Christopher Keith Irvine (born November 9, 1970), better known by the ring name Chris Jericho, is an American-Canadian professional wrestler, rock musician, and actor. As of January 2019, he is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is also referred to mononymously as Jericho.
During the 1990s, Jericho performed for American organizations Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) and World Championship Wrestling (WCW), as well as for promotions in countries such as Canada, Japan, and Mexico. In the latter half of 1999, he made his debut in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, renamed WWE in 2002). In 2001, he became the first Undisputed WWF Champion, and thus the final holder of the WCW World Heavyweight Championship (then referred to as the World Championship), having won and unified the WWF and World titles by defeating Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock on the same night. Jericho headlined multiple pay-per-view (PPV) events during his time with the WWF/WWE, including WrestleMania X8 and the inaugural TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs and the Elimination Chamber matches and the shows themselves. He was inducted into the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame in 2010.
Jericho won the Undisputed WWF Championship once, the WCW/World Championship twice, and the World Heavyweight Championship (2002–2013 version) three times. He has also held the WWE Intercontinental Championship a record nine times and was the ninth Triple Crown Champion, as well as the fourth Grand Slam Champion in history. In addition, he was the 2008 Superstar of the Year Slammy Award winner and (along with Big Show as Jeri-Show) won the 2009 Tag Team of the Year Slammy Award—making him the only winner of both Superstar and Tag Team of the Year.
After his departure from WWE in 2018, Jericho signed with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he became a one-time IWGP Intercontinental Champion, becoming the first man to have held both the WWE and IWGP versions of the Intercontinental Championship. In January 2019, Jericho joined All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and became the inaugural holder of the AEW World Championship in August of that year. While in AEW, Jericho would also capture the ROH World Championship (the main title of AEW's sister promotion Ring of Honor) twice and the FTW Championship.
In 1999, Jericho became the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Fozzy, who released their eponymous debut album the following year. The group's early work is composed largely of cover versions, although they have focused primarily on original material from their third album, All That Remains (2005), onward. Jericho has also appeared on numerous television shows over the years, including the 2011 season of Dancing with the Stars. He hosted the ABC game show Downfall, the 2011 edition of the Revolver Golden Gods Awards, and the UK's Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards in 2012 and 2017.
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Early life
Christopher Keith Irvine was born in Manhasset, New York on November 9, 1970, the son of a Canadian couple. He is of Scottish descent from his father's side and Ukrainian descent from his mother's side. His father, ice hockey player Ted Irvine, had been playing for the New York Rangers at the time of Jericho's birth. When his father retired, the family moved back to Winnipeg, Manitoba, where Irvine grew up. He holds dual American and Canadian citizenships. He attended Red River College in Winnipeg, graduating in 1990 with a diploma in Creative Communications.
Irvine's interest in professional wrestling began when he started watching the local American Wrestling Association (AWA) events that took place at the Winnipeg Arena with his family, and his desire to become a professional wrestler himself began when he saw footage of Owen Hart, then appearing with Stampede Wrestling, performing various high-flying moves. In addition, Irvine also cited Owen's older brother Bret, Ricky Steamboat and Shawn Michaels as inspirations for him becoming a professional wrestler. His first experience with a professional wrestling promotion was when he acted as part of the ring crew for the first tour of the newly opened Keystone Wrestling Alliance promotion, where he learned important pointers from independent wrestlers Catfish Charlie and Caveman Broda.
Professional wrestling career
Early career (1990–1991)
At the age of 19, he entered the Hart Brothers School of Wrestling, where he met Lance Storm on his first day. He was trained by Ed Langley and local Calgary wrestler Brad Young.
Two months after completing training, he was ready to start wrestling on independent shows, making his debut at the Moose Hall in Ponoka, Alberta, as "Cowboy" Chris Jericho, on October 2, 1990, in a ten-minute time limit draw against Storm. The pair then worked as a tag team, initially called Sudden Impact. According to a February 2019 interview with Rich Eisen on The Rich Eisen Show, Jericho stated that his initial ring name was going to be "Jack Action", but someone remarked to him that the name was stupid. The person then asked him what his ring name really was and he got nervous and said "Chris Jericho", taking the name Jericho from an album, Walls of Jericho, by the German power metal band Helloween. Jericho and Storm worked for Tony Condello in the tours of Northern Manitoba with Adam Copeland (Edge), Jason Reso (Christian) and Terry Gerin (Rhino). The pair also wrestled in Calgary's Canadian National Wrestling Alliance (CNWA) and Canadian Rocky Mountain Wrestling (CRMW).
Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling (1991–1992)
In October 1991, Jericho and Storm (teaming as "Sudden Impact") wrestled in Japan for Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling (FMW) as part of its "Super Radical Force - To The West!" tour. Their opponents on the tour included Atsushi Onita, Tarzan Goto, Eiji Ezaki, and Gannosuke Honda. During the excursion, Jericho befriended Ricky Fuji, who had trained under Stu Hart.
In September 1992, Jericho and Storm were invited by Fuji to return to FMW for the FMW 3rd Anniversary Show. After Storm declined the offer, Jericho selected the Edmonton-based wrestler Eric Freeze as a replacement tag team partner. At the event, which took place in Yokohama Stadium, Jericho and Freeze defeated Eiji Ezaki and Koji Nakagawa.
Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre and other Mexican promotions (1992–1995, 2024)
In the winter of 1992, Jericho traveled to Mexico and competed under the name Leon D'Oro ("Golden Lion", a name that fans voted on for him between "He-Man", "Chris Power", and his preferred choice "Leon D'Oro"), and later Corazón de León ("Lion Heart"), where he initially wrestled for several small wrestling companies in Nuevo León. In March 1993, Jericho appeared with the Universal Wrestling Association.
In April 1993, Jericho began competing in Mexico's oldest promotion, Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL). In CMLL, Jericho took on Silver King, Negro Casas, and Último Dragón en route to an 11-month reign as the NWA World Middleweight Champion that began in December 1993. Jericho made his final appearance with CMLL in September 1995, unsuccessfully challenging CMLL World Heavyweight Champion Apolo Dantés in the Arena Coliseo in Mexico City.
In June 2024, Jericho made his return to CMLL after nearly 29 years, where he attacked Mistico and challenged him to a match at the 91st CMLL Anniversary Show. At the event in September 2024, Jericho was defeated by Mistico.
Wrestling and Romance / WAR (1994–1996)
In February 1994, Jericho began competing regularly in Japan for Genichiro Tenryu's Wrestling and Romance (later known as Wrestle Association "R") (WAR) promotion as "Lion Heart". At the 2nd Anniversary of Revolution in July 1994, he teamed with Vampiro Casanova and The Warlord in a loss to Atsushi Onita, Crusher Bam Bam Bigelow, and Genichiro Tenryu. In November 1994, Último Dragón defeated him for the NWA World Middleweight Championship, which he had won while wrestling in Mexico.
In March 1995, Jericho lost to Gedo in the final of a tournament to crown the inaugural WAR International Junior Heavyweight Champion. He defeated Gedo for the championship in June 1995, losing it to Último Dragón the next month at the WAR 3rd Anniversary Show. In December 1995, Jericho competed in the second Super J-Cup tournament, defeating Hanzo Nakajima in the first round, but losing to Wild Pegasus in the second round.
In 1995, Jericho joined the heel stable Fuyuki-Gun ("Fuyuki Army") with Hiromichi Fuyuki, Gedo, and Jado, adopting the name "Lion Do". In February 1996, Jericho and Gedo won a tournament for the newly created International Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship, defeating Lance Storm and Yuji Yasuraoka in the final. They lost the championship to Storm and Yasuraoka the following month. Jericho made his final appearances with WAR in July 1996, having wrestled a total of 24 tours for the company. In his final match, at the WAR 4th Anniversary Show, he teamed with Gedo, Jushin Thunder Liger, and Juventud Guerrera in a loss to Lance Storm, Rey Misterio Jr., Último Dragón, and Yuji Yasuraoka.
Smoky Mountain Wrestling (1994)
In March 1994, Jericho and Lance Storm began wrestling for Jim Cornette's Appalachia-based Smoky Mountain Wrestling (SMW) promotion as the Thrillseekers, a "pretty boy" babyface tag team. Over the following months, they faced teams such as the Batten Twins, the Masked Infernos, and Well Dunn (who they vied with in a series of "penalty box" matches). In August 1994 at "The Night of the Legends", the Thrillseekers defeated the Heavenly Bodies in a street fight. Prior to the match, Jericho had suffered a broken arm while practicing a shooting star press in the ring; following the match, he left SMW.
Extreme Championship Wrestling (1996)
Thanks in part to recommendations by Chris Benoit, Dave Meltzer and Perry Saturn, to promoter Paul Heyman, and after Mick Foley saw Jericho's match against Último Dragón for the WAR International Junior Heavyweight Championship in July 1995 and gave a tape of the match to Heyman, Jericho began wrestling for the Philadelphia-based Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) promotion in February 1996. In his second appearance, he defeated Rob Van Dam at the Big Apple Blizzard Blast. Jericho won the ECW World Television Championship from Pitbull #2 in June 1996 at Hardcore Heaven. At Heat Wave the following month, Jericho lost the title to Shane Douglas in a four-way dance. He made his final appearance at The Doctor Is In in August 1996, losing to 2 Cold Scorpio. It was during this time that he drew the attention of World Championship Wrestling (WCW).
World Championship Wrestling (1996–1999)
Jericho debuted for WCW on August 20, 1996, by defeating Mr. JL, which aired on the August 31 episode of WCW Saturday Night. Jericho's televised debut in WCW occurred on the August 26 episode of WCW Monday Nitro against Alex Wright in a match which ended in a no contest. He made his pay-per-view debut on September 15 against Chris Benoit in a losing effort at Fall Brawl '96: War Games. The following month, at Halloween Havoc, Jericho lost to nWo member Syxx due to biased officiating by nWo referee Nick Patrick. This led to a match between Jericho and Patrick at World War 3, which stipulated that Jericho's one arm would be tied behind his back. Despite the odds stacked against him, Jericho won the match. Later that night, Jericho participated in the World War 3 match for a future WCW World Heavyweight Championship match but failed to win the match.
Jericho represented WCW against nWo Japan member Masahiro Chono in a losing effort at the nWo Souled Out event. At SuperBrawl VII, Jericho unsuccessfully challenged Eddie Guerrero for the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship.
On June 28, 1997, Jericho defeated Syxx at a Saturday Nitro house show in Los Angeles, California to win the WCW Cruiserweight Championship, his first championship with WCW. He lost the title to Alex Wright a month later on Monday Nitro. He lost a second title match with Wright at Road Wild before reclaiming the Cruiserweight Championship from Wright in an August 16 match on Saturday Night. Jericho defended the championship against Eddie Guerrero at Clash of the Champions XXXV before losing to Guerrero in September at Fall Brawl, ending his second cruiserweight title run. He won the title again in January with a victory over Rey Mysterio Jr. at Souled Out, after which Jericho turned heel and assaulted Mysterio's knee with a toolbox. After Jericho repeatedly refusing requests from Juventud Guerrera for a title match, the two fought a title versus mask match at SuperBrawl VIII where Guerrera lost and removed his mask. Following this match, Jericho began a gimmick of collecting and wearing to the ring trophies from his defeated opponents, such as Guerrera's mask, Prince Iaukea's Hawaiian dress, and a headband from Disco Inferno.
Jericho then began a long feud with Dean Malenko, in which Jericho repeatedly claimed he was a better wrestler than Malenko, but refused to wrestle him. Because of his mastery of technical wrestling, Malenko was known as "The Man of 1,000 Holds", so Jericho claimed to be "The Man of 1,004 Holds"; Jericho mentions in his autobiography that this line originated from an IWA interview he saw as a child, where manager Floyd Creatchman claimed that Leo Burke, the first professional wrestler to be known as "The Man of 1,000 Holds", was now known as "The Man of 1,002 Holds", to which Floyd Creatchman stated that "he learned two more".
New Japan Pro-Wrestling (1997, 1998)
In January 1997, Jericho made his debut for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), who had a working agreement with WCW, as Super Liger, the masked nemesis of Jyushin Thunder Liger. According to Jericho, Super Liger's first match against Koji Kanemoto at Wrestling World 1997 in the Tokyo Dome was so poorly received that the gimmick was dropped instantly. Jericho botched several moves in the match and complained he had difficulty seeing through the mask.
Jericho subsequently spent the next several months working for NJPW unmasked as Chris Jericho. He frequently teamed with fellow WCW wrestler Scotty Riggs and with his former opponent Kanemoto, facing wrestlers such as Liger, El Samurai, and Norio Honaga. In May 1997, he competed in the Best of the Super Juniors IV tournament, placing joint second in block B. His stint ended in September 1997 when he was recalled by WCW; his final match, held in the Nippon Budokan, saw him team with Kanemoto and Dr. Wagner Jr. in a loss to Liger, El Samurai, and Wild Pegasus.
On September 23, 1998, Jericho made a one night return to NJPW at that year's Big Wednesday show, teaming with Black Tiger to unsuccessfully challenge IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions Shinjiro Otani and Tatsuhito Takaiwa.
World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (1999–2005)
In the weeks before Jericho's debut, a clock labeled "countdown to the new millennium" appeared on WWF programming. On the home video, Break Down the Walls, Jericho states he was inspired to do this as his entrance when he saw a similar clock in a post office and Vince McMahon approved its use as his introduction to the WWF. The clock finally ran out on the August 9 episode of Raw Is War in Chicago, Illinois while The Rock was in the ring cutting a promo on the Big Show. Jericho entered the arena and proclaimed "Raw Is Jericho" and that he had "come to save the World Wrestling Federation", referring to himself as "Y2J" (a play on the Y2K bug). The Rock proceeded to verbally mock Jericho for his interruption. Later that month, Jericho would interact with several superstars including in particular interrupting a promo that The Undertaker was involved in. Jericho made his in-ring debut as a heel on August 26, losing a match against Road Dogg by disqualification on the inaugural episode of SmackDown! after he performed a powerbomb on Road Dogg through a table.
Jericho's first long-term feud was with Chyna, for the WWF Intercontinental Championship. After losing to Chyna at Survivor Series on November 14, Jericho defeated her to win his first WWF Intercontinental Championship at Armageddon on December 12. This feud included a controversial decision during a rematch in which two separate referees declared each one of them the winner of a match for the title. As a result, Jericho and Chyna became co-champions, during which Jericho turned face. Jericho attained sole champion status at the Royal Rumble on January 23, 2000, by defeating Chyna and Hardcore Holly in a Triple Threat match.
Jericho lost the WWF Intercontinental title to then-European Champion Kurt Angle at No Way Out on February 27. Jericho competed in a Triple Threat match against Chris Benoit and Angle at WrestleMania 2000 on April 2 in a two-falls contest with both of Angle's titles at stake. Jericho won the European Championship by pinning Benoit, after Benoit pinned Jericho to win the WWF Intercontinental Championship. This was the first of six pay-per-view matches between the pair within twelve months. Jericho was originally supposed to be in the main event of WrestleMania, but was taken out after Mick Foley, who was originally asked by writers to be in the match, took his place. Jericho was even advertised on the event's posters promoting the match. Jericho lost the European Championship the next night to Eddie Guerrero on Raw is War after Chyna sided with Guerrero.
Return to WWE (2007–2010)
After a two-year hiatus, WWE promoted Jericho's return starting on the September 24, 2007, episode of Raw with a viral marketing campaign using a series of 15-second cryptic binary code videos, similar to the matrix digital rain used in The Matrix series. The videos contained hidden messages and biblical links related to Jericho. Jericho made his return to WWE television as a face on the November 19, 2007, episode of Raw when he interrupted Randy Orton during Orton's orchestrated "passing of the torch" ceremony. Jericho stated his intentions to reclaim the WWE Championship in order to "save" WWE fans from Orton. On the November 26 episode of Raw, Jericho defeated Santino Marella and debuted a new finishing move called the Codebreaker. At Armageddon on December 16, he competed in a WWE Championship match against Orton, defeating him by disqualification when SmackDown!'s color commentator John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL) interfered in the match, but Orton retained the title. He began a feud with JBL and met him at the Royal Rumble on January 27, 2008. Jericho was disqualified after hitting JBL with a steel chair. On the March 10 episode of Raw, Jericho captured the WWE Intercontinental Championship for a record eighth time when he defeated Jeff Hardy.
In April, Jericho became involved in the ongoing feud between Shawn Michaels and Batista when he suggested that Michaels enjoyed retiring Ric Flair, causing Michaels to attack him. Jericho thus asked to be inserted into the match between Batista and Michaels at Backlash on April 27, but instead, he was appointed as the special guest referee. During the match at Backlash, Michaels feigned a knee injury so that Jericho would give him time to recover and lured Batista in for Sweet Chin Music for the win. After Backlash, Jericho accused Michaels of cheating, but Michaels continued to play up an injury. When Jericho was finally convinced and he apologized to Michaels for not believing him, Michaels then admitted to Jericho that he had faked his injury and he attacked Jericho with Sweet Chin Music. After losing to Michaels at Judgment Day on May 18, Jericho initiated a handshake after the match.
On the June 9 episode of Raw, Jericho hosted his talk show segment, The Highlight Reel, interviewing Michaels. Jericho pointed out that Michaels was still cheered by the fans despite Michaels's deceit and attack on Jericho during the previous months, whereas Jericho was booed when he tried to do the right thing. Jericho then assaulted Michaels with a low blow and sent Michaels through the "Jeritron 6000" television, damaging the eye of Michaels, and turning heel in the process. This began what was named by both Pro Wrestling Illustrated and the Wrestling Observer Newsletter the "Feud of the Year". At Night of Champions on June 29, Jericho lost the Intercontinental Championship to Kofi Kingston after a distraction by Michaels. In June, Jericho took on Lance Cade as a protégé.
Second return to WWE (2011–2018, 2022)
Beginning in November 2011, WWE aired cryptic vignettes that promoted a wrestler's return, making his appearance on January 2, 2012, episode of Raw SuperShow. He participated in the Royal Rumble match at the Royal Rumble on January 29, where he was eliminated last by Sheamus. Leading to WrestleMania XXVIII on April 1, Jericho feuded with WWE Champion CM Punk over the moniker "the Best in the World". In a bid to psychologically unsettle Punk, Jericho revealed that Punk's father was an alcoholic and Punk's sister was a drug addict, which contradicted Punk's straight edge philosophy. Jericho faced Punk for the title at WrestleMania and Extreme Rules on April 29 in a Chicago Street Fight, but Punk won both matches.
On May 24 at a WWE live event in Brazil, Jericho wrestled a match against CM Punk, during which Jericho kicked a Brazilian flag, causing local police to intervene and threaten Jericho with arrest. Jericho issued an apology to the audience, enabling the event to resume. The following day, WWE suspended Jericho for 30 days while apologizing to the people and government of Brazil. Jericho returned on the June 25 episode of Raw SuperShow, and his absence was explained by a European tour with his band Fozzy which happened to coincide with his suspension. After losing the WWE Championship Money in the Bank ladder match on July 15, Jericho feuded with the newly crowned Mr. Money in the Bank, Dolph Ziggler, turning face for the first time since 2008. Despite Jericho defeating Ziggler at SummerSlam on August 19, he lost to Ziggler the following night on Raw, and, as a result, Ziggler retained his Money in the Bank contract and Jericho was terminated from WWE. This was used to write him off so he could tour with Fozzy for the remainder of the year.
On January 27, 2013, Jericho returned after a five-month hiatus entering the Royal Rumble match as the second entrant. Jericho lasted over 47 minutes before being eliminated by Dolph Ziggler. On the March 18 episode of Raw, The Miz and Jericho faced Wade Barrett for the Intercontinental Championship, but Barrett retained his title. Jericho asked Vince McMahon to face Barrett and win his 10th Intercontinental title at WrestleMania 29 on April 7, but he was booked in a feud with Fandango, losing to Fandango at WrestleMania, but Jericho won a rematch at Extreme Rules on May 19. He then faced the returning CM Punk at Payback on June 16, where he was defeated. Jericho then began feuding with Ryback, which led to a singles match on July 14 at Money in the Bank, where Ryback emerged victorious. On the July 19 episode of SmackDown, Jericho unsuccessfully challenged Curtis Axel for the WWE Intercontinental Championship and was afterwards attacked by Ryback. This was done to write Jericho off television as he was taking a temporary hiatus to tour with Fozzy for the remainder of the year and possibly January and February.
Return to NJPW (2017–2020)
On November 5, 2017, Jericho returned to NJPW in a pre-taped vignette, challenging Kenny Omega to a match at Wrestle Kingdom 12 in Tokyo Dome for Omega's IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship. The match, dubbed "Alpha vs. Omega", was Jericho's first match outside of WWE since he left WCW in July 1999. Journalist Dave Meltzer wrote that Jericho's WWE contract had expired and that he was a "free agent". NJPW also referred to Jericho as a free agent. In contrast, the Tokyo Sports newspaper described an anonymous NJPW official saying that Jericho is still under contract with WWE, and that WWE chairman Vince McMahon had given him permission to wrestle this match in NJPW. Jericho was defeated by Omega in the Wrestle Kingdom match, which was the first of Jericho's career to receive a five-star rating from Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
Jericho's next feud was against Tetsuya Naito, defeating him at Dominion 6.9 in Osaka-jo Hall to win the IWGP Intercontinental Championship. After retaining the title against Evil at Power Struggle, he lost it against Naito at Wrestle Kingdom 13.
Jericho's last matches with NJPW were at Dominion 6.9 in Osaka-jo Hall, being defeated by Kazuchika Okada for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, and at Wrestle Kingdom 14, where he defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi.
Return to the independent circuit (2018–2024)
On September 1, 2018, Jericho (disguised as Penta El Zero) appeared at the All In show promoted by Cody and The Young Bucks, where he attacked Kenny Omega following Omega's victory over Penta to promote his upcoming Rock 'N' Wrestling Rager at Sea cruise.
In October 2018, Jericho organized his annual Chris Jericho's Rock 'N' Wrestling Rager at Sea, a series of professional wrestling matches originating from Jericho's cruise ship, which embarked from Miami, Florida and featured wrestlers from Ring of Honor. The series would also continue with wrestlers from All Elite Wrestling after Jericho signed with the promotion in 2019.
On May 3, 2019, Jericho appeared at a Southern Honor Wrestling event, where he was attacked by Kenny Omega.
On January 8, 2023, Jericho made his debut for Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG), as part of PWG Battle of Los Angeles 2023 night 2, where he teamed with the Jericho Appreciation Society (Daniel Garcia, Angelo Parker, Matt Menard and Sammy Guevara) to defeat the team of Jonathan Gresham, Kevin Blackwood, Michael Oku, Player Uno, and SB Kento in a ten-man tag team match. On August 26, 2023, Jericho made his surprise debut for Revolution Pro Wrestling (RevPro) at RevPro 11th Anniversary Show by attacking Will Ospreay ahead of their match at All In. On December 3, 2023, Jericho made a surprise appearance at Vietnam Pro Wrestling (VPW).
On December 14, 2024, Jericho made his debut for Game Changer Wrestling (GCW) at Highest in the Room 3, where he attacked Effy and Matt Cardona.
All Elite Wrestling / Ring of Honor (2019–present)
On January 8, 2019, Jericho made a surprise appearance at a media event organized by the upstart All Elite Wrestling (AEW) promotion. Shortly afterwards, Jericho was filmed signing a full-time performers three-year contract with AEW. Jericho defeated Kenny Omega at the promotion's inaugural event Double or Nothing on May 25, and went on to defeat Adam Page at All Out on August 31 to become the inaugural AEW World Champion. On the premiere episode of Dynamite on October 2, Jericho allied himself with Sammy Guevara, Jake Hager, Santana and Ortiz, creating a stable that would be known as The Inner Circle. Jericho would make successful title defences against Darby Allin on the October 16 episode of Dynamite, Cody at Full Gear on November 9, and Scorpio Sky on the Thanksgiving Eve special episode on November 27. In December, Jericho started a feud with Jon Moxley where he unsuccessfully tried to convince Moxley to join the group. At Revolution on February 29, 2020, Jericho lost the world championship to Moxley, ending his reign at 182 days.
After losing the championship, Jericho and The Inner Circle began a feud with The Elite (Adam Page, Cody, Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks). At Double or Nothing on May 23, The Inner Circle were defeated by Page, Omega, The Young Bucks and Matt Hardy in a Stadium Stampede match. Jericho next began a rivalry with Orange Cassidy, with Jericho defeating him on the Fyter Fest episode of Dynamite on July 8, but losing a rematch on the August 12 episode of Dynamite. The two faced once again at All Out on September 5, in a Mimosa Mayhem match, which Jericho lost.
Beginning in October, Jericho began a feud with MJF, who requested to join the Inner Circle, despite disapproval from the rest of the group. Jericho and MJF wrestled in a match at the Full Gear event on November 7, which MJF won, thus allowing him to join the Inner Circle. On the Beach Break episode of Dynamite on February 3, 2021, Jericho and MJF won a tag team battle royal to become the number one contenders for the AEW World Tag Team Championship at the Revolution event on March 7 against The Young Bucks, which they were unsuccessful in winning.
On the March 10 episode of Dynamite, MJF betrayed and left The Inner Circle after revealing he had been secretly plotting against them and building his own stable, The Pinnacle—consisting of Wardlow, Shawn Spears and FTR (Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood)—turning the Inner Circle face. On the Blood and Guts episode of Dynamite on May 5, The Inner Circle lost to The Pinnacle in the inaugural Blood and Guts match. However, in the main event of Double or Nothing on May 30, The Inner Circle defeated The Pinnacle in a Stadium Stampede match, after Sammy Guevara pinned Shawn Spears. Jericho then began pursuing another match with MJF, who stated that he would first have to defeat a gauntlet of opponents selected by MJF, in a series dubbed the "Labors of Jericho". Jericho would defeat each of MJF's handpicked opponents (Shawn Spears, Nick Gage, Juventud Guerrera and Wardlow) and faced MJF in the final match on the August 18 episode of Dynamite, but he was defeated. Jericho demanded one more match, stipulating that if he lost, he would retire from in-ring competition, which MJF accepted. At All Out on September 5, Jericho defeated MJF to maintain his career and end their feud.
Legacy
Known for his over-the-top, rock star persona, Jericho has been described by multiple industry commentators as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time. Journalist Chris Van Vliet noted that his name is "always thrown around as the GOAT [greatest of all time], or at least one of the GOATs", with Van Vliet himself asserting that Jericho is "if not the best, certainly one of the best". Todd Martin of the Pro Wrestling Torch remarked, to agreement from editor Wade Keller, that Jericho is "one of the great wrestlers of all time" and in "a lofty category", while likening his oeuvre to those of WWE Hall of Famers Randy Savage, Ricky Steamboat, Ted DiBiase and Dory Funk Jr. Praised for his ability to continually evolve his gimmick, Jericho was dubbed by KC Joyner of ESPN as "wrestling's David Bowie".
Various outlets have included Jericho in lists of the greatest wrestlers ever. Baltimore Sun reporter Kevin Eck, who has also served as editor of WCW Magazine and a WWE producer, featured Jericho in his "Top 10 favorite wrestlers of all time" and "Top 10 all-around performers"—the former piece noting that Jericho is "regarded as one of the very best talkers in the business". Keisha Hatchett in TV Guide wrote that Jericho "owns the mic with cerebral insults" and is set apart from peers by "his charismatic presence, which is highlighted by a laundry list of unforgettable catchphrases". He was voted by Wrestling Observer Newsletter (WON) readers as "Best on Interviews" for the 2000s decade, coinciding with his 2010 induction into the WON Hall of Fame. Fans also named Jericho the greatest WWE Intercontinental Champion of all time in a 2013 WWE poll, affording him a landslide 63% victory over the other four contenders (Mr. Perfect, The Honky Tonk Man, Rick Rude and Pat Patterson).
Chris Jericho's feud with Shawn Michaels and their series of matches, particularly their ladder match at No Mercy in 2008 received critical acclaim. Wrestling Observer Newsletter named their feud the "feud of the year" and the ladder match the "match of the year". Jericho was listed in the top 20 of both Sports Illustrated and IGN’s list of the greatest pro wrestlers of all time. Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report wrote "Jericho was one of the best trash talkers the WWE has ever had."
A number of Jericho's industry colleagues have hailed him as one of the greatest wrestlers in history. Kurt Angle labelled him the single greatest performer of all time. Stone Cold Steve Austin lauded his consistently "dynamic" promos and in-ring work, while arguing that he should be considered among the 10 best ever. Kenny Omega asserted that Jericho "has a legit argument for being the best of all time", based on his ability to achieve success and notoriety across numerous territories. Jon Moxley said, "Jericho is really making a case for being the greatest of all time... he's doing it again, he's doing something completely new, and breaking new barriers still here in 2020." Matt Striker pointed to Jericho's "magnanimous" nature as a contributing factor to his status as an all-time great; his willingness to impart knowledge was commended by James Ellsworth, who described Jericho as an "outstanding human being" and a childhood favorite. Kevin Owens stated that "Jericho was always someone I looked up to", while The Miz affirmed that he was part of a generation of young wrestlers who sought to "emulate" Jericho.
Music career
Jericho is the lead singer for the heavy metal band Fozzy. Starting with their eponymous debut album in 2000, Fozzy have released eight studio albums; Happenstance, All That Remains, Chasing the Grail, Sin and Bones, Do You Wanna Start a War, Judas, Boombox, and one live album, Remains Alive.
Jericho also serves as one of the song writers for Fozzy some of his lyrical themes touch upon relationships, personal struggle, self-belief and anthems. Jericho has also stated he often starts with a song title rather than a complete theme stating "I have a list of song titles when it's time to write lyrics" "I'll go back and look through what I have."
In 2005, Jericho performed vocals on a cover of "The Evil That Men Do" on the Iron Maiden tribute album, Numbers from the Beast. He made a guest appearance on Dream Theater's album, Systematic Chaos on the song "Repentance", as one of several musical guests recorded apologizing to important people in their lives for wrongdoings in the past.
In the mid-1990s, Jericho wrote a monthly column for Metal Edge magazine focused on the heavy metal scene. The column ran for about a year. He started his own weekly XM Satellite Radio show in March 2005 called The Rock of Jericho, which aired Sunday nights on XM 41 The Boneyard.
Jericho has cited the following bands as a musical influence: The Beatles, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Ozzy Osbourne, Pantera, and Metallica. He has also credited 1980s pop acts like Billy Ocean, Madonna, and Duran Duran as influences as well.
Discography
Albums with Fozzy
Fozzy (2000)
Happenstance (2002)
All That Remains (2005)
Chasing the Grail (2010)
Sin and Bones (2012)
Do You Wanna Start a War (2014)
Judas (2017)
Boombox (2022)
Live albums
Remains Alive (2009)
As guest
Don't You Wish You Were Me? - WWE Originals (2004)
King of the Night Time World - Spin the Bottle: An All-Star Tribute to Kiss (2004) * With Rich Ward, Mike Inez, Fred Coury
Bullet for My Valentine – Temper Temper – Dead to the World (2013)
Devin Townsend – Dark Matters (2014)
Michael Sweet – I'm Not Your Suicide – Anybody Else (2014)
Other endeavors
Film, theater, comedy, and writing
In 2000, a WWE produced VHS tape documenting Jericho's career titled Break Down the Walls was released. He later received two three disc sets profiling matches and interviews.
On June 24, 2006, Jericho premiered in his first Sci-Fi Channel movie Android Apocalypse alongside Scott Bairstow and Joey Lawrence.
Jericho debuted as a stage actor in a comedy play Opening Night, which premiered at the Toronto Centre for the Arts during July 20–22, 2006, in Toronto. During his stay in Toronto, Jericho hosted the sketch comedy show Sunday Night Live with sketch troupe The Sketchersons at The Brunswick House.
Jericho was also the first wrestler attached and interviewed for the wrestling documentary, Bloodstained Memoirs. The interview was recorded in the UK during a Fozzy tour in 2006.
Jericho wrote his autobiography, A Lion's Tale: Around the World in Spandex, which was released on October 25, 2007, and became a New York Times bestseller. It covers Jericho's life and wrestling career up to his debut in the WWE. Jericho's second autobiography, Undisputed: How to Become the World Champion in 1,372 Easy Steps, was released on February 16, 2011, and covers his wrestling career since his WWE debut. On October 14, 2014, Jericho's third book, The Best In The World...At What I Have No Idea, was released. It covers some untold stories of the "Save Us" era, his Fozzy career, and his multiple returns from 2011 to 2013. Jericho's fourth book, No Is a Four-Letter Word: How I Failed Spelling but Succeeded in Life, was released on August 29, 2017, and details twenty valuable lessons Jericho learned throughout his career as a wrestler and musician.
Jericho appeared in the 2009 film Albino Farm. In the film MacGruber, released May 21, 2010, he briefly appeared as Frank Korver, a former military teammate of the eponymous Green Beret, Navy Seal, and Army Ranger.
Jericho hosted the Revolver Golden Gods Music Awards three times in 2010, 2011 and 2013. He also hosted the Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards in 2012 and 2017.
Television
Jericho was a contributor to the VH1 pop culture shows Best Week Ever, I Love the '80s, and VH1's top 100 artists.
Jericho also hosted the five-part, five-hour VH1 special 100 Most Shocking Music Moments, an update of the original special 100 Most Shocking Moments in Rock N' Roll first hosted by Mark McGrath of Sugar Ray.
On July 12, 2006, he made an appearance on G4's Attack of the Show!; he made a second appearance on August 21, 2009. In May 2006, Jericho appeared on VH1's 40 Greatest Metal Songs and Heavy: The Story of Metal as a commentator.
He was one of eight celebrities in the 2006 Fox Television singing reality show Celebrity Duets, produced by Simon Cowell, and was the first contestant eliminated. Jericho worked at a McDonald's to show off his skills while prepping for the show.
Jericho hosted his own reality show in 2008 titled Redemption Song, in which 11 women tried their hand at getting into the music scene. It was shown on Fuse TV.
He guest starred as Billy "The Body Bag" Cobb in "Xero Control", an episode of the Disney XD 2009 original series Aaron Stone.
He hosted VH1's 100 Most Shocking Music Moments, which began airing in December 2009. In June 2010, Jericho was named the host of the ABC prime-time game show Downfall.
On March 1, 2011, Chris Jericho was named one of the contestants on the 2011 lineup of Dancing with the Stars. His partner was two-time champion Cheryl Burke. This led to a wave of publicity, including an interview with Jay Leno. On April 26, Jericho was the fifth contestant eliminated on the show.
On May 5, Jericho made his third appearance as a guest on Attack of the Show! where he depicted Thor. On January 17, 2012, Jericho made his fourth appearance on Attack of the Show! in a segment called "Twitter Twister" where he portrayed a character called "The Twistercutioner" and read tweets as instructions for a game of Twister between Kevin and Candace.
Talk Is Jericho podcast
In December 2013, Jericho began hosting his own podcast, Talk Is Jericho. Episodes usually include a loosely scripted monologue before an interview, typically with a wrestler, rock musician or paranormal expert. The show originally appeared on PodcastOne, before moving to the WestwoodOne network in 2018. Notable guests on the show include Bruce Dickinson from Iron Maiden, Lemmy from Motörhead, Paul Stanley from Kiss, Zak Bagans from Ghost Adventures, pornographic actress Asa Akira, writer/director Kevin Smith and many former and current wrestlers.
In April 2015, Jericho hosted his own video podcast on the WWE Network, Live! with Chris Jericho, with John Cena as his first guest, followed by Stephanie McMahon as his guest later that same month.
Once he signed with AEW, he was no longer allowed to have WWE performers as guests on the podcast.
Web
On August 10, 2019, Jericho launched his own dirtsheet website called WebIsJericho.com. The website is dedicated to the memory of Axl Rotten.
Cruises
In 2017, Jericho launched Chris Jericho's Rock 'N' Wrestling Rager at Sea, a cruise "combining the worlds of rock and wrestling with a once in a lifetime amazing vacation experience". The cruise featured live band performances, artist-hosted activities and a Sea of Honor Tournament with over a dozen Ring of Honor wrestlers competing. Guests had the opportunity to get up close and personal with Chris and his closest wrestling, comedian, and musician friends including Jim Ross, Diamond Dallas Page and Jim Breuer, among others. The cruise sailed October 27–31, 2018, from Miami to Nassau, Bahamas. Further cruises followed in 2020, 2021, 2023, 2024 and 2025 with a seventh journey planned for 2026.
Personal life
Irvine married Jessica Lockhart on July 30, 2000. They reside in Odessa, Florida, with their three children: son Ash Edward Irvine (born 2003) and identical twin daughters Sierra Loretta "SiSi" Irvine and Cheyenne Lee "Chey" Irvine (born 2006). All three have been guests on his podcast, Talk Is Jericho, with his son discussing fish and his daughters discussing literature. Irvine owns three cats. He is a supporter of the Winnipeg Jets. In October 2020, Irvine reportedly donated $3,000 to Donald Trump's presidential re-election campaign.
Irvine is a Christian. He has a tattoo of his wife's name on his ring finger. He has the letter F, representing Fozzy, on the back of his hand. Since 2012, he has gradually gotten a sleeve over his left arm. His tattoos include: the artwork of Fozzy's album Sin and Bones, a Jack-o'-lantern (Avenged Sevenfold vocalist M. Shadows, who collaborated with Fozzy on the track "Sandpaper" from Sin and Bones, also got a matching tattoo), a lake monster, and himself from his WWF debut in 1999.
On January 27, 2010, Irvine and fellow wrestler Gregory Helms were arrested in Fort Mitchell, Kentucky after leaving a bar. A police report stated that Helms punched Irvine and the other passengers in the cab. Fellow wrestlers Christian and CM Punk later bailed them out.
Since January 2012, Irvine (along with former NFL Quarterback Tim Tebow, former NFL player Derrick Brooks, and former Atlanta Braves player Chipper Jones) has been the co-owner of a sports training facility in Tampa, a franchise site of D1 Sports Training and Therapy.
Irvine is a fan of Japanese convenience store chain Lawson, which Irvine would frequently shop at when he wrestled in Japan in the 1990s. Irvine still visits Lawson whenever he returns to Japan, whether to wrestle or if he is touring with Fozzy.
Charity work
Jericho has made numerous philanthropic and charitable efforts. Alongside WWE superstars Kevin Owens and Tyler Breeze, he donated $2,500 to help victims of the Alberta forest fires. He also donated $1,500 to help Brian Knobbs with his knee surgery. In 2014 Jericho recorded a YouTube only exclusive podcast with a fan named Daniel House who was terminally ill. He also set up a fundraiser to help the fan and let him tour with his band Fozzy. In 2016 Jericho donated $3,000 to help pay the medical expenses for Rico Constantino's.
In 2019 Jericho donated $5,000 to former professional wrestler Kamala to help him pay for his housing expenses as he was getting evicted from his home. The following year he donated another $5,000 to Kamala's family following his death to help pay for his funeral. That same year he also donated another $5,000 to the family of Shad Gaspard following his death.
In 2021 Jericho donated $2,500 to help Steve "Mongo" McMichael cover medical expenses after he was diagnosed with ALS. He also donated $2,500 to the GoFundMe campaign set up for the family of Mohammad Anwar who was killed in a carjacking incident. In 2023 the wife of former professional Umaga revealed that Jericho donated $5,000 to his family following his death in 2009.
In 2023, after Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin's on-field collapse during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Jericho donated $10,000 to Hamlin's charity; originally a $5,000 donation, he later donated another $5,000 after misspelling his own name in the original donation. In 2025 Jericho donated $5,000 to help cover fellow wrestler Sabu's funeral arrangements. Later that same year he contributed $2,500 to a fundraiser for independent wrestler Syko Stu after he faced serious assault and injuries during a match.
Video games appearances
Championships and accomplishments
Professional wrestling
All Elite Wrestling
AEW World Championship (1 time, inaugural)
FTW Championship (1 time)
AEW Dynamite Awards (2 times)
Bleacher Report PPV Moment of the Year (2021) – Stadium Stampede match (The Elite vs The Inner Circle) at Double or Nothing
Biggest Beatdown (2021) – The Inner Circle jumps Orange Cassidy on Dynamite
The Baltimore Sun
Feud of the Year (2008) vs. Shawn Michaels
Canadian Pro-Wrestling Hall of Fame
Class of 2023
Canadian Rocky Mountain Wrestling
CRMW North American Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
CRMW North American Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Lance Storm
CRMW Mid-Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
Canadian Wrestling Connection
CWC Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Lance Storm
Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre
NWA World Middleweight Championship (1 time)
Extreme Championship Wrestling
ECW World Television Championship (1 time)
Music
Revolver Magazine's 100 Greatest Living Rock Stars (2011)
Loudwire Cage Match Hall of Fame for "Sandpaper" as a member of Fozzy (2012)
Gold for "Judas" by the RIAA as a member of Fozzy (2022)
Other
The Order of the Buffalo Hunt of the province of Manitoba, awarded for his "championship achievements in sports and commitments to underprivileged children". (2004)
Recipient of the Keys to the City of Winnipeg (2004).
Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal of the province of Manitoba, for his work with various local charities. (2023)
The city of Winnipeg renamed the street he grew up on into "Chris Jericho Way" (2023).