Chris Jericho

Chris Jericho is one of professional wrestling's greatest ever performers — a six-time world champion, rock musician, podcast host, and the man who main-evented AEW's very first show. Known to millions as "Y2J" during his legendary WWE run, Jericho reinvented himself completely when he signed with AEW in 2019, becoming the promotion's first-ever World Champion.

Born Christopher Keith Irvine on November 9, 1970, in Manhasset, New York, Jericho honed his craft across WCW, ECW, and every major territory before arriving in WWE as the Millennium Man — Y2K incarnate. His feuds with The Rock, Steve Austin, Triple H, and Shawn Michaels defined an era. But it's his second act in AEW that cements his legacy as the industry's most adaptable performer.

In AEW, Jericho debuted as a coolly confident veteran, formed the Inner Circle faction, then reinvented again as the grandiose "Le Champion" leading the Jericho Appreciation Society — a full heel stable with a rock-concert atmosphere. His Judas Effect elbow smash became one of wrestling's most reliable near-fall finishers. Between wrestling dates he still tours with his rock band Fozzy, whose track "Judas" serves as his entrance music.

Career Highlights

• First-ever AEW World Champion (2019)
• Six-time world champion across WWE, WCW, and AEW
• Undisputed WWE Champion, defeating both The Rock and Steve Austin in the same night (2001)
• Mae Young Classic commentary, WWE Hall of Fame inductee
• Founded Inner Circle and Jericho Appreciation Society stables in AEW
• Fozzy rock band — "Judas," "Painless," "Nowhere to Run"
• Host of the Talk Is Jericho podcast

Finishers & Signature Moves

• Judas Effect — back elbow smash to the face
• Walls of Jericho — elevated Boston Crab
• Codebreaker — double-knee facebreaker
• Liontamer — extreme Boston Crab (early career)