WWE History: Chris Jericho makes his debut on Monday Night Raw
The backstory
For weeks on end, a countdown clock kept appearing on WWE Monday Night Raw. It was the "Countdown to the New Millenium." It appeared during matches and in the middle of promos. It signaled that something big was on the way to the WWE. On Aug 9, 1999, the clock finally hit 0.
The debut
The Rock came out to the ring to cut a promo on the Big Show. He challenged him to a match while putting him down in the process. The Big Show was to go one-on-one with The Great One, later in the night. The Rock was again interrupted by the countdown clock and it was revealed to be Chris Jericho.
Chris Jericho's debuted his new Y2J persona which was a play on the Y2K Millenium scare. Chris Jericho then cut his promo and said,
"Welcome to Raw is Jericho. And I am the new Millenium for the World Wrestling Federation. Now, for those of you who don't know me, I am Chris Jericho, your new hero, your party host and most importantly, the most charismatic showman to ever enter your living rooms via a television screen."
"And for those who do know me, all hail the Ayatollah of Rock 'n' Rolla. Now, when you think of the new Millenium, you think of an event so gigantic it changes the course of history. You think of a dawning of a new era. And this new era is what this once proud and profitable company sorely needs."
"What was once a captivating, trendsetting program has now deteriorated into a cliched, let's be honest, boring snoozefest that is dire need of a knight in shining armor and that's why I'm here. Chris Jericho has come to save the WWF."
The crowd booed him as he finished up and he then continued to discuss the problems of the WWE. He proceeded to put the locker room down and referred to The Rock as an idiot. He then said he was the guy that everyone has been waiting for.
The aftermath
The Rock responded by saying he should know his role and shut his mouth. He referred to him as a Jabroni and proceeded to bury him with the usual "it doesn't matter" and ended the promo with "If you smell what The Rock is cooking." Monday Night Raw then cut to a commercial break but the Y2J revolution had arrived.