Chris Jericho’s 5 Best WWE Matches

With his tenure at WWE seemingly over, which of Jericho's matches were the best?

Chris Jericho
Image Source: WWE

Chris Jericho remains one of the greatest wrestlers of all time, consistently performing at his peak whilst adapting to the times through a variety of different character tweaks. Whether you started as a fan of Y2J, The Saviour or as his latest incarnation, The Pariah of AEW, the consensus is that Chris Jericho has had some pretty fantastic matches from all corners of his career.

Before Jericho heads out on his second annual cruise, we’re going to wrap up the five essential Chris Jericho matches from his time in WWE. Yes, Jericho has had some absolute belters as part of WCW and NJPW, but for the purposes of this list we’re strictly keeping it to the bulk of his career. Otherwise we’d be hung up on fanboying about Alpha vs Omega.

With that being said, we start with:

 

5. Chris Jericho vs Rey Mysterio – The Bash 2009

Chris Jericho Rey Mysterio

Two former rivals from WCW were pitted against each other in an Intercontinental Championship feud in early 2009. Naturally these two had the chemistry necessary to make their series of matches show-stealers, but I’m not sure anyone expected their climactic grudge match to be as exciting as it was.

Personally, I think this was Jericho and Mysterio going out to prove that they still had what it takes to be the most entertaining Cruiserweights on the roster, at a time where the Cruiserweight division was forgotten about. The two managed to mix in some high-flying with fantastic chain grappling, just the kind of match that really gets my attention.

Ultimately this match went to Rey, who retained the title as well as keeping his mask intact. This match had a true old-school feel to it, so if you’re a fan of either of these two veterans and want to see their magic captured in a more modern style, then check out this one from a PPV that didn’t have much else going for it.

 

4. Chris Jericho vs CM Punk – Wrestlemania 28

Chris Jericho CM Punk

Often lost in the mix of the star-studded Mania 28 card, the WWE Championship bout between Jericho and Punk went down as one of the most underrated main events of all time. Jericho always seemed to find himself lost amongst other Wrestlemania headliners, previously having to follow the stellar encounter between The Rock and Hulk Hogan at 18 and then to The Rock and John Cena at 28. But somehow this seemed to bring out the best in Jericho, even if nobody had the energy to be invested.

Punk’s massive WWE title reign in 2012 first peaked in his feud with Chris Jericho, a match that at the time was highly requested by the WWE fanbase. The two didn’t disappoint in a match that, when watched in isolation, was a well-balanced bout between two excellent grapplers. Jericho played the heel well throughout, constantly baiting Punk into getting DQ’d (and losing his title in the process) while bringing out the best in his opponent and making Punk seem like even more of a star.

If anything, this match proved that after another lengthy hiatus, Jericho could still deliver some classics on the big stage.

 

3. Chris Jericho vs The Rock/Steve Austin – Unforgiven 2001

Chris Jericho Undisputed Champion

The match that arguably made Chris Jericho the star he is today, and also the night that the WWE and WCW Championships were unified in a fantastic triple threat match. The Invasion angle didn’t really take off as much as it could have, and has gone down as one of the infamously horrific angles in wrestling lore. However, it did manage to establish a few future Hall of Famers here and there, Chris Jericho included.

Unforgiven 2001 was built around a four man tournament for the unified WWE title. Included in the brackets were Jericho, Austin, Angle and The Rock. This of course became the night that Chris Jericho, who was considered the underdog at the time, defeated both The Rock and Steve Austin in back to back matches. This feat truly elevated Y2J into the main event spot and he has since reaped the benefits of said victories ever since.

If nothing else, these two matches show the inspirational amount of stamina that Chris Jericho holds within him. Before the days of DDP Yoga, Jericho could still go for 40 minutes straight with two of the WWE’s top stars and provide fans with two very different matches in the process. So if you’re a big Attitude Era fan, then make sure you stop by Vengeance 2001 again sometime soon and relive some excellent Chris Jericho content.

 

2. Chris Jericho vs Shawn Michaels – Wrestlemania 19

Shawn Michael Chris Jericho

A lot of Jerichoholics would probably push this match into the number 1 spot, however I personally believe it just falls short of the next entry on the list. Nevertheless, Jericho and HBK had some phenomenal matches over the years that went from being competitive showcases to bloodthirsty spot-fests. Depending on your specific taste in wrestling, you can either check out their first encounter at Mania 19, or their Unsanctioned match from Unforgiven 2008. Both were great.

As I previously mentioned, I’m more into my traditional ‘rasslin, if you will. So if I had to recommend a match from their library then I’d point you to their Wrestlemania match from 2003. HBK had just returned from his injury and was finding his feet with the new generation of superstars. Chris Jericho was his first non-title feud that really took off over Wrestlemania season.

This match was truly marvellous to say the least. It showed that Michaels and Jericho were two sides of the same coin and had excellent chemistry with one another. It featured some great mat wrestling and a ton of drama to keep the crowd invested. This is a quintessential entry for either of Jericho’s or Michael’s greatest WWE matches, so do yourself a favour and go watch this match right now.

1. Chris Jericho vs Chris Benoit – Royal Rumble 2001

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9goE-uVF_3g

Oh dear, I went and dropped the B word.

Putting your opinions on Chris Benoit aside for a second, he should go down as one of the most gritty performers of all time, who could work an excellent match with just about anyone. Fortunately for us, Chris Jericho was one of his best match-ups, who really gelled with Benoit throughout a 10 month feud for the Intercontinental Championship.

The rivalry culminated in an innovative take on the ladder match at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view. It’s hard to deny that these two put in a performance akin to the classic HBK/Razor Ramon ladder match from ‘Mania 10. Both Chris’ were able to freshen up the ladder match whilst kicking 50 shades of Canadian out of each other.

I always like to watch this match (and the entire pay-per-view) back to regain perspective on how great wrestling can be. It was hard to choose between this and the HBK match, but personally this just about nudges through as the greatest Jericho match of all time.

So, did I happen to miss out your favourite Jericho match? Let us know what puts yours above everything else in the comments section below.

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