Though Benoit was carried out on a stretcher, he returned to the match to climb the ladder and retain the championship. The team defended their title in the first Fatal Four-Way Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match where Benoit sustained a year-long injury doing a diving headbutt through a table. Benoit and Jericho each became a WWF Tag Team Champion for the first time. Benoit and Jericho won the match, in which Triple H legitimately tore his quadriceps and would spend the rest of the year injured. At WrestleMania X-Seven, he successfully defended his title in a match against William Regal, only to lose it four days later to Triple H.Īt Judgment Day, Jericho and Benoit won a Tag Team Turmoil match and earned a shot at Stone Cold Steve Austin and Triple H for their WWF Tag Team Championship on Raw the next night. Jericho lost the match to Triple H only by one second, despite the repeated assistance Triple H's wife, Stephanie, provided him in the match.Īt the 2001 Royal Rumble, Jericho defeated Chris Benoit in a Ladder match to win the Intercontinental Championship for the fourth time. Meanwhile, Jericho's feud with Triple H climaxed at Fully Loaded, when they competed in a Last Man Standing match. On the May 4 episode of SmackDown!, Jericho defeated Benoit to become Intercontinental Champion for the third time, but lost the title to Benoit four days later on Raw. Hebner later reversed the decision due to pressure from Triple H, and WWE does not recognize Jericho's reign as champion. Referee Earl Hebner made a fast count when Jericho pinned Triple H, causing Jericho to win the title. On the April 17 episode of Raw, Jericho upset Triple H in a WWF Championship match. Jericho lost the title the next day to Eddie Guerrero on Raw after Chyna turned heel to side with Guerrero. This was the first of six pay-per-view matches between the pair within twelve months. Jericho won the European Championship by pinning Benoit, who in turn pinned Jericho to take the Intercontinental Championship. On April 2, Jericho competed in a Triple Threat match against Chris Benoit and Angle at WrestleMania 2000 in a two-falls contest with both of Angle's titles at stake. Jericho lost his title to the European Champion Kurt Angle at No Way Out. Jericho's subsequent alliance with Chyna, coupled with growing enthusiasm for his ring work and mic skills, effectively turned him into a face.įeuds and teaming with Chris Benoit, heel turn (2000–2001)
As a result, they became co-owners of the title until Jericho attained sole ownership at the Royal Rumble. This feud included a controversial decision during a rematch in which two separate referees declared each one of them the winner of a match for the title. After losing to Chyna at the Survivor Series, Jericho won his first Intercontinental title at Armageddon. Jericho's first long-term feud was with Chyna, for the Intercontinental Championship. Later that month, Jericho made his in-ring debut on August 26, 1999, losing by disqualification in a match against Road Dogg on the inaugural episode of SmackDown! after powerbombing Road Dogg through a table. The Rock proceeded to verbally mock him for his interruption. Whilst The Rock was in the ring cutting a promo on the Big Show, Jericho entered the arena and proclaimed "Raw is Jericho" and that he had "come to save the World Wrestling Federation", referring to himself as "Y2J" (a play on the Y2K bug). The clock finally ran down on the Augepisode of Raw, in Chicago, Illinois. Vince McMahon gave him the green light to use it as his intro to the WWF. On the home video, Break Down the Walls, Jericho states he was inspired to do this as his entrance when he saw a similar clock in a post office. In the weeks before Jericho's debut, a clock labelled "countdown to the new millennium" appeared on WWF programming. Jericho alternated between WCW and a number of Japanese tours before he signed a contract with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) on June 30. World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment The Y2J Problem and Intercontinental Champion (1999–2000)