10 MUST-SEE Chris Jericho Matches

7. Lionheart vs. Ultimo Dragon – WAR 3rd Anniversary Show

This is the most obscure match on the list by far. However, it is still one of the best. Jericho has called Ultimo Dragon one of his greatest opponents and it is a shame they never got to have a big money match in WWE. However, the matches they did have in WAR and WCW are still excellent.

Jericho credits this match as the one that allowed him to get into ECW as Mick Foley showed a tape of the match to Paul Heyman. They had tremendous chemistry and it showed through in this match. They showed off with crazy dives to the floor and superplexes in a style that was still new to the average viewer. The match is available on the Breaking The Code: Behind The Walls Of Chris Jericho DVD if you go looking for it.

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6. Chris Jericho vs. Rey Mysterio – The Bash 2009

You might think Chris Jericho and Rey Mysterio wrestled a lot more than they did before 2009. Their interactions in WCW were minimal and they were always kept on different brands prior to 2008. The rivalry they finally had in 2009 was worth the wait. They had five singles matches and all of them were great but the best of them came at The Bash.

Jericho was putting his Intercontinental Championship on the line against Mysterio’s mask and they had one of the fastest and best matches of the year. If not for Shawn Michaels vs. Undertaker, this could have won match of the year. The finish was also fantastic. Jericho had removed Mysterio’s mask in a previous match to help him win so he tried to remove the mask again only to find Mysterio was wearing a second mask.

Mysterio then quickly hit the 619 and a splash for the win to capture his second IC title. Watch this one, I beg you.

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5. Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels – No Mercy 2008

From a match that could have won match of the year to one that did. Chris Jericho and Shawn Michaels had one of WWE’s best rivalries ever in 2008 with Jericho’s resentment of the fans boiling over against his former idol. They had been feuding and involved since WrestleMania XXIV in March and this was their blowoff match.

Jericho had backed his way into the World Heavyweight Championship the previous month and was then forced to put in on the line against Michaels in a ladder match at No Mercy. As both were at an age where they didn’t need to be doing crazy stunts, this match was primarily a wrestling match with ladders involved. Jericho focused on Michaels’ injured eye, which had been a focal point of their storyline and Michaels was still driven to pay Jericho back for the hardships he had been put through.

Eventually, Jericho and Michaels were involved in a tug of war with the title on top of the ladder. Jericho was holding on with on hand, teetering over his doom when Michaels pulled him in for one last shot. They hit heads on top of the ladder and Michaels fell, allowing Jericho to hold on and win the match. Fantastic.

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4. Chris Jericho vs. Chris Benoit – Royal Rumble 2001

From one ladder match to another, Chris Jericho and Chris Benoit had as much chemistry as any two people in wrestling at the time. Their rivalry over the Intercontinental Championship led them to a ladder match at the Royal Rumble and what a ladder match it was.

Benoit and Jericho had a different kind of ladder match than what the Hardys, Dudleys, and Edge and Christian were producing at the time. Those matches were car-crash stunt shows. This match was a fight. Benoit was a master of being intense and precise in the ring and that did not stop here. He and Jericho brutalized each other, pulling out creative spots like the Walls of Jericho on top of the ladder.

Eventually, Jericho sent Benoit to the outside and was able to capture the Intercontinental title.

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