Welcome to a very special edition of the Phat Weekend Column. Today, instead of scraping from the bottom due to a lack of topics during the weekend, I'll hand it over to a guest columnist.
Guest columnist?!? In the PDC?!? Yes, I know it's rare and I don't make it a point to do it often, since I'll get flooded with requests. This will be a one time only event, so please don't ask for your column to be a guest column within the PDC.
The other day, my buddy, "Shooter" Shawn Valloric e-mailed me a link of his latest column about Chris Jericho. He's a big fan of Jericho, and with the rumors going around about how the WWF felt he was a complete failure as Undisputed champ, it set Shooter off.
This column is a complete rundown on the whole time Jericho was the Undisputed champion until he lost it at Wrestlemania and slightly after it.
"Shooter" Shawn Valloric owns and operates WRESTLEPALOOZA.com, which is the current Audio Show affiliate of LordsofPain.net/WrestlingHeadlines.com. I encourage you to check out his site and listen to the many great audio shows, including some of the ones with special guests on them.
Oh yeah, be sure to send all feedback to Shawn, not me, at shawn@wrestlepalooza.com.
Defending Chris Jericho from his Critics - Complete Timeline of his Run as Undisputed Champ
Some people have told me that Chris Jericho couldn't "cut it" as champion. This is why his title run was such a failure. Some people in the WWF (if I read what is reported is correct) think that putting Steph in with Jericho saved their WrestleMania match. People I argue with say he is like 7-Up "Never had it, never will." That is arguable. What is not arguable is they way Chris Jericho has been booked not only before he was champion, but defintely when he was champion.
I have decided to compile a complete (as complete as I can tell) chronology of Chris Jericho as the first ever undisputed champion. As you read this chronology, keep these questions in mind.
When was Jericho EVER booked to succeed when he was champ?
How is needing to cheat to beat Edge being booked to be a success?
How is needing 50 cheats to beat Rock being booked to being a success?
How is Jericho pinning Rock ONLY after he got killed by Taker in a tag match being booked to being a success?
Even go back when he first got to be champ....
12-9-01... Vengeance PPV
Did Jericho win either Vengeance match convincingly (clean)?
12-10-01.... RAW
Jericho got lucky by having Booker T help him beat SCSA in a steel cage match.
SEE IT STARTS THERE! No chance to recover from there... it would NOT have hurt Austin to lose that match cleanly... it would have MAJORLY helped Jericho.
12-13-01... Smackdown
Jeircho gets pinned by RVD in a tag match. (although it was to a kick to the face with a chair)
12-17-01...RAW
Jericho needed to lose to RVD by DQ.
12-20-01... Smackdown
Gets Frog Splashed by RVD in a promo early in the night... needs to "belt" The Big Show to win their match
12-24-01...RAW
Rock puts Jericho into Walls and Jericho taps..... Jericho 'rolls over' onto Rock after Rock is DDTed on a chair by Angle (NOT Jericho).
12-27-01... Smackdown
Jericho is lounging by a pool and talks about himself (I didn't see this personally... I don't watch Smackdown that much), but that was it.
1-3-02.... Smackdown
Angle hits Edge with the Angle Slam... and Jericho "crawls" onto Edge for the pin. Mainly clean.
1-7-02...RAW
Jericho needed a ref bump and a belt shot to beat Rikishi.
1-10-02...Smackdown
Rock gets Jericho to tap to the sharpshooter in a tag match
1-14-02...RAW
Jericho kinda pinned Faarooq clean... but still needed a ref distraction.
1-17-02... Smackdown
Undertaker says smart money has Rock beating Jericho at Rumble. Jericho and Rock have promo in which Rock gets in Jericho's face and Jericho almost cries.
1-20-02....Royal Rumble
Jericho needs the 50 cheats to beat Rock.
1-21-02... RAW
Rock pins Jericho clean (after Jericho misses Rock with ring bell)
1-24-02... Smackdown
The Rock got out of the ring and he hammered away on Chris Jericho and then he slammed Kurt Angle into Chris Jericho's groin! The Rock gave Angle a spinebuster and then he put him in the Sharpshooter! Chris Jericho pulled the referee out of the ring and then Angle tapped and Chris Jericho got a steel chair and the Undertaker showed up (AND STOLE ALL JERICHO'S HEAT) and he gave The Rock a choke slam in the center of the ring!
1-28-02...RAW
Jericho "STRUGGLES" to beat Maven... but does make him tap cleanly!
1-31-02...Smackdown
Jericho struggles to beat Tazz (which was the FIRST match of the night) but does pin him clean (kinda) when he distracted the ref a low-blowed Tazz.
2-4-02... RAW
Jericho pins Rock after Rock gets lead piped by Taker
2-7-02... Smackdown
Chris attempted to use a steel chair on Triple H, but he missed. Triple H then went for the Pedigree on Chris Jericho, but he was unable to get it on as Kurt Angle put Triple H in the Angle Slam onto the steel chair and then a pin for a three count to get the win. So no pin for Jericho.
2-11-02... RAW
Jericho "belts" Edge for a pin.
2-14-02... Smackdown
Jericho is stalked by Steve Austin... Jericho is scared to death. Jericho DQs himself by belting Kane. Jericho gets a stunner for his trouble.
2-17-02...No Way Out
Jericho taps to Walls (second time his finisher has been used on him) but wins when nWo interferes.
2-18-02...RAW
HHH returns and baiscally calls out Jericho for being a weak champ... says he has to survive to Mania.
2-21-02...Smackdown!
The Steph-Jericho pairing starts (where you say they did it because he couldn't cut it, I say the only thing was cut was Jericho getting cut at the knees for the past several months)... they help the HHH/Taker match not take place.... nothing really bad happened here.
2-25-02...RAW
Jericho is paired with Steph still ... needs intereference from Kane and Steph to beat Angle.
2-28-02...Smackdown
Jericho nailed HHH with the belt during a tag match... but it had no bearing on the finish... HHH still pinned Angle
3-4-02...RAW
Jericho (undisputed Champ) is not on show due to looking for Hand Lotion... isn't this like 3 weeks before Mania?
3-7-02...Smackdown
Jericho needs an Olympic Slam from Angle to pin Kane in a non-title match
3-11-02...RAW
The Lucy Dog episode.... how did that help Jericho or the feud? Jericho smashes HHH with the slegdehammer... FINALLY something positive!
3-14-02...Smackdown
Jericho and HHH have a promo... Jericho attacks and starts getting killed until Steph gets involved.. show ends with HHH getting the Walls
3-17-02....Mania
Jericho puts on a galant effort to retain his title... but gets beat.
3-18-02... RAW
Jericho beats the crap out of a security guard for making fun of him because he lost. (Keywords: getting made fun of)
3-21-02...Smackdown
Jericho, Steph, and HHH set up the handicap match for RAW... which ends up being a triple threat
3-25-02...RAW
Jericho is stuck in triple threat match with HHH and Steph to act as 3rd wheel.
So I ask you... if some people say they (the WWF) decided that Jericho couldn't CUT IT... you tell me where he ever had a chance to show he could! The regular fans saw all this. I know I am not the only one. The only way to build someone is to get behind them. Well they did get behind Jericho... they got behind him, bent him over and stuck everything they could up his ass.
If you wanna say he never could cut it... you tell me why he was given the title in the first place!
If you wanna say to appease people like me... I say no one deserves to be humiliated as champ as he was... not even Billy Gunn or Rocky.
Send all feedback to shawn@wrestlepalooza.com.
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@I hope you enjoyed Shawn's great analysis on Chris Jericho. It's very precise and right to the point. I'll be back Monday with more PDC.
Take Care, and Thanks for Reading.
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