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Y2J Chris Jericho has been wowing crowds with his character, promos, and skills in the ring for over 25 years. Wrestling for NJPW, CMLL, WAR, ECW, WCW, and of course WWF/WWE, Jericho has toured the globe many times over giving us fantastic memories in the process. Here's a look at five of Jericho's top matches.
#5 Chris Jericho vs CM Punk - WWE WrestleMania 28
CM Punk could get a great match out of many people but seeing a veteran like Jericho go toe-to-toe with him really highlighted how good both superstars were.
WWE Champion Punk held a disdain for Y2J for his alcohol vendetta against him and both hated the other for using the 'Best in the World' tag. A final 'Anaconda Vise' from Punk put Jericho away after multiple 'Codebreakers' and 'Walls of Jerichos' in this gruelling encounter.
#4 Chris Jericho vs Shawn Michaels - Ladder Match at WWE No Mercy 2008
Seen by many as the greatest in-ring performer of all time, the Heartbreak Kid was in the first ladder match with Bret Hart and brought this type of match to prominence in his encounter with Razor Ramon.
Add Chris Jericho into the mix and you have an instant classic that won 2008 Wrestling Observer Match of the Year. Defending champion Y2J was able to defeat Michaels on this occasion and kept his title after a fast-paced barn burner of a match.
#3 Chris Jericho & Chris Benoit vs Edge & Christian vs The Dudley Boyz vs The Hardy Boyz - TLC III; WWF SmackDown, 24 May 2001
The third TLC match ever was known colloquially as the 'forgotten TLC'; mainly due to Chris Benoit's involvement and the WWE largely purging references to him from history due to his heinous activities. That doesn't mean Benoit wasn't a fantastic wrestler.
Putting him in a TLC match partnered with Jericho against three of the greatest tag teams of all time meant magic was going to take place on this SmackDown show from 2001. Huge bumps and high-flying action made this a classic, with both Jericho and Benoit finally retrieving the Championship belts after a hard-fought match.
#2 Chris Jericho vs Shawn Michaels - WWE WrestleMania 19
Shawn Michaels had just returned from his four-year hiatus. Mr. WrestleMania was Chris Jericho's idol growing up so the chance to wrestle him on the biggest stage of them all meant everything to Chris.
A beautifully technical and emotional match involved both men hitting 'Sweet Chin Music' on the other before the Heartbreak Kid finally picked up the pin. Both men hugged it out at the end as a show of respect, until Jericho cemented his heel status with a low-blow to his rival and idol before storming away.
#1 Chris Jericho vs Kenny Omega - NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 12
The self-proclaimed Greatest of All Time always said that he wouldn't wrestle anywhere else out of respect for Vince McMahon and the WWE. However, the opportunity to wrestle one of the 'heirs' to the throne in Kenny Omega at the Tokyo Dome was too good an opportunity to pass for Y2J.
After calling out 'The Cleaner' at Power Struggle and then attacking Omega from behind at the World Tag League Finals, Jericho got his IWGP US Title match.
This was a no disqualification match, which is rare for New Japan, and went on for 35 minutes. Both men tore the house down with brutal offense, weapons, tables and technical ability. Add to this Jericho's heel tactics and berating of Kenny throughout.
Dubbed as 'Alpha vs Omega', this match cemented Kenny Omega's stature as being amongst the best in the world with Jericho as still being in the conversation at 47 years of age. This is one match worth watching again and again.
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