the years and is one of the best wrestlers nowadays. He can also wrestle against anybody be it a lightweight or a big guy and can also wrestle a variety of styles.

In the mic again he is awesome but as a face I did not think he was all that great. Initially all that "shut the HELL up" stuff and him talking down Steph was great, but it got boring after a while. As a heel he is probably the best promo cutter that there has ever been.

And that is why I feel that he is superior on the mic than in the ring. By his promos, he has probably defined a new type of a character for a heel. He is that type of a heel who will always speak the truth but will manupilate it in such a manner that he always appears right. That is, in a nutshell, what his "honest man" promos were about. In the ring there are a few guys who can give him a run for his money, but as far as the uniqueness of the character goes, there are very few wrestlers who could challenge him in that regard.

So its mic skills for me.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

That is a very tough question, but I went with mic skills....just.

Jericho has always been excellent in the ring, and provided us with great matches over the years. He can be comfortably placed with some of the greats, but I have always found his mic work to be the reason I like him. There are others who can replicate his in-ring work, but very few that can match him on the microphone.

He can work wonderfully well as both a face and a heel. While I personally prefer his face work and his "Raw is Jericho" catchphrases and his abuse of Stephanie McMahon, his most recent heel work has allowed us to see a totally different side of his persona, which was very surprising and has worked very well.

There are very few people who can cut a promo like Jericho, just look back at some of the interviews he has done over his career, his backstage one with The Rock where they steal each others catchphrases is my personal favourite, and some of his WCW work, like the man of 1004 holds promo. Jericho is golden on the mic. One of the best promo guys of all time.

 

[vermilion]

I'd say his mic work, with no knock on his in-ring work. He seems to understand perfectly how to work a crowd, whether as heel or face. He elevated his feuds very well while making his opponent look good, which is something not a lot of guys are great at. One thing about his promos that I LOVED was that when he was heel, he deliberately did not go for a pop. Too many heels, especially now, have a tendency to try and get the cool heel pop, but Jericho made you really root against him, made people hate him.

In-ring, he was very good, better than I think some give him credit for. As far as him slowing down as time went on, I see that for a few reasons. Obvious reason, he's getting older and the body doesn't hold up as well as it used to. Another reason though, and one I think isn't addressed very often, is he is a heel. When you start doing too many big moves, especially aerial ones, crowds will start popping for you. Slow it down, work methodically, maybe another rest hold here and there. That sort of thing makes crowds angry, and makes them pop bigger when the face makes his comeback.

 

[Davi323]

Mic skills. Chris Jericho is a very good wrestler. However, Chris Jericho is absolutely brilliant on the mic. Basically, if I were to create a list of wrestlers better in the ring than Jericho, it would be a fairly short list. But if I were to make a list of guys better than Jericho on the mic, the list would be significantly shorter.

 

[Notorious KJE]

I'll say Jericho's wrestling skills are better, but his mic skills are top notch as well. He's without question one of the best in the world in both catagories though. I hope he comes back in time for Royal Rumble, if not at least WM.

 

[Fire Marshall Bill]

I have to go with in-ring skills. But for a much different reason than you would think.

First off, Jericho has amazing mic skills. I don't know if I like him best as a heel, tweener or face. But I think his in-ring skills don't just make him look good, but they make everyone look good. Yes, people are right in saying that he used to do a lot better stuff in the ring in his earlier days. And his old Liontamer submission move is about a million times better than the Walls of Jericho. But what Jericho excelled at in the ring was making the match quality so much better. He could work with anyone and make it a great match. Triple threats and 4-way matches are often boring IMO because it doesn't get to wrestling until people are beaten up enough that they're out of the ring for awhile. Otherwise it's just boring beatings. But I have watched these matches with Jericho in them and just when they seemed to slow down he'd come in and suprise you or do something that made the match interesting again. Or how about his match with Daniel Bryan on NXT? Maybe the only really good match ever on NXT. And I've since learned that Daniel Bryan is good at making people look good in the ring as well, but still, what Jericho does is make everyone around him look better. This works especially well in the ring. How exciting was NXT? Not very. But if you thought you were gonna continue to see matches like Jericho/Bryan on there you'd watch more wouldn't you? And he was never afraid to put people over, that's why it was so interesting to watch his matches, not only how he'd win (cuz he could definitely suprise you), but IF he'd win. Near the end we watched him put over Wade Barrett AND Evan Bourne. The man was a must see in the ring.

He always said he was the best at what he did. Well what he did was make everyone look good in the ring.

 

[Johnny Scumm]

I would say Jericho is perfectly equal. Not only does he have GREAT Mic skills, his in-ring work is some of the finest in the past few years. His recent matches with Evan Bourne can prove that. This man has to be one of the finest workers on the mic I've ever seen in the business. When he's a Face, he can rile up a crowd to no end, but when he's a heel, he can play the cocky, arrogant, even evil persona to a tee.
Then we see him in the ring, he's got a brilliant set of moves. Two finishers which are instantly recognisable, The Codebreaker & Walls Of Jericho. His Lionsault also is a memorable move.
What I do like is that every now and then, he just puts in a new move that we've not seen him perform before, which just makes us go "Oooh". That's what I love about Jericho. He's versatile, a great Mic Worker and Wrestler. I'm torn on this one.

 

[the_vipers_enigma]

I for once can't dicide.Chris Jericho is one of the best in-ring performers and speaker in the history of the WWE/F.

He can make the crowd do/say whathever he wants and his in ring work is great.He is one of the most talented guys to ever step in the wrestling buisnes.

My oppinion

 

[Capitan Gringo]

I'm gonna go all little girl on this thread and do some Jericho bumming. lol.

I find myself missing Jericho every time i watch the WWE at this moment, much more so than I orignally thought I would. Its so difficult to choose one over the other but for me, when I youtbe classic moments of Jericho it tends to be his promos. Mic skills just takes it fir me.

 

[6timehitta]

It's easily his wrestling skill imo. I mean he could carry jobbers through matches and make them look like a mini Jericho. Jericho is easily the top 5 technical wrestlers of ALL TIME!!!! Chris Jericho will no doubt be a 1st ballot HOF'er when he decides to retire, but he worked his way up the ranks because of his wrestling talent, not because of his mic skills. Early on he wasn't very good on the mic, he was still better than more than half of any roster he was on, but his wrestling skill was and is his calling card.

 

[AK2V8]

I have always loved Jerichos mic AND in-ring work. He was very ingaging as a heel and id in my all-time mic skill list. Jericho has also put on very entertaining matches with the likes of Rey Mysterio (NHB at ER 09, Mask vs Title at The Bash) and HBK (Mania 19, Ladder Match at No Mercy) and has put on very memroble in-ring segments like his awsome debut saying RAW IS JERICHO and alot more.

So I will have go with mic-skills.

 

[THE SWAG]

it is a tough question, but i would have to go with in ring, because they are longer than his promo's, this is one of the toughest question's ever on this forum.

 

[GameOver]

I say both but tending more towards In-Ring.
though not so much in the last decade.

He was a guy that could put on great matches with anybody of any size, much like a Bret Hart or Shawn Michaels, but the when he returned it seemed to go backwards.

Sure he was still one of the better overall entertainers but i dunno, his matches were more 1 dimensional then they were upto the time he made his return

On the Mic, Jericho is a safe bet. Personally I don't really think much of the condescending I'm the best at what i do character, find it boring and repetitve. With that MONOTONE voice
But he still cut compelling promo's and at hiw (what i consider worst) he is far better then most of the talent

But prior to that incarnation, whether he was a face or a heel, Jericho could cut it for me, he plays the cocky egotistical character well, and also throws in the weaslish like ways of classic heels, and when he was a face, he could have the crowd in the pam of his hand when he was on the mic or battling in HBK like matches
regardless Jericho is a legend and will be HOF bound one day unless he doesn't want to.