Chris Jericho‘s WrestleMania resume is impressive. The Fozzy frontman has competed at WWE’s Biggest Show of the Year on 14 different occasions. He’s squared off against some of the biggest names in the history of this business at the sporting extravaganza.
At 53 years of age, Jericho is still one of the biggest names AEW have on their roster. His ability to constantly reinvent himself with changing times is second to none. Let’s take a look at Chris Jericho’s five best WrestleMania matches.
Vs. Christian (WrestleMania XX)
Chris Jericho and Christian went from friends to bitter enemies on the road to WrestleMania XX. The two former tag team partners met each other inside the historic Madison Square Garden. They channeled their pre-match tension to create a great contest.
The match featured a huge shock moment when Trish Stratus slapped Jericho to reveal her alliance with Christian. Captain Charisma capitalized on the distraction to pin the Fozzy singer for the win.
Vs. Edge (WrestleMania XXVI)
Chris Jericho and Edge were tag team partners when the Rated Superstar suffered an injury that sidelined him from action for months. Edge made his return at the 2010 Royal Rumble. He’d win the match to earn a world title shot at WrestleMania XXVI.
The two former tag team partners collided for Jericho’s World Championship at the big event. This was a great back and forth match with some creative spots and false finishes. The champion retained his title via controversial means, but not before getting speared through a barricade.
Chris Jericho vs. CM Punk (WrestleMania XXVIII)
The feud between Chris Jericho and CM Punk stemmed from their differences over who truly was the best in the world. Both men had stacked resume which made their claims seem genuine. The duo decided to settle their differences at WrestleMania XXVIII.
Punk wrestled the match under the stipulation that he’d be lose his WWE Championship in case of a DQ finish. This stipulation made for some compelling action which saw Jericho try to tempt Punk to lose his cool.
The Straight Edge Superstar, nonetheless, retained his WWE Championship in a great 20-minute match against Y2J.
Money in the Bank Ladder Match (WrestleMania 21)
It is well documented that Chris Jericho conceptualized what would eventually become the Money in the Bank Ladder match. The whole idea was that the competitors of the inaugural MITB match had originally nothing in store for WrestleMania 21 so the idea was thrown around for them to compete in the gimmick match.
On a night that had the brilliant Shawn Michaels versus Kurt Angle match, the Money in the Bank match stood out for its innovative spots and creative execution. All participants showed up and showed out during the match. Jericho, in particular, took a nasty lariat from Shelton Benjamin who used an inclined ladder to run into Y2J.
Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels (WrestleMania XIX)
Chris Jericho had looked up to Shawn Michaels as most aspiring wrestlers did in the early nineties. The two men finally got the opportunity to work together following the Heartbreak Kid’s return to in-ring action in 2003.
After bumping into each other in different multi-men matches, Jericho and Michaels finally came face-to-face at WrestleMania XIX. This turned out to be a Match of the Year contender as the two men put an absolute clinic.
Not only did this match live up to its hype, it became arguably the best of Y2J’s illustrious career. The two men would revisit their iconic feud in 2008 but one cannot deny that it was the WrestleMania XIX encounter that started it all.
Honorable Mentions
- Chris Jericho vs. Triple H (WrestleMania X8)
- Vs. Kevin Owens (WrestleMania 33)
- Chis Jericho vs. Kurt Angle vs. Chris Benoit (WrestleMania 2000)
- Money in the Bank Ladder Match (WrestleMania XXIV)
- Vs. AJ Styles (WrestleMania 32)
