Y2J: GREAT World Champion; But WRONG Pick to be WWE Undisputed Champion?

[HBK-RVDFan92]

So I'm barely watching the MSG footage and out comes Y2J to challenge KO for the IC Title. A great match on paper I think we can all agree. But can I just finally say something?? Without having to run down his resumé, Jericho is no doubt a future WWE Hall of Famer. But I was NEVER a fan of him being the choice to become the first WWE Undisputed Champ. I may catch flack for saying it but it shouldn't have been him. I'm a fan of every other world title reigns he's had except that one. It's the only reign that I didn't take serious, as personally it had a real "just keeping it warm for the next guy" kind of vibe to it.

If I had to rebook that match for Vengeance 2001 I would have kept the matches the same but would have different outcomes of course. Going into Vengeance the WWF just dealt a blow to WCW and The Alliance at the InVasion PPV. Stone Cold was still the WWF Champion as a part of the Alliance (WCW), and The Rock was the WCW (WWE) Heavyweight Champion. Next night on RAW McMahon tried to strip Austin of the WWF Title, Flair came out to confront McMahon as he announced himself as his new partner (having bought Steph and Shane's remaining WWF shares) and reversed his decision.

From there, there was 3 scheduled matches to decide the new Undisputed Champion. Stone Cold vs. Kurt Angle for the WWF World Title. The Rock vs. Y2J for the WCW World Title. Then the winner of each faces each other in a Championship Unification match for both titles. Instead of having Jericho beat The Rock (winning the WCW Title), and Austin beat Kurt Angle (retaining the WWF Title), I would have had Angle beat Austin for the WWF Title while The Rock retained his title, to have Angle beat The Rock in the final match to become the new WWF Undisputed Champion.

Kurt Angle just seems like the more credible choice compared to Jericho. Olympic Gold Medalist, legit athlete, he already held the IC and Euro Titles simultaneously, why couldn't he do the same with the WCW and WWF titles? Especially since he's held both before the Undisputed match even happened.

Thoughts?

 

[Aquaman6686]

According to Jericho, Kurt Angle was the original choice, and Vince changed his mind day of, and decided to put the title on Jericho. I'm a huge fan of both Angle and Jericho, but I think Jericho was the better choice in this particular case. His first two major feuds as champion were The Rock and Stone Cold. You need someone who can match or surpass those two on the mic, and THAT is Chris Jericho. Kurt Angle can go in the ring, even better than Jericho, but he hadn't reached his best level on the mic in late 2001, and even when he did, he was still not in Jericho's league. I'm glad they went with Jericho.

On another note, Jericho also noted in his book that a lot of the writers were pushing to do a big swerve and have Jericho lose the Undisputed WWE Championship to Kevin Nash less than a week before WrestleMania, and have Nash vs. Triple H to maximize the nWo's presence on the PPV. What an incredible disaster that would have been.

 

[HBK-RVDFan92]

KEVIN NASH??? Oh God I'm glad this didn't go down. I don't deny any of Jericho's talents and/or strengths in any regard, as I'm a huge fan of both him and Angle as well. But I guess his heel character that he was working at the time would have earned him instant legit heel if he would have won both titles. I could just hear him using his "i beat Stone Cold and The Rock in the same night" as his brand new "I won the Olympics with a broke freakin' neck!" and just going out every Monday and Thursday and just beating it like a dead horse. His Euro/IC reign reminded me of how and why, if picked, he could have pulled that title reign off. But you're right I can't say that Angle has Jericho's number in mic skills. Angle has his own formula that's great for what he likes to do now, but back then especially his mic skills weren't as polished next Y2J's. The Comedic acts and hats and etc. would only last so long.

 

[stingray11214]

You fail to understand the political angle in all this. Jericho HAD to unify the belts to keep down any possible revolt from WCW talent. Furthermore, it gave a lot of the WCW people that DID sign with WWE hope for their WWE futures. It also gave hope to the smaller guys that they too can become big in the WWE. Remember, VKM loved his muscle-bound behemoths as his top guys. Jericho, being a "regular guy type" wrestler, blew the behemoth prototype out of the water. Look at what you had at Vengeance: The Rock (WWF), Angle (WWF), Austin (WCW then ECW) and Jericho (WCW).

Those in parenthesis were the companies they were developed in, or were once removed from. If you had The Rock vs Austin, it would have been a great fight. But, it would have stirred up the WCW and ECW people that they would have no chance in WWF. Jericho vs Angle would have been a great fight, but Angle would have HAD to go over here. Again, it would have caused grief in the back. By Jericho winning the straps, you cut any possibility of the WCW and ECW people looking to leave, which further allowed WWF to dominate the Pro Wrestling landscape until this very day.

Was he a great champion? Absolutely. Was he the wrong choice? If it happened today, VKM's sanity and judgment would have to be questioned. However, at the time it happened, he was the PERFECT choice because of all the stuff circling around in WWF at the time. He was the right person, in the right place, at the right time. ANd, he had all the tools to make it work.

 

[Aquaman6686]

I could just hear him using his "i beat Stone Cold and The Rock in the same night" as his brand new "I won the Olympics with a broke freakin' neck!" and just going out every Monday and Thursday and just beating it like a dead horse.

Kind of like how Chris Jericho says "I beat Stone Cold and The Rock in the same night!" just as frequently as he uses "I was the first-ever Undisputed WWE Champion!" and "No one has held the Intercontinental Championship more times than I have!"? Personally I think Jericho is the type of guy who can pull that off and annoy the crowd WITHOUT going too far to where people want to change the channel. Kurt Angle would have taken it too far I think.

 

[shooter_mcgavin]

On another note, Jericho also noted in his book that a lot of the writers were pushing to do a big swerve and have Jericho lose the Undisputed WWE Championship to Kevin Nash less than a week before WrestleMania, and have Nash vs. Triple H to maximize the nWo's presence on the PPV. What an incredible disaster that would have been.

If that's true then that sums up Jericho's reign perfectly. He had a ton of potential but writers did such a poor job during Jericho's reign. He went from someone who could stand toe to toe with The Rock to someone who needed 2 guys to beat him a few months later and couldn't even beat mid-carders clean.

Then you have Jericho vs. Triple H which ended up not being about Jericho and Triple H.

 

[the_peoples_adam]

It was not a wrong pic coz Y2J executed the job with finesse..
But even if you wake me up in the middle of the night and ask me who is better i would say KURT ANGLE is way greater than Chris Jericho always 100%...

 

[timothy26]

It is true that Jericho was one of the first "smaller" guys to win the WWE Championship. Prior to him most champions were the bigger heavyweight guys.

Jericho's 2008 run as heel WHC was his best title run in my opinion, hottest heel in the company at the time and the angle with HBK was an all time classic.

 

[kingtrojan]

I remember reading somewhere a few years ago that the undertaker was suppose to be the first undisputed champion, but that it got nixed because Vince did not want him losing to HHH at Wrestlemania which was to be the fate of whoever came out of the night as champion.

 

[Prince Vee]

I reckon it's not a bad choice to put Jericho on that scene. Like someone had said already, when he made his debut on WWF his feud was against The Rock and later with Stone Cold. So there certainly was an in need that someone who could compete them in the ring on the mic. So there comes Jericho. But you see, WWE hasn't been mentioning him a lot while they advertise the Undisputed Champions. I don't know if it's because Triple H didn't fancy that idea on the first place. Anyhow that's a different story. WWE needed some wildcard to become the ultimate opportunist at that point and in their verdict, Jericho seemed to be the best flavor. I personally don't think it's a bad idea either. On the other hand I'm a great fan of Chris Jericho and he's one such guy who had moulded over the years to become the perfect WWE superstar and it's a tad skeptical it would've happened if he weren't the first Undisputed World Champion.


Cheers!!

 

[AustinHartLesnarHBKTaz80]

The fact that Jericho can still say "i am the first and only man to defeat The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin in the same night to become to first ever WWE Undisputed Champion" 14 YEARS after it actually happened-----this is why Y2J was the right man to do it.

This MADE him.

He solidified his main event status by doing this amazing accomplishment.

Kurt Angle, on the other hand, as great as he is, can always say he was "the ONLY Olympic gold medalist in the WWE" no matter what. Angle didnt need that "first ever Undisputed champion" distinction because he is already known as an "olympic gold medalist," which is an amazing accomplishment in its own right.

Jericho needed this more than Kurt to get OVER. Plain and simple

 

[Aquaman6686]

I remember reading somewhere a few years ago that the undertaker was suppose to be the first undisputed champion, but that it got nixed because Vince did not want him losing to HHH at Wrestlemania which was to be the fate of whoever came out of the night as champion.

This isn't related to the OP so I'll probably get an infraction for this, but we're actually lucky that The Streak lasted as long as it did. I read a couple of times that Vince was working on a deal to bring Ultimate Warrior back in 1994 (which wound up happening in 1996 instead), and if it had gone through, they were going to feed Undertaker to Warrior at WrestleMania 10 to re-establish Warrior as unbeatable.

 

[Wrestlingaholic]

Can we stop with the myth about Jericho giving smaller guys hope as 'the first little guy to win the title'? From 1992-01, the champions included Ric Flair x2, Randy Savage, Bret Hart x5, Shawn Michaels x3, Steve Austin x5 and Kurt Angle x2 before Jericho won his title. Even the Rock (billed at 275 lbs) and Triple H weren't exactly super-heavyweights, though certainly taller than the rest and with, in Triple H's case, a far better physique. So there were plenty of 'smaller' guys given the belt over the previous decade.

To answer the original post, two things were needed: a heel champion to hold the belt until Wrestlemania, as what would be the point in winning two matches in one night to unify the belts, only to lose them a month later at the Royal Rumble; and someone that could actually benefit from such a victory. Jericho fit the bill perfectly. Angle had already held the belt twice and been a legit top liner for a good year; Austin and Rocky were clearly already established; Jericho had of course participated in a smattering of ppv main events, but, like Benoit, this seemed more a rotation of headliners (ie every few months, pop in Y2J so things don't get too stale). His double victory at Vengeance, against two of the most succesful stars in WWE history, rocketed him to the next level.

You know how a lot of people think about Brock Lesnar ending the streak? That it could have been used to elevate a mid-carder into the stratosphere? That is EXACTLY how Vengeance 2001 would have been remembered had Austin, Rock or even Angle walked out as undisputed champion IMO

 

[OYDK]

I don't know if he was particularly the wrong pick to hold the Undisputed title at this time, as there were probably a few things that went into this decision. One is the fact that Vince was adamant on building a new top star heel in time for Mania 18, as Austin, The Rock, and HHH would all be working as faces. Kurt Angle had already been to the mountaintop and was already seen by the fans as an unquestionable main event level talent, while Jericho was right on the cusp at this time, if a little unready. I remember hearing that Angle and Vince were in agreement on it being "Chris Jericho's time" to make an impact. Secondly, Vince knew that whoever won at Vengeance would end up being eventual fodder for HHH at Wrestlemania. I'm sure this made the decision a lot easier as Jericho would ultimately just be a transitional champ. Thirdly, it added another element to the main event. With people like Stone Cold and The Rock starting to slow down around this time, it was imperative for WWE to start building some new stars. Say what you want about Jericho's booking during his run, but it's hard to argue that WWE did create a new star in Jericho after that first title reign.

All in all, Angle may have made for the better short-term champion as we would have gotten some really entertaining stuff between him, Steph, and HHH heading into Mania, but Jericho was a long-term investment that paid off. I think all things considered, Jericho was the right choice, or at least the second best choice behind Angle, to win the belts that night.

 

[Stone Cold Tea]

I don't know if he was particularly the wrong pick to hold the Undisputed title at this time, as there were probably a few things that went into this decision. One is the fact that Vince was adamant on building a new top star heel in time for Mania 18, as Austin, The Rock, and HHH would all be working as faces. Kurt Angle had already been to the mountaintop and was already seen by the fans as an unquestionable main event level talent, while Jericho was right on the cusp at this time, if a little unready. I remember hearing that Angle and Vince were in agreement on it being "Chris Jericho's time" to make an impact. Secondly, Vince knew that whoever won at Vengeance would end up being eventual fodder for HHH at Wrestlemania. I'm sure this made the decision a lot easier as Jericho would ultimately just be a transitional champ. Thirdly, it added another element to the main event. With people like Stone Cold and The Rock starting to slow down around this time, it was imperative for WWE to start building some new stars. Say what you want about Jericho's booking during his run, but it's hard to argue that WWE did create a new star in Jericho after that first title reign.

All in all, Angle may have made for the better short-term champion as we would have gotten some really entertaining stuff between him, Steph, and HHH heading into Mania, but Jericho was a long-term investment that paid off. I think all things considered, Jericho was the right choice, or at least the second best choice behind Angle, to win the belts that night.

Add into that the fact we had already had an Angle/Steph/HHH love triangle and Jericho kind of becomes the only realistic option

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

I don't know if he was particularly the wrong pick to hold the Undisputed title at this time, as there were probably a few things that went into this decision. One is the fact that Vince was adamant on building a new top star heel in time for Mania 18, as Austin, The Rock, and HHH would all be working as faces. Kurt Angle had already been to the mountaintop and was already seen by the fans as an unquestionable main event level talent, while Jericho was right on the cusp at this time, if a little unready.

I think that's exactly what it came down to. WWE took the opportunity to give the push to Jericho to create a new main-event heel, who would hold the belt until WrestleMania, where a super-over Triple H would defeat him. Rock and Austin were the obvious easy picks to win the tournament, and Angle was already established as a bonafide main eventer, so Jericho was a great choice, and a surprise one.

It's just a shame to me that the push he got was so weak, as he wasn't booked strongly at all, and ended up as more of Stephanie's lackey in her feud with her husband HHH than THE champion in the business. I don't think Jericho did that well with the material he was given, but that material wasn't good. It was obvious that Triple H was going to win at WrestleMania, but they should have at least made Y2J look a genuine threat. He didn't look like a top guy during his reign.

 

[King Patrick Star]

At the time and on paper, people wanted to see Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. The Rock for the Undisputed WWF WCW World Heavyweight Championship Titles. This was the 2000s version of Hulk Hogan vs. Ultimate Warrior. This was the 2000s version of Bret The Hitman Hart vs. Shawn Michaels. Face vs. Face. Good guy vs. Good guy. Superman vs. Batman. Captain America vs. Ironman. Then Vince McMahon decided to put his twist on it.

I went to the Flagler Dog Track & Entertainment in Miami to see Vengeance 2001. Inside there was a small booth selling WWF merchandise. I was so excited about this match, that I bought my first ever plastic and foam WWF Championship Title Belt. Can anyone guess which Championship Title Belt I bought?? It’s a trick question. I bought two. Can anyone guess which two Championship Title Belts I bought?? I bought the Smoking Skull Championship Title Belt and the Brahma Bull Championship Title Belt. Once I took my seat, I thought, “How messed up would it be if Kurt Angle won this tournament after I just bought these specific Championship Title Belts?? Anything can happen in the WWF. How messed up would it be if Chris Jericho won this tournament…HAHA!! Never…ever going to happen, but what a twist that would be!!”

The WWF Championship Title match starts and ends the way I (and everyone else in the World) thought it would. One down, two to go. The WCW Championship Title match starts and ends with an outcome no one saw. McMahon not only added a little twist, but he actually executed the twist himself. Okay, no big deal. It’ll probably be Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. The Rock for the Undisputed Championship at the Royal Rumble. The Undisputed WWF WCW Championship Title match starts. Wait a minute!! Is that Booker T.!? What is going on!? What!? Wait!! What!? WOW!!

Now I’ll be the first to admit (I actually think I was the first to admit) that I would have thought Stone Cold Steve Austin or The Rock would have become the first ever Undisputed WWF WCW World Heavyweight Champion. Kurt Angle was my 3rd choice. Chris Jericho wasn’t even a choice. I looked at my new purchases and said the words, “I’m never watching WWF TV again!!” Of course 22 hours later I tuned into Raw to see what would happen next. I was already a fan of Chris Jericho’s not as much as Stone Cold Steve Austin (my number 1A at the time) and The Rock (my number 1B at the time) and Kurt Angle (my number 2 at the time), but around 9:30 pm on December 10, 2001, I became a Jericho-holic.

I believe he was the right pick.

I’m glad Chris Jericho defeated The Rock at the Royal Rumble.

I’m glad Chris Jericho defeated Stone Cold Steve Austin at No Way Out.

Chris Jericho should have defeated Triple H at WrestleMania X8.

Call him a transitional Champion all you want. He was the first and greatest Undisputed WWF WCW World Heavyweight Champion in the history of Professional Sports Wrestling Entertainment!!

 

[Azane]

This win put Y2J on the legendary map, he was going towards it, but the undisputed unification going to him cemented it. Rock + SCSA were already legends, they didn't need the title rub, it didn't increase their value by that much, while it skyrocketed Jericho's stock. In the long term, Y2J having the Undisputed feather in his cap has probably drawn more than Stone Cold of Dwayne having it on their resume would, as I think the Undisputed title wouldn't even be mentioned a couple years, much less a decade later if either one of them would have won it.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

They knew they blew a chance with him earlier on when they redacted the win over Triple H... go back and watch the footage of the win and the crowd went INSANE when he won.

At that time, Jericho was majorly over as a face and rivalling The Rock and Austin for reactions to their mic work - as soon as he moved into the proper title picture they started taking away little bits from him like the personalised ring intro promo for each match cos in many case they were better than Rock's, mainly cos they were spontaneous while Rock had Gerwitz write most of his stuff. Trips may well have used his "early" stroke to avoid the actual losing of the title that night, but still taking the pinfall, no way he wanted a young rival who was a better worker in that spot. Had Jericho kept it, Triple H Who? Ironically he then got injured anyway with the quad, so with hindsight it could only have helped WWE to keep the belt on Jericho that night.

Then they started to go with Benoit ahead of Y2J as more of a political move to appease the WCW guys but his neck injury cut that dead. From that night on, it was clear they were gonna go big on Jericho as they no longer had the excuses to not push him. Remember this is the guy who suffered the indignity of being advertised in the 4 way for Mania 2000 and then replaced with the guy who retired a month prior... they knew he COULD, just someone (coughs Trips) didn't want him to...
In some ways, winning the Undisputed is kind of an albatross round Jericho's neck, as that first reign was so badly done that it probably set him back 2 years when all was told. That being said, it made him move in other directions like Fozzy, leave, do the Dancing and other TV shows and become the rounded guy he did.

A lot of the naysayers in WWE in 2001 were that Jericho "didn't have appeal outside", he went out and got that and other than Rock became perhaps their most successful "dual sports star" in a way, in that Fozzy is now a B+ level band.

It helped create the guy who could come back in 07 and then totally blow everyone away with Shawn in 08...

WWE today clearly has a lot of respect for Jericho, and while he won't get HOF this time out, at 33 he's the headliner for sure and he'll always have a role there... in many ways he'll probably end up with the deal Bret spurned in 97, he won't be an agent or a full time talent, but he can do his "house show" thing twice or 3 times a year and show up on TV once or twice a year for as long as he wants and when he doesn't he can still pop a crowd and be relevant cos of that distinction.

It was what Piper always lacked, he'd never made it to THAT level. So we liked each return he made, but it never had the punch that Jericho's do cos he has that badge of honor. I'm sure they didn't plan on that when they gave it to him, but it's a happy accident, cos it went the way it did, Rock became the star he is, Jericho became the veteran and media star he is and while the Undisputed tag is a bragging right for him, like the IC title reigns (they will give him 10 and probably quite soon, even if just for a night) are nice for him, when it comes to it, he will be remembered in the same kind of vein as a Randy Savage rather than a Hogan... and I am sure he'd have taken that when he started.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

It seemed like the wrong decision at the time but considering Angle, Austin, and The Rock ended their WWE runs a long time ago for one reason or another and Jericho still performs and performed countless number of times since then it turns out it was an amazing choice.

Not too mention that Jericho is probably the only one of the four that would significantly benefit running with the accolade.

 

[LuckyLouie]

At the time Jericho was perfect. Not only was he great on the mic. He could lead the entire arena most of the time however he wanted too. He was fantastic in ring too.
To me, that is what a undisputed champion is, someone who is the best in the ring and in front of the camera. While Kurt was a better wrestlers and Rock/Austin were better on camera, Jericho was the total package!

Jericho could not only entertain, but he could wrestle! There are very few guys who can match him.

 

[Vanilla Midget]

Wrong choice isn't completely accurate. I don't know how Angle as champ would have been a bigger draw. Kurt vs Triple H at Mania 18 might have been a bigger main event, if only for the added history between Angle, Triple H, and Stephanie.

As others have said, WWE almost had to involve a former WCW talent in the title unification match, and Jericho was about as WWF as they come. I still don't know why Jericho never defected to the Alliance during the invasion, would have made far more sense than Austin or Angle.

The reality is that the money match was Rock vs Austin. Fans wanted it, it made the most sense as they were the title holders. Jericho and Angle felt so shoehorned in, it told me right away that neither champ would walk out undisputed. Jericho was a fresh heel at this point, whereas Angle had occupied much of the main event scene towards the end of 2001.

I heard about the Jericho interview where he revealed Kurt was originally scheduled to win. Angle's status as a former champ doesn't really certify him as a draw, or rather a bigger draw than a fresh champ in Jericho. I agree that Y2J did have a transitional champion kind of feel. After he dropped the undisputed title to Triple H, he didn't capture another world title until 2008.

The reality is that a better champion could have been selected. As I stated earlier, Jericho and Angle felt so shoehorned into the Vengeance match. Here's how I would have booked it.

Vengeance features Rock vs Austin in the title unification match that should have been, but it ends dirty with no undisputed champion. In a perfect world is debut the nWo here if possible. Short of no nWo, Jericho interferes in the name of WCW and winds up joining the nWo.

Ultimately I'd have Hogan win the WWF title and face the Rock (WCW/world champ) in the main event of Mania 18. The nWo would have ruined the Rumble, or helped Hogan win and take his shot at No Way Out (Cena showed us in 2008 that this was apparently possible).

Rock wins at Mania, loses the rematch at Backlash to face Hogan in red and yellow with Undertaker interference and history continues as it did.

I think this angle would have drawn more, but Rock didn't need the feather in his cap. The nWo were likely riding out Turner contracts and Angle was already a main event act. Jericho needed the rub more than anyone available and though he was booked a little too hard on the coward side, his run was memorable considering we're still talking about it. I would have put Jericho in the Triple H vs Hogan match at Backlash as dropping Jericho made him seem weak. Y2J was the best option at the time, take that whatever way you will.

 

[MC_Live]

You fail to understand the political angle in all this. Jericho HAD to unify the belts to keep down any possible revolt from WCW talent. Furthermore, it gave a lot of the WCW people that DID sign with WWE hope for their WWE futures. It also gave hope to the smaller guys that they too can become big in the WWE. Remember, VKM loved his muscle-bound behemoths as his top guys. Jericho, being a "regular guy type" wrestler, blew the behemoth prototype out of the water. Look at what you had at Vengeance: The Rock (WWF), Angle (WWF), Austin (WCW then ECW) and Jericho (WCW).

Those in parenthesis were the companies they were developed in, or were once removed from. If you had The Rock vs Austin, it would have been a great fight. But, it would have stirred up the WCW and ECW people that they would have no chance in WWF. Jericho vs Angle would have been a great fight, but Angle would have HAD to go over here. Again, it would have caused grief in the back. By Jericho winning the straps, you cut any possibility of the WCW and ECW people looking to leave, which further allowed WWF to dominate the Pro Wrestling landscape until this very day.

What the hell are you talking about? Knowing the way Vince's mind works, he could have given a rats ass about WCW/ECW guys feeling upset. Where on earth could they have gone to work, where it would have mattered to Vince? There is nothing political about this choice. Vince thought Jericho winning would make Jericho a bigger name. So Jericho won. End of story. If Vince really cared about all the WCW or ECW guys having a future in WWF/E, then how come so few of them ever did? Why did guys like Tazz or Goldberg not get treated like the stars they should have been treated like, given how crowds reacted to them?

Anyway, relating to the OP, does 2001 Jericho seem out of place with '01 Rock, Austin, and Angle? Yeah, a little bit. That's because Rock, Austin, and Angle were all established main eventers at that time. Jericho became one after becoming Undisputed Champion. That decision was made for the long term, not the short term. There is only one man to ever beat Steve Austin and the Rock on the same night. There is only one man to ever be the First Undisputed Champion. And that man is Chris Jericho! And he became a superstar ten times over. So in the long run, yes, Chris Jericho was the right man for the job.

 

[New Hot Fed]

The fact that Jericho can still say "i am the first and only man to defeat The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin in the same night to become to first ever WWE Undisputed Champion" 14 YEARS after it actually happened-----this is why Y2J was the right man to do it.

This MADE him.

He solidified his main event status by doing this amazing accomplishment.

Kurt Angle, on the other hand, as great as he is, can always say he was "the ONLY Olympic gold medalist in the WWE" no matter what. Angle didnt need that "first ever Undisputed champion" distinction because he is already known as an "olympic gold medalist," which is an amazing accomplishment in its own right.

Jericho needed this more than Kurt to get OVER. Plain and simple

The fact that Jericho still say "I beat Rock and Stone Cold" proves that he was the wrong choice. Cause he has to say that to prove himself. Cause he will never be on that level.

Also you say that "Jericho needed it more". But being the Champ is not a charity event. You give it to your most over guy, your biggest star at this point in time. And that sure wasn't Y2J. Not too long after the WWE had Jericho being defeated by HHH at Mania. It says what their real intention were. How they viewed Chris and that really their real Unified Champ and the guy they wanted to push was Hunter. Jericho was mainly an experiment and something they did to do the unexpected.

The guy that was near Rock and Stone Cold and winning it would have made him on their level was Kurt Angle. And that is why he should have taken it.

But to me it proves again that Vince never really liked Angle. Everytime he had the chance to make him the guy, he pulled back. Like during the Hunter--Steph-Angle storyline. Or when he turned Brock face so he could beat Angle for the title at Mania. When the fans really didn't want to boo Angle. And the logical move would have been to have Brock enter as heel champion at Mania with face Angle to defeat him for the belt.

 

[Stone Cold Tea]

The fact that Jericho still say "I beat Rock and Stone Cold" proves that he was the wrong choice. Cause he has to say that to prove himself. Cause he will never be on that level.

Also you say that "Jericho needed it more". But being the Champ is not a charity event. You give it to your most over guy, your biggest star at this point in time. And that sure wasn't Y2J. Not too long after the WWE had Jericho being defeated by HHH at Mania. It says what their real intention were. How they viewed Chris and that really their real Unified Champ and the guy they wanted to push was Hunter. Jericho was mainly an experiment and something they did to do unexpected.

The guy that was near Rock and Stone Cold and winning it would have made him on their level was Kurt Angle. And that is why he should have taken it.

But to me it proves again that Vince never really liked Angle. Everytime he had the chance to make him the guy, he pulled back. Like during the Hunter--Steph-Angle storyline. Or when he turned Brock face so he could beat Angle for the title at Mania. When the fans really didn't want to boo Angle. And the logical move would have been to have Brock enter as heel champion at Mania with face Angle to defeat him for the belt.

To be fair there's 2 or 3 people on the same level as The Rock and Austin (i'll let you work it out) so why on earth wouldn't you brag about that. How can you say he chose not to make Angle the guy when 2 months after that storyline concluded angle went on to have a 5 month title reign which is pretty fucking long considering it was during the Attitude Era