Chris Jericho Says He Wasn’t Ready To Be Top Guy After Undisputed WWE Title Win

Chris Jericho famously defeated Steve Austin and The Rock in the same night to become the first Undisputed WWE Champion, but he says he wasn’t ready to be the top guy then. Jericho beat both men to unify the World Championship and WWE Championship at Untapped. He talked about making it in WCW and WWE and then going on to become the main eventer he would be, noting that he didn’t get locked into who he would become as a main eventer into 2008 or so. You can see the highlights below:

On Breaking Into The US & Becoming a Star:

“Well, that’s when the real work starts, you know? Like, you work to make it to the big leagues — at the time, WCW and then it was WWE. And you work hard to get there, but once you get there, like, ‘Okay, now I really have to start working on this, and really watch the biggest names in the business and how they do things. How can I compete with them?’ And I always say that I was like the George Harrison of the Attitude Era, in that when I first came in I was super popular. People loved loved me, I was a baby face, we called it. But I was in the company with The Rock and Steve Austin, the biggest babyfaces in the world. So much like George, I’m a great musician, a great a great songwriter, but I’m in a band with f**king Paul McCartney and John Lennon. What can I do? Nothing. There’s no way I can get bigger than them.

“So I turned bad guy, turned heel, and that’s when I really started getting to the next level. Because now I could be a foil for The Rock and a foil for Steve Austin. I could go toe-to-toe with them on the microphone as a bad guy. So every dragon slayer needs a good dragon to slay, and that’s what I was for those guys. And that’s when I really started making it to the to the next level as a main event guy, being the foil for The Rock and a foil for Stone Cold.”

On Beating Steve Austin and Rock On the Same Night:

“Well yeah, that’s the famous night, right? But all that’s part of the story. Sure, I beat them both in the same night. Good for me. But now, I have to really lock into the next step. Because now when you’re on the top of the mountain, everyone’s trying to knock you off.

“In wrestling, you’re basically performing for an audience of one. Who is the the boss? If it’s Vince McMahon or now it’s Triple H, or if it’s Tony Khan in AEW. Whoever it may be, Eric Bishoff in WCW, you have to impress your boss. And if your boss likes you, you will get a bigger push. If he doesn’t like you, it doesn’t matter if 10,000 fans are cheering your name. They might listen a bit, but if they don’t like you, they’ll bring you down.”

On Not Being Ready For the Main Event in WWE:

“When you get to that top level as the champion, you really have to make no mistakes and you really have to lock in. And when I beat The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin the same night, I wasn’t really ready to be the top, top guy. It was years after when I finally locked in — 2008, 2009. That’s when I became the Chris Jericho that you’re talking to now. A guy who knows what he’s doing in all aspects, total confidence, total pro. I wasn’t that at that point in time in 2001 when I was the Undisputed Champion. But it’s all part of the growing process and learning and building.”

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