Chris Jericho Thinks He Nearly Ended Up As The Goon In WWE

Chris Jericho says he got an offer from WWE in his early days before he went to WCW, and that he believes it was for The Goon. Jericho spoke at Monopoly Events’ Horror, Rock & Wrestle Fest 2025 and during the conversation he recalled getting a pitch from Jim Cornette for a gimmick-based enhancement talent role in WWE, which he turned down.

“I got a call from Jim Cornette who was then working in WWE,” Jericho recalled. “And he said, ‘We’re starting off this group of guys, they’re jobbers but they all have a gimmick. So they’re not really going to win much but they’ll have a gimmick.’ And [I] kind of sold it like, ‘Yeah I don’t really want to be a jobber. I’ve got other stuff going on, I’m working in Japan and and all these other things.’ And so he was like, ‘So should I put you down with an asterisk?’ I was like ‘No, put me down with a no. I’m not interested.'”

He continued, “And this is when they had The Goon, if you remember this. And Salvatore Sincerely, and they had The Pug. They had TL Hopper, who was a plumber. And The Goon, I’m convinced was supposed to be me.”

Wild Bill Irwin ultimately portrayed The Goon, a hockey-inspired character, for a few months in late 1996 to early 1997.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Monopoly Events with a h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.