Why Should It Have Been Jericho?

[Little Jerry Lawler]

Every chance he gets, Chris Jericho mentions that he is the only person to defeat Stone Cold and the Rock on the same night. We all know where he did it, how he did it, who helped him, etc. Stone Cold was the WWF champion and the Rock was the WCW champion. I remember a segment Rock had when he stated that why couldn't him and Stone Cold just have a match to unify the titles and I totally agree.

I never saw a real need for Angle and Jericho to be added. Stone Cold and Rock and so much history that a match to unify the titles would just be another cap in their feather. The Rock had unfinished business more or less because of what happened at Wrestlemania 17. I believe a match between those two would have been excellent and if they wanted Jericho to become the first undisputed champion, why didn't they just let him keep the WCW title which he won off of the Rock at No Mercy two months earlier. Either have Rock vs. Austin or Austin vs. Jericho instead of what they went with.

So do you think they did the right thing in 2001 or should they have just had Rock vs. Stone Cold or Stone Cold vs. Jericho for the title unification?

 

[Supernova]

If I recall, the plan was geared towards crowning Triple H upon his return - we all know no one would cheer for that guy over Austin or Rock, so they had to build someone else up as a heel. Having Jericho screw both those guys over to become the champion built him up as a heel enough that people would want HHH to win the title at Wrestlemania.

 

[Tenta]

It really shouldn't have been.

Look, let's not make this out to be anything less than what it was; At the time, it was reported that Triple H was the first man to hold the Undisputed Title, man. Everyone knew it, but because he was out with his injury, and because the Invasion angle had sputtered the way it did, they needed to rush the Undisputed Title match to a point where Triple couldn't come back in time for it. The WWE couldn't have Triple H going over Stone Cold or Rock, because really, they wanted to make him a face, and people would have frankly shat all over Triple winning the title from the The Rock or Steve. Triple H needed a lesser name in the picture, so that he could beat him, and people wouldn't have been nearly as outraged. That, coupled with the fact that Rock and Austin were needed to help the nWo in their angle, made for Y2J to probably be the best option to suit what the WWE needed.

I await everyone's barrage that I'm a Triple H hater in 3...2...

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

Here's another scenario to throw out there. Let's say after Survivor Series that Austin stayed heel. Wouldn't a heel Austin versus a face HHH have worked? Austin blamed HHH for losing the tag titles after Judgment Day and they could have built on that. I know they were in the middle of the Invasion storyline when Angle beat Austin at Unforgiven but if they could do that, they could have had HHH beat Austin.

They did have a heel HHH go over a face Austin at No Way Out in 2001 if that means anything.

 

[Hazardous]

..1.. nahh im kidding, i agree with you on that one Tenta.. sort of.

i agree with the pick of Jericho, but thats in hindsight. at the time? couldnt understand it at all. but i would rather Jericho then Angle. only because of the styles. Jericho and HHH have more chemistry in the ring together IMO then HHH and angle.

 

[Tenta]

Here's another scenario to throw out there. Let's say after Survivor Series that Austin stayed heel. Wouldn't a heel Austin versus a face HHH have worked? Austin blamed HHH for losing the tag titles after Judgment Day and they could have built on that. I know they were in the middle of the Invasion storyline when Angle beat Austin at Unforgiven but if they could do that, they could have had HHH beat Austin.

They did have a heel HHH go over a face Austin at No Way Out in 2001 if that means anything.

Storyline wise? Yes, it would have worked perfectly. From a fan's perspective? Oh, Holy Shit, no. You know how many people shat over a heel Austin, man? People just didn't want to have Steve Austin as a heel, and responded by cheering him, hell event turning off their televisions. Turning Steve Austin heel was probably the biggest mistake of 2001, as absolutely no one wanted to see it. If they promoted a heel Austin vs. face Triple H, it would have completely turned off the crowd, to the point that absolutely no one would cheer for Triple H.

It's simple; no one was going to hate Steve Austin. Ever.

 

[Hazardous]

If they promoted a heel Austin vs. face Triple H, it would have completely turned off the crowd, to the point that absolutely no one would cheer for Triple H.

for proof of that one see: Rock Vs Hogan.

not the same class i know, but similar for the fans cheering for the Heel, and Boos for the Face

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

Storyline wise? Yes, it would have worked perfectly. From a fan's perspective? Oh, Holy Shit, no. You know how many people shat over a heel Austin, man? People just didn't want to have Steve Austin as a heel, and responded by cheering him, hell event turning off their televisions. Turning Steve Austin heel was probably the biggest mistake of 2001, as absolutely no one wanted to see it. If they promoted a heel Austin vs. face Triple H, it would have completely turned off the crowd, to the point that absolutely no one would cheer for Triple H.

It's simple; no one was going to hate Steve Austin. Ever.

I know no one was going to hate Steve Austin but I feel like they had to turn him heel. I'm not talking about the first time but at Invasion. I just didn't see that storyline advancing any further if Austin stayed face. I kind of feel bad for Jericho because he never had a chance with HHH returning back and having the NWO come in. I guess when you look at it further, Jericho winning was the right thing but I would have preferred Jericho as WCW champion against Stone Cold if you wanted to do it like that.

 

[Hazardous]

I know no one was going to hate Steve Austin but I feel like they had to turn him heel. I'm not talking about the first time but at Invasion. I just didn't see that storyline advancing any further if Austin stayed face. I kind of feel bad for Jericho because he never had a chance with HHH returning back and having the NWO come in. I guess when you look at it further, Jericho winning was the right thing but I would have preferred Jericho as WCW champion against Stone Cold if you wanted to do it like that.

but if you're going to give Jericho a push, whats a bigger one then beating 2 of the biggest stars in WWF history in one night? launched his career to mainevent status, that even when going for a mid-card title, he's still the main event star

 

[Poop Master Flex]

Its a good way for Jericho to go over and it was also a good way to finish off 2 feuds at once. At the time you are saying Jericho was feuding with the Rock (which had Jericho turn heel a month before at the survivor series) and Austin was feuding with Angle (since Summerslam, and they had a double turn the night after Survivor Series). Not only that they obviously had other plans for the Rock and Austin with the whole nWo angle coming in (remember these were the 2 guys the nWo went after first). Not only that, it was at this event that Booker T became apart of the WWE (storyline wise that is), and it also helps Booker establish himself as a heel because he screwed both Austin and The Rock out of their titles on the same night.

An Austin vs. Rock match to unify the titles would have been fine, but I feel this way helped move storylines along better. At the time Austin and Rock weren't really feuding and they were entangled with other wrestlers (as stated above). I understand what you are saying, but I feel booking wise this was the better way to go as it kept with the flow better. If it was Austin vs. The Rock, they would be aborting 2 feuds and Booker T wouldn't have gotten that push either. Although it helps with the Austin/Rock legacy, it would have screwed up alot more stuff along the way.

 

[nwo1234life]

I saw a shoot interview with Kurt Angle were he says that at Vengeance it was supposed to have been him to win the undisputed title but then Vince decided to go with Jericho. But i'am glad that it was Jericho cuz Angle had already been champ before.

 

[CJ The Pirate]

I hadn't never even considered there to be a problem with how they did this. The two matches in a night thing was fine as you had Angle in a feud against Austin which stretched back to the end of the invasion for the WWF title and Jericho and The Rock had been going back and forth for months over the WCW title so it kind of worked that the number one contenders for each title had their final chance of glory and it also made it a bit more special that it'd be one of four who could be the first ever Undisputed Champion. I did at the time consider that it could have perhaps been a fatal four way or an elimination battle royale but it really didn't matter, it was something different.

I was glad it was Jericho. He deserved it. He was a huge fan favourite, has since established himself as one of the greats and nobody saw it coming. The status of being the Undisputed champion... Vince's final act of dominance over his fiercest rival, to be able to merge the championships together... surely that had to go to Steve Austin or The Rock. They were the two biggest names around. For Jericho, an ex WCW guy might I add, to get it... that was a shocker and for that all the better. Like another poster said, that one night elevated him to the Main Event for good. It was done very well. He was probably the one of the four who needed that boost most as Austin and The Rock were already huge and Angle was well on his way.

 

[Sicc Nick]

You guys are overlooking the fact that Chris Jericho was put into a program with Triple H and what not in the year of 2000 to be placed into the main event picture, and for some reason, had the worst luck ever with Austin coming, Angle getting the push, the Invasion happening, et cetera. If Jericho hadn't won the Undisputed Title, he would have been inside of the 2002 Royal Rumble match, wouldn't have won, and then would go into the midcard from Feburary of that year probably to the summer, which by the way, even winning the Undisputed Title, he still went back down to being a midcarder in the Summer anyways, if you don't count the Hell In A Cell match with Triple H.

So really, if Jericho did not win that title, he would have been involved in a not-so-important match for Wrestlemania, the main stars like Rock, HHH, Taker, and Austin would have headlined the show like always, and where would Jericho be?

There's a reason why he uses that bit of history in his promo's to this day. 'Cause Jericho doesn't have huge title reigns, multiple title wins, or anything like that to his credit. All he has is the fact that he defeated the two greats all in one night, and became the first ever Undisputed Champion. Without that, he ain't nothing but another heel on the card, back then, and now.

 

[Ferbian]

I've always been firmly convinced that if Triple H had been around, he would've been the first Undisputed champion. And it would definitely have made sense, Triple H was on quite a roll before his injury, and he could've been big with the first Undisputed Championship.

However I think that might very well have hurt Chris Jericho's legacy a terrible lot. He doesn't have that much more than the Undisputed championship reign to brag about. Sure he has other reigns as well, but this was really the primary thing that made Chris Jericho into the superstar he is today in WWE.

But even without Triple H I don't see why WWE wouldn't put it on Austin or The Rock, I guess WWE felt they had enough reigns by that time, and that there needed some kind of star to be created, someone where the first undisputed championship reign actually mattered to their legacy. It wouldn't have mattered much to Austin or The Rock, it would've just been another championship reign.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

I disagree with it being solely about Trips injury... Jericho had done a lot to impress in the preceding few months, particularly during the Benoit/Austin 3 way feud and against the Rock... I think had Trips been fit the outcome would have still been the same, but with Steph costing Trips the belt to Jericho... him needing a Rumble win to get a WM match, exactly as happened... but Jericho's reign would have had far more heat...

Also, WWE was facing similar problems to recent times, too many same main events, it was predictable for Rock/Austin or Trips to win the belt... Jericho winning it, much like Swagger and Seamus made people who had tuned out during the Invasion re-engage... I think personally had Benoit's neck not gone he would have been the one to get the nod over Chris... but I for one am glad that piece of history belongs to Y2J, not a Hogan, Trips, Angle or Austin...

 

[JGlass]

It really shouldn't have been.

Look, let's not make this out to be anything less than what it was; At the time, it was reported that Triple H was the first man to hold the Undisputed Title, man. Everyone knew it, but because he was out with his injury, and because the Invasion angle had sputtered the way it did, they needed to rush the Undisputed Title match to a point where Triple couldn't come back in time for it. The WWE couldn't have Triple H going over Stone Cold or Rock, because really, they wanted to make him a face, and people would have frankly shat all over Triple winning the title from the The Rock or Steve. Triple H needed a lesser name in the picture, so that he could beat him, and people wouldn't have been nearly as outraged. That, coupled with the fact that Rock and Austin were needed to help the nWo in their angle, made for Y2J to probably be the best option to suit what the WWE needed.

The man makes sense. If Triple H had gone over The Rock or Stone Cold in the same night, people would have flipped. It would be bad enough if he beat just one, but within hours of each other? The fans literally would have thrown anything not nailed to the ground in the ring, including women and children.

I was young when all that shit happened, so I don't really know much about what was going on backstage, but everything Tenta said adds up. After all, Jericho would keep the title until Wrestlemania, where he dropped the belt to... a face Triple H. Sure, Triple H would go on to lose the title at Backlash, but it was to Hulk Hogan, and he didn't even go down cleanly.

But this only half answers LJL's question. We've established Jericho didn't deserve it, but then who did?

I'd have to say Stone Cold deserved it more. In addition to the points everyone has and will make, it's worth mentioning he didn't make a complete jackass out of himself during the Invasion angle, and he was able to maintain his popularity despite siding with team WCW. The Rock would obviously be the next best choice, but something feels more right about Stone Cold holding the title.

 

[Hazardous]

We've established Jericho didn't deserve it, but then who did?

we did? i recall seeing a lot of "yes he did"