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Chris Jericho is the busiest man in professional wrestling. So far this year he has competed in both the WWE and NJPW, held his own cruise, won the IWGP Intercontinental Championship, turned up at All In, and still managed to hold down a successful rock and podcasting career away from the ring.
Jericho turns 48 in just a few short weeks but unlike other performers his age, he is not just willing to take easy pay-cheques and live off former glories. The former Undisputed Champion is constantly seeking to reinvent himself and make headlines in the industry. Simply put, Chris Jericho has become the David Bowie of the wrestling industry.
This weekend, Jericho will defend his IWGP Intercontinental Championship against EVIL at NJPW Power Struggle, and it is still unclear as to who whether or not he will be sticking around in NJPW following the event.
If Jericho is done with NJPW for now, then it seems highly unlikely that it will be the last we see of him in a wrestling ring. Y2J has a habit of popping up when we least expect it, and he could feasibly pop up in any of the big promotions at any time over the next six months.
With that in mind, let's take a look at 10 dream Chris Jericho matches we could still get to see before he hangs up his boots for good.
10: Tommaso Ciampa
If there is one thing we have learned in 2018, it's that Chris Jericho can pop up quite literally anywhere. In fact, he could be waiting outside your match ready to hit you with a codebreaker right now.
Jericho has made a habit of appearing where nobody expects him to, and when he's done with NJPW, there is every chance he could make another appearance in the WWE.
If Jericho really wanted to surprise his fans though, a surprise appearance in NXT would be the perfect place to do it.
Jericho turning up to take down current NXT Champion and the last bastion of Kayfabe, Tommaso Ciampa, would blow the roof off Full Sail University and would also set up a match between two of the best character workers in the wrestling industry.
The two men are incredibly committed to their characters and would no doubt bring the best out of each other on the microphone, their social media exchanges would also prove to be something pretty special.
Not only that but Jericho is always more than willing to put other performers over, and a victory over Y2J could send Ciampa into the stratosphere in terms of heat and momentum.
9: Johnny Gargano
Sticking with NXT, Tommaso Ciampa's long-time rival, Johnny Gargano could also prove to be an excellent opponent for Chris Jericho.
Gargano is one of the finest wrestlers in the world today and the two men would likely steal whatever show they found themselves on.
When Gargano does inevitably make his arrival on the main-roster, a big match, and victory against Chris Jericho would be an excellent way to cement his place as one of the top stars in the company.
Both Gargano and Jericho have both proved that they are capable of playing both a face and heel role, which could present plenty of interesting possibilities for a feud between the two men.
8: Pentagon Jr.
While Chris Jericho may have dressed up as Pentagon Jr., the two men have never faced off inside the squared circle.
Jericho grabbed the headlines when he swapped places with Pentagon after his match with Kenny Omega at All In, proceeding to lay out the IWGP Heavyweight Champion, but in the eyes of many fans, he missed an opportunity there.
Rumours of Jericho signing with Impact Wrestling have been circulating for months, and having Jericho attack Pentagon would have added fuel to that fire in a way that only Chris Jericho can.
Regardless of whether Jericho signs with Impact or not, though, this match could still happen at some point in the future.
While it could easily happen at an event like All in 2, it could also take place if Pentagon signed with the WWE, which has also been something that has been rumoured for some time now.
7: Kota Ibushi
Earlier this year, at Wrestle Kingdom 12, Chris Jericho earned his first 5-star match rating from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter for his match against Kenny Omega. While fans had high hopes for the encounter, no-one expected the encounter to be quite as excellent as it was.
Another man who has had a great year in the ring with Kenny Omega is his Golden Lovers tag-team partner, Kota Ibushi.
Ibushi is one of the most exciting in-ring wrestlers in the world, and his super babyface persona could prove to be the perfect match for Jericho's arrogant heel character work.
The two men are among the best in-ring performers in the world and a short program between Jericho and Ibushi could prove to be a great move for both men's careers.
6: Brock Lesnar
Two of the biggest icons in the WWE to have never met in the ring are Chris Jericho and Brock Lesnar.
The two men are both bonafide stars in the industry, and yet despite being in the WWE at the same time on several occasions, the two men have never come face to face, well, at least not in the ring.
Jericho famously confronted Lesnar backstage after the finish to his match against Randy Orton at SummerSlam 2016, and the WWE could easily lean on that to build a match between the pair in the future.
Both Jericho and Lesnar have managed to remain relevant late into their careers and a match between the two men would still no doubt manage to not only draw a good crowd but also entertain the fans.
5: Pete Dunne
If there is one thing Jericho has been willing to do throughout his career, it is put over up and coming young talent.
Pete Dunne is the WWE's current UK Champion, and the 24-year-old superstar has one of the brightest futures in all of wrestling.
The Birmingham native has already proven he is one of the most capable in-ring performers in the world, putting on match of the year candidates alongside the likes of Tyler Bate and Trent Seven, and his hard-hitting in-ring style could compliment Jericho perfectly.
Outside of that, Dunne is also excellent on the mic and Jericho could no doubt help drag the best out of him in that department.
Jericho has also shown a willingness to help draw a crowd to a promotion, so who knows? maybe we could even see the former Undisputed Champion make a surprise appearance in NXT: UK or Progress.
4: Zack Sabre Jr.
Zack Sabre Jr is considered by many to be the most technically gifted wrestler of his generation. The British native is an expert when it comes to submission based wrestling, and seeing him pit his wits against the man of 1004 holds could turn out to be quite the technical masterclass.
Aside from their technical prowess, both men are both incredibly capable of playing arrogant heels, and a war of words between the two men would no prove to be explosive viewing. A clash between the two men in either NJPW or at the next All in event would also guarantee a huge crowd, with both men having legions of loyal fans.
3: Shinsuke Nakamura
It's easy to forget just what an incredible performer Shinsuke Nakamura is given the way he is currently being booked on SmackDown.
The current United States Champion has been fairly anonymous on WWE television lately, and many fans are speculating that that is because his contract is up in January and that he may head back over to NJPW to see out the final years of his career.
Whether a match between these two veterans took place in the WWE or NJPW, or even elsewhere, the two men have both shown that they are capable of producing stellar match-ups, even at this late stage in their career, and a first-time encounter between them could easily main-event whatever show it was on.
The two men have met once before on a WWE house-show in what was said to be a great match but it would be awesome to see them meet on a much bigger stage for us all to see.
2: Will Ospreay
Will Ospreay is one of the hottest wrestling acts in the world today. The British high flyer has entertained audiences all around the world and if he does ever sign for the WWE, there is every chance he could follow Ricochet in becoming one of the biggest stars in the industry.
Ospreay has become one of the biggest acts on the independent circuit and draws a crowd wherever he goes, so partnering him up with Jericho could be a serious pay cheque for both men.
Jericho could easily play the heel in this feud, taking jibes at Ospreay's in-ring style and claiming that the former Progress Champion doesn't have what it takes to compete with someone of his stature.
1: Kazichuka Okada
When Chris Jericho made his surprise debut in NJPW at the end of 2017, fans instantly began speculating as to who he would move on to once he was finished with Kenny Omega.
Jericho then shocked the world once again by moving on to a feud with Tetsuya Naito, which concluded at Dominion this past June with Jericho winning the IWGP Intercontinental Championship, the same title he will defend this weekend against EVIL.
It remains to be seen how long Jericho intends to continue working with NJPW, but one thing is for sure, and that is that he has to take on Kazichuka Okada before he is done.
Kazichuka Okada is considered by many to be the best wrestler on the planet, and given that Jericho was able to put on a 5-star match with Okada's long-time rival, Kenny Omega at Wrestle Kingdom, there is nothing to suggest that Jericho wouldn't be able to replicate that feat against Okada.
While it doesn't appear like Jericho intends to hang up his boots any time soon, a match against Okada could be the perfect way for him to bow out when he does decide the time is right.
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