Chris Jericho is one of the best examples of the "total package" wrestler. Someone who can deliver on the mic and in the ring with almost anyone, Chris Jericho is generally considered among the all-time greats in professional wrestling. Touching on Chris Jericho's in-ring wrestling, as Chris Jericho's regarded as one of the most respected in-ring performers of all time, fans are aware of the many signatures and finisher maneuvers he has under his belt. However, some may not be aware of one of the names Chris Jericho originally intended to label one of his recent finishers.
Chris Jericho's Thirty-Year Legendary Career
Since making his professional wrestling debut in 1990, Chris Jericho's garnered one of the most successful careers in the business. From his early years in Japan and wrestling for top promotions like WCW and ECW to hitting his prime in WWE, Chris Jericho's won multiple World Championships and has even taken part in the main event of a WrestleMania. As he continues to wrestle on primetime TV for AEW, Chris Jericho's widely regarded for his longevity in the business, as he can still perform at a high level without taking too much time off from injuries.
Chris Jericho is a respected technical wrestler and has had countless quality matches over his thirty-year-plus career. Even in Chris Jericho's later years, he has continued to entertain fans by tangling with the very best in modern wrestling.
Chris Jericho Has A Long List Of Finishers
Chris Jericho's move set is known to have many devastating maneuvers as part of his signature and finisher moves. Perhaps his best-known maneuver is the "Walls of Jericho," which was his finisher since making his WWE debut in 1999. Chris Jericho's also known for the "Codebreaker" maneuver, which later became his first finisher since returning to WWE in late 2007, moving the "Walls of Jericho" into mainly a signature maneuver.
However, since Chris Jericho made his AEW debut in 2019, he's added another maneuver to his list of devastating finishers. The back elbow, or the "Judas Effect" as he calls it, became Chris Jericho's most modern addition to his list of finishers, which helped him gain success in AEW. After winning the AEW World Heavyweight Championship at the All Out 2019 PPV, the "Judas Effect" quickly became a finisher to be taken seriously.
During Chris Jericho's WWE Return In 2012, He Added Another Finisher
As Chris Jericho utilizes a striking maneuver like the Judas Effect as his finisher, it's worth noting that Chris Jericho had the idea of using a striking finisher going back a decade when developing the move with Lance Storm. According to his Best in The World book, released in 2014, quoted by Cultaholic, Chris Jericho had the idea of a forearm strike finisher upon his return to WWE in 2012. He would refer to the move as "Apocalypse Now," which made sense considering his gimmick WWE return revolved around the "end of the world" vignettes.
Chris Jericho then claimed it fell through because, as he stated in his book, he didn't have "the patience to get it over." Because of this, it'd be many years before fans get to witness Chris Jericho adding another finisher to his arsenal as he declares his back elbow striking move an exclusive to AEW. As Chris Jericho's known for evolving over the years in his career, adding another unique finisher is part of that very appeal.