Chris Jericho has always been an icon in the wrestling world, but things weren’t always so easy for him. When he first entered WCW, Jericho was a massive fan-favorite, but still found himself struggling to connect with the audience to the level of the main event stars of the era.
He was a good-looking guy with a bright smile and blonde hair – qualities that used to make him a fan favorite. Up to a certain point, he had female fans in the palm of his hand, but times were changing, so were the “demos,” and edgier babyfaces like “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and The Rock were emerging.
Appearing on an episode of the “Basic!” podcast, Jericho said,
“When I first came to WCW, I was kinda miscast. So, when you see a guy coming in and slapping hands and being a good-looking guy… At this point, they’re like, ‘Nah, this guy’s too squeaky clean.’”
Reflecting on this experience, Jericho explained that he decided to turn heel so that he could better show off his personality.
“When you’re a heel, you don’t have to color inside the lines. You can do whatever you want. It’s a lot easier to make people hate you than it is to make people like you, but once they start really hating you that’s when they start to really like you.”
Jericho went on to discuss how he believes that fans tend to respect the competency of a good villain. He cited famous movie villains like Darth Vader, The Terminator, and The Joker as examples. “It’s interesting to see how people start to relate to villains and root for them because they’re competent and capable,” he said. Jericho also noted that horror legend Freddie Krueger soon became the center of the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise, as fans began to relish his kills, “he’s way more interesting than the victims.”
For Jericho, the peak of his career as a heel was in 2008 when he felt that he’d locked into a much more actorly presence. He even got attacked on the street and called out for his ungrateful attitude by fans. However, Jericho believes that it’s important to be aware of the fans’ responses, as they’ll let a wrestler know when it’s time to embrace them.
“There’s only so far that you can take it, and then people start really wanting to like you more, and that’s when you’ve gotta switch.”
Chris Jericho’s assessment holds true for some of the most iconic wrestlers in history, with Ric Flair, Jerry Lawler, Dusty Rhodes, Shawn Michaels, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, The Rock, Eddie Guerrero, John Cena, and many more serving as some of the best examples.
