10 Surprising Facts You Probably Didn’t Know About Chris Jericho

Originally named Christopher Keith Irvine, the legendary sports entertainer Chris Jericho made his mark in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) during the mid-1990s. There, he became notorious for mocking seasoned wrestling icons and creating wild conspiracy-themed storylines after his losses.

In 1999, Jericho made his grand entrance into the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, which later evolved into WWE), playfully blowing a kiss after being disqualified in his debut match. Just two years later, he made history as the first-ever Undisputed Champion of the promotion.

For decades, Jericho has captivated audiences with his confident swagger, punishing submission holds, and his ongoing mission to 'save' the world of professional wrestling. Now under All Elite Wrestling (AEW), he leads the Jericho Appreciation Society and, as of October 2022, holds the prestigious Ring of Honor (ROH) World Championship title. Here are 10 things you might not know about the 'Lionheart' who became much more than just a wrestler.

1. Chris Jericho took guitar lessons from the lead singer of Crash Test Dummies.

In 1993, the Crash Test Dummies' enigmatic hit ‘Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm’ was everywhere. However, back in 1979, the band’s future frontman, Brad Roberts, was teaching a 9-year-old Chris Jericho how to play guitar. Although Jericho later joined a heavy-metal band, he chose the trombone when he entered middle school.

2. His original wrestling name was going to be 'Jack Action.'

The name 'Chris Jericho' was inspired by the German power metal band Helloween’s 1985 album *Walls of Jericho*, but only after his initial choice was rejected. Jericho shared in 2019 on the *Rich Eisen Show*, 'I was gonna call myself, “Jack Action.” Just Jack Action. First name: Jack, last name: Action. I thought it was going to make me a million dollars, but when I told someone, they said, “You can’t be Jack Action, that’s stupid.” And I was like, “Of course it’s stupid! I would never do that.” Then I looked at the Helloween album and said, “Chris Jericho!” There you go. You could have been talking to Jack Action if things had turned out differently.'

3. Jericho trained at the infamous Stu Hart’s Dungeon, but not necessarily with any of the Hart family.

Born to professional hockey player Ted Irvine, Chris Jericho was originally from Manhasset, New York, but grew up in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, where he first discovered and became captivated by pro-wrestling. At 19, he began his wrestling journey at the legendary Hart Brothers School of Wrestling (aka *Stu Hart’s Dungeon*), primarily working with Ed Langley and local wrestler Brad Young.

Keith Hart, one of Stu’s eight sons, was present when Jericho first arrived at the camp. After handing out contracts to Jericho and the other new recruits, Hart took the future 'Y2J' star into the ring, knocked him down from behind, and locked him in a hold until he got bored and left.

According to Jericho, that was the only time any of the Hart brothers—including Bret and Owen—showed up at the school during his time there.

4. He has released eight studio albums with his heavy metal band, Fozzy.

Fozzy originally started as a cover band known as Fozzy Osbourne, with the playful premise that all metal icons had actually stolen the band's songs to achieve fame. Jericho became the lead singer in 1999 and initially adopted the persona of 'Moongoose McQueen,' a character who didn’t know who Chris Jericho was, but shared a bold, larger-than-life attitude.

As Jericho’s WWE career soared, Fozzy became a successful side project. However, in 2005, he took a break from wrestling to focus on music. With the release of Fozzy's third album, *All That Remains*, they ditched their comedic backstory (and Jericho dropped the Moongoose persona) to pursue a more genuine musical path.

In 2017, the track 'Judas' from Fozzy's seventh studio album (also titled *Judas*) became their biggest hit, reaching No. 9 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart and clinching the No. 1 spot on the Sirius/XM Octane charts. Jericho now uses this song as his entrance theme in AEW, with live audiences often chanting the lyrics as he steps into the ring.

5. Jericho defeated both The Rock and 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin in the same night.

Jericho made the jump from WCW to WWE during a pivotal time. In March 2001, WWE purchased the struggling WCW promotion, acquiring global rights to the WCW brand, its tape library, intellectual property—including its championship titles—and some of its top talent.

At the December 2001 pay-per-view *Vengeance*, Jericho faced The Rock for the (formerly WCW) World Championship, and immediately afterward, battled 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin for the WWF Championship. With a series of interferences from Vince McMahon and Booker T, 'Le Champion' won both matches, becoming the first-ever Undisputed WWF Champion, unifying the top titles of both promotions (which officially rebranded as WWE in 2002). After this historic victory, Jericho returned to an empty backstage area, went back to his hotel, ordered a pizza, and ended up locking himself out of his room.

6. He’s a huge fan of horror.

It’s no surprise that a metalhead like Jericho is also a big horror fan. He’s used his fame to land roles in horror films. After watching a terrifying scene from *Terrifier* featuring Art The Clown, Jericho attended a convention where actor David Howard Thornton (who plays Art the Clown) was appearing, so he could secure a role in the sequel. He’s also appeared on Shudder’s *The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs*, co-hosting a screening of the 1976 film *Blood Sucking Freaks* alongside the legendary drive-in critic.

7. Jericho portrayed a KKK Grand Wizard in *Jay and Silent Bob Reboot*.

But that’s not the only time he’s graced the screen. Aside from numerous wrestling documentaries, Jericho had a brief role in the comedy *MacGruber* and delivered a particularly detestable performance as a KKK leader who gets humiliated by Silent Bob in *Jay and Silent Bob Reboot*. He also starred in Kevin Smith's horror-comedy anthology *Killroy Was Here*, portraying social media star The Gator Chaser.

8. Jericho runs his own dirt sheet and podcast.

Jericho has expanded his influence well beyond the wrestling ring with his own wrestling news site, *WebIsJericho*, which also covers rock music. He also hosts the incredibly popular podcast *Talk Is Jericho*, where he interviews top names in wrestling, entertainment, comedy, and even the paranormal.

In a recent episode, Jericho shared the story of his first-ever wrestling match, which took place on October 2, 1990, at the Ponoka Moose Hall in Alberta. He detailed his mindset leading up to the event, including the emotional toll of a tragic accident in late September that year, which left his mother a quadriplegic. Jericho had planned to abandon his wrestling career to care for her, but she urged him not to give up on his dreams.

9. Jericho has won over 30 championships, but his overall record is losing.

Jericho’s career is a testament to paradox: an eight-time World Champion (six times in WWE, and once in AEW and ROH), a record 10-time Intercontinental Champion (including his time in New Japan Pro Wrestling), and the WWE’s fourth Grand Slam Champion—yet his overall record remains losing.

After launching his career with a flawless 49-0 record in the regional Smoky Mountain Wrestling promotion, Jericho rose to global fame during his WWE tenure, amassing 171 wins, 234 losses, and 25 draws. Despite having more losses than wins, he often found himself wearing the top title.

10. Jericho was fined twice in the ring for things he didn’t even do.

In addition to his disqualification in his first WWE match, Jericho earned the dubious distinction of being fined twice for actions his opponents took in the ring. For years, wrestlers used a technique called 'blading,' where they would cut themselves to make it appear as if they were bleeding during matches.

As wrestling became more mainstream, Vince McMahon banned the practice of blading after Jericho’s bloody 2002 feud with Shawn Michaels. Yet, Jericho was fined twice for being in the ring with opponents who broke this rule—Ric Flair and Batista—and in both cases, Jericho was fined simply for being present in the squared circle.