When did Jericho become a tool?

[C.S.]

Jericho fucking worked for New Japan, he had basically the same career path as a guy like AJ, he knows how it is to build your reputation elsewhere and come into WWE and get it beaten out of you. It's the same stuff he's doing on TV, treating AJ Styles like a 20 year old kid, downplaying his accomplishments and acting like a bigger star than he is. It's all clearly a work and he'll turn heel at the end of it.

 

I know I don't have to explain this to you, but between this and the "Cena buried Brock" in the other thread, I'm suddenly very frustrated that there are people out there so...dumb.

 

Yeah, I agree and think Jericho has been subtly building up a heel character for months - the insecure lame dad veteran who downplays AJ's accomplishments, has a beef with other "young'uns" like Ambrose, etc.

 

Where is this Cena/Brock argument?

[Jimmy Redman]

Oh just the thing in the Fastlane thread talking about how rubes think Cena "buried" Brock by winning at ER.

[Sidebottom]

Jericho fucking worked for New Japan

 

He has never actually worked for NJPW, in the employment sense - or anything comparable to AJ or Nakamura. The 95 J cup date was WAR, the few weeks he spent there in 97 way down on the card were part of a WCW exchange and I think he did a solo shot there in 98, again whilst being employed by WCW. Pretty sure he spent most of his time wrestling in Japan in FMW with Storm a few years earlier.

[Jimmy Redman]

Oh damn. I just remembered the doomed Super Liger thing, so I figured that was with NJ.

 

My point was IRL he clearly isn't down on puro and is working an angle.

[JerryvonKramer]

During his recent interview with Flair, he came across as thinking -- too much I think -- that his career was in some way comparable to Flair's. This was especially around the insecurity stuff.

 

I thought Jericho was so conceited that he diminished both Flair's career and his anxiety issues, which are probably very real. So that soured me on him a bit.

 

Of course, Ric is conceited too, at times (I find he's a bit too often self-deprecating also), but he's freaking Ric Flair and has every right to be.

[victory]

I think since he's achieved both his childhood dreams with great success along with some of other things like TV appearances, radio, podcast and your own books. Your going to be a little arrogant about it. It would probably be hard not to be to an extent. He probably doesn't even realize how he comes across at times.

[Laz]

I think one of the more damning things about his ego is that others who have achieved as much, if not more, come across as humble. The Attitude big three of Austin, Rock, and Foley immediately come to mind.

[Sidebottom]

I think since he's achieved both his childhood dreams with great success

 

That's the point, he hasn't. In wrestling - absolutely. Only an idiot wouldn't tip their hat to his success in that world regardless of how you personally feel towards his matches. In music, he pays to go on tour with popular acts. But he acts like he is as credible as those acts, which is embarrassing. It would be like "Bruno" acting like he was a big deal in the music scene because Die Hard was a smash, it's mental. And I'd put my house on the line a lot more Bruno albums were shifted than any Fozzy offering...

[Yo-Yo's Roomie]

I thought he was a tool after reading his first book. I enjoyed it, but he came off as a very immature guy with an alcohol problem.

[pantherwagner]

I think things like the Cornette Wendy's footage or the RVD match online rant sort of show that he was always kind of a tool. He was just sort of our tool at some point?

 

This is spot on. In the 90s/early 00s he was one of our guys (good wrestler, small, underpushed, buried by the MAIN EVENTERS ON STEROIDS, etc.) who eventually made it based on hard quality work and charisma. But if we go back his first book made him look like a total douche and kind of exposed him as being quite dumb.

[flyonthewall2983]

Really has no bearing on the question, but I think he's a good conversationalist but a terrible interviewer. I listen to his podcast because I enjoy hearing him talk with other wrestlers and people in that world, but when he steps out of it he often comes off like he knows more than he actually does. And in most of the stuff with musicians he does he's good at it enough because he either knows them personally or is a genuine fan. But when he interviewed Stewart Copeland for example, his knowledge of anything outside of the hard rock/metal world (or Beatles trivia) is pretty apparent.

 

I don't like that he defended Bill DeMott. I can't say I have the inside track on what went on but when so many people say one thing against somebody, I tend to believe it.

[Sidebottom]

Just listened to his interview with Sam (John Bradley) from Game of Thrones. GAME OF THRONES, the hottest show on TV right now, time will likely prove one of the greatest show ever. John is talking about the CGI work on the show and Jericho counters... with his experiences filming Sharknado 3.

[flyonthewall2983]

^ No better proof of what it's like living in the McMahon bubble

[Rock_Of_Jericho]

I am a huge Jericho fan, and for the most part, he seemed like a decent guy throughout his first two books. But, when I read the third, it just came off as a guy who name-dropped every celebrity he ever met, thought more of his musical success than he should, and just started to sound a bit like a self-absorbed asshole. Still love the character, but I've seen him slowly come off as more and more douchey the older he gets.

[Matt D]

And that's coming from the guy named "Rock of Jericho" folks.

[Johnny Sorrow]

The quality of product has nothing to do with the comparing what it's like to try and act with CGI . I do amateur podcasts and I could still commiserate with Marc Maron about about tech issues.

[Sidebottom]

The quality of product has nothing to do with the comparing what it's like to try and act with CGI . I do amateur podcasts and I could still commiserate with Marc Maron about about tech issues.

 

Of course it does, when you interject seamlessly as if you are a peer and the work is comparable. And there is quite a leap between a $100M show and a podcast for starters. Regardless, when you are interviewing a cast member of Game of Thrones, you shut the hell up about your experiences on Sharknado 3, that's just common sense if you don't want to come across as a massive tool.

 

It's similar to the other month where he literally put himself in the league of musicians like Alice Cooper, Kiss and that crew because they happened to be in the same building. He is the least self aware wrestler who talks on a consistent basis.

[PhilTLL]

Yeah, that's the equivalent of interviewing an NBA player and talking about the time you made it to state in high school. It might technically be relevant, but it's not even a little bit comparable.