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CNB · 08-20-2008, 05:42 AM

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/4...wrestler-alive

I swear i didn't write this, but damn its one fine article. What a champion, what a star and its time we add a couple more accomplishments to this mans career. Royal Rumble win? World title reign? Another WrestleMania main event.

He is awesome.

Quote:

It can be argued in today's wrestling world that the likes of Triple H, John Cena, and Batista are wrestling's biggest stars. All three are big merchandise sellers and draw big bucks for Vince McMahon and Co. When healthy, TNA's Kurt Angle may be the best pure wrestler ever to grace the squared circle. Heck, you can even throw Bryan Danielson of independent promotion Ring of Honor into the mix.

The fact of the matter is that while all these wrestlers I have named are great in their own individual ways in various facets of the business, they are not the all-around best. The greatest wrestler alive today is a man named Christopher Keith Irvine, better known to all as Chris Jericho.

No, it is not because he was the first ever undisputed champion, nor because he recently took out one of the all-time greats in the "Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels. Chris Jericho is the best because he can make the most out of any situation he is put in. I cannot remember a time when I have seen a bad Chris Jericho match in recent memory.

Whether he was feuding with a mat technician like Dean Malenko or a then-green Tomko in 2004, the man formerly known as Y2J has always been able to get the most out of his opponents in the ring. In terms of wrestling ability, there are very few that can touch him in the squared circle. Even in defeat, Chris Jericho shines and helps elevate others at the same time.

Look what he did for John Cena at Vengeance in July 2002. At the time, Cena was a rookie, who had just started out, while Jericho had been in the main event of Wrestle Mania X8 earlier that year. He could have been like some veterans and refuse to lose to such a young upstart in fear of "losing his spot," but he did the opposite instead. John Cena ended up defeating Jericho cleanly that night and was elevated thanks to his opponent.

He may be great in bringing out the best in his opponents, but Chris Jericho's real strength is on the mic. Never have I seen a man that can make you laugh, be on his side, and be just as convincing as a total jerk when heel. Look no further than his mic work during the feud he is engaged in with Shawn Michaels. I strongly suggest all of you YouTube search those promos, as they are right up there with the best I have ever heard.

Chris Jericho may have always been unfairly held back by WWE, due to size or whatever the case may be, but nobody has maximized their options like him. How about Triple H and John Cena? No disrespect to them, but they have had a lot more chances to succeed at the top than the charismatic showman.

But why should he complain? He steals the show every time he is on the mic or given sufficient ring time with an opponent. Jericho could be the opening match or the main event. It doesn't matter because you will remember the quality of his matches over any other given card.

Shawn Michaels' career may not be over, but that showstopper nickname has to go. If Jericho had as many world title shots in his career as Batista has had in a year, then no doubt his stock would be even higher than it is right now.

That is okay, though. Something tells me Chris Jericho would not have it any other way. Sure, he may never be remembered as a great world champion compared to The Rock or Steve Austin, but that does not cement a legacy. The legendary Ricky Steamboat had only one world title reign in his career (albeit a brief one), yet is revered as one of the all-time greats.

Chris Jericho is much like Steamboat in the sense that he may not always be in the main events, but is a wrestler you can always rely on to have a good/great match. Andre the Giant vs. Hulk Hogan may have headlined Wrestle Mania III, but ask fans what match they remember from that night and they will tell you Savage/Steamboat.

Ask any fan today who wrestling's most valuable asset is today, ring work and promo wise. The answers do not lie. It is Chris Jericho: the greatest wrestler alive.

Ken-na-deh · 08-20-2008, 05:50 AM

Nice post, gonna rep you, but to say he's the best of all time doesn't really cut it for me. He's definitely up there with all them though, I would say that he should be a hall of famer. When they typed that out, did they not think about Edge, MVP, Ric Flair or Shawn Michaels? Edge is definitely a candidate for the best all round wrestler to date, in fact all of those are candidates for the best all round wrestler, they're great in the ring, and their promos are abosulute awesomeness.

While some people might disagree with MVP, you got to understand that even if his career in the WWE has only spanned 2-3 years, he's been one of the most entertaining reasons to watch Smackdown.

DXfan99 · 08-20-2008, 05:56 AM

He is going to be in the hall of fame one day. I cant find any flaws with him at all.

froznbr0d · 08-20-2008, 05:59 AM

As Ken-na-deh said, if not the greatest of all time Jericho is definitely you know, up there. Normally I don`t like "I WANNA END YOUR CAREER" type of fueds, but the one between Y2J and HBK had something else, when Jericho started calling Shawn liar and stuff, well I was mezmerised. One of the best fueds I`ve witnessed, (I missed the Attitude era though). Best thing is that this fued isn`t over quite yet, and I really loved how it boiled over when Jericho hit Michaels wife Rebecca.

Can`t wait to see how this turns out, and I hope he`ll be champ again some day in the nearest forseeable future.

Haidys · 08-20-2008, 06:01 AM

Quote:

He is awesome.

True that.

DX-5uck1t · 08-20-2008, 06:40 AM

chris is great but not the best of all time, prob doesnt even make my top 10 or even 20.

DKAJC · 08-20-2008, 07:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ken-na-deh

Nice post, gonna rep you, but to say he's the best of all time doesn't really cut it for me. He's definitely up there with all them though, I would say that he should be a hall of famer. When they typed that out, did they not think about Edge, MVP, Ric Flair or Shawn Michaels? Edge is definitely a candidate for the best all round wrestler to date, in fact all of those are candidates for the best all round wrestler, they're great in the ring, and their promos are abosulute awesomeness.

While some people might disagree with MVP, you got to understand that even if his career in the WWE has only spanned 2-3 years, he's been one of the most entertaining reasons to watch Smackdown.

No one ever said that he was the best of all time. They said he was the best alive today. If not the best in the world today, he's certainly up there.

Ken-na-deh · 08-20-2008, 07:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DKAJC

No one ever said that he was the best of all time. They said he was the best alive today. If not the best in the world today, he's certainly up there.

What does it matter, we're talking about the last 30 years here. I like him a lot and I do think he is one of the best alive today, but not the greatest.

Jerichaholic4life · 08-20-2008, 07:37 AM

Well I feel the same way because I always thought that even though they may not put him in a main event at the big ppv's or anything he can still work wonders with what he is given and I totally agree that he is the best alive today personally. Who knows, when Jericho retires he may be seen as one of the greatest ever amung wrestling fans, I know that he already is one to me.

**trip** · 08-20-2008, 08:04 AM

Well I'm not sure he will be considered one of the greatest ever when he retires. He should get the recognition and I believe he's up there but people don't seem to put him in that category like they did with Benoit etc.

I read that article about a week ago and thought it had a lot of good points. Who can really touch Jericho on the rosters in experience and wrestling ability, combined with mic skills and work ethic? Not many whatsoever.