The 5 greatest rivalries of Chris Jericho's career
Chris Jericho has had a legendary career spanning multiple promotions over the past 30 years. Whether it be WWE, WCW, ECW, NJPW or AEW, Le Champion has been at the forefront of rivalries that are the most memorable in the history of the business.
Chris Jericho mixed it up with legends, Hall of Famers and rising stars, giving them all iconic feuds that stand among the best. There have been some over championship gold or deeply personal issues. Some of these rivalries have even crossed over among the many promotions that he has been with as well.
CHRIS JERICHO (@IAMJERICHO) ENTRANCE FROM #AEW REVOLUTION | ORDER THE REPLAY NOW youtu.be/Zj8Mju6_aq0 via @YouTube https://t.co/cGX5oelRuv
The Demo God continues to be featured as a top star to this day for All Elite Wrestling. He recently culminated a year-long storyline with MJF that just missed the cut on the list. In this article, let's take a look at the five greatest rivalries of Chris Jericho's career.
5) Chris Jericho vs. Dean Malenko
#WCW’s best feud: @IAmJericho #VS Dean Malenko @delvin_cox
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Chris Jericho gained a lot of experience across the world from Canada to Mexico to Japan. He finally arrived in the United States as part of Smokey Mountain Wrestling before eventually moving over to Extreme Championship Wrestling. Jericho's biggest break came when he signed with WCW and became an integral part of the Cruiserweight division.
Chris Jericho won the Cruiserweight Championship for the first time in the summer of 1997 and again a couple of months later, but he lost the strap very soon after both times. This led to a crucial heel turn for him in 1998 when he won the title for the third time against Rey Mysterio. Following a feud with Juventud Guerrera, he crossed paths with Dean Malenko.
Jericho constantly claimed to be a better wrestler than the Man of 1,000 Holds despite ducking the opportunity to face him. Chris Jericho cut one of his most memorable promos ever where he claimed to be "The Man of 1,004 Holds" and listed every move on an episode of Nitro. He named many holds that don't exist as well as armbar multiple times.
Chris Jericho defeated Dean Malenko at Uncensored 1998, which led to Malenko taking a leave of absence. During this sabbitical, Jericho insulted his rival at every turn. At Slamboree 1998, there was a Cruiserweight battle royal that was won by the mysterious Ciclope. To the shock of Jericho, Ciclope was unmasked to reveal himself as Dean Malenko to a massive pop.
Malenko went on to defeat Chris Jericho to win the WCW Cruiserweight Championship. This led to Jericho claiming a conspiracy to get the title off of him, which eventually led to Malenko relinquishing the gold. Jericho won the title back at the Great American Bash when Malenko got himself disqualified. For all the awesome moments created, this has to be among Jericho's best feuds.