[2000-05-01-WWF-Raw] Chris Jericho vs X-Pac

[soup23]

We have reinstated referee Earl Hebner out for this one. Him and X-Pac have a back and forth before Jericho even comes out. Fun match with Jericho continue to being one of the bigger stars in the company. Tori tries to get involved but gets dropkicked by Jericho. Hebner takes no shit from X-Pac and DQ hims when he gets physical. Road Dogg comes out and gets shoved down as well. Fun stuff. **1/4

[Loss]

That Vince-Stephanie kiss was a little ... yeah. The match and surrounding angle was tremendous. Jericho in his entrance and reaction genuinely looks like the next big thing. Hot match with Jericho having a great night and X-Pac really in his zone as a terrific ring general. I don't know what the end game was with working so hard to get Hebner over, or if it was just a thank you for Montreal, or what. But the match is super heated and fun as hell with lots of crowd-pleasing spots. Road Dogg runs in after Hebner calls for the DQ for getting shoved and he and Earl do the Ric Flair-Tommy Young shoving spot before the ring fills with referees. Good match but awesome segment. ***

[GSR]

Road Dogg and X-Pac are confronting Vince McMahon as they want another title match against Edge and Christian. Vinnie Mac tells them all in good time because tonight is “family night”, DX family night, and they’ve got to stick together. Since it is family night, he wants X-Pac to defend the honour of his daughter Stephanie against Chris Jericho.

 

Prior to the match commencing, Lillian Garcia introduces Earl Hebner, who’s been reinstated by Linda McMahon. Jericho cuts a promo and he feels sorry that X-Pac has to defend the integrity of a woman who has none. As far as Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley is concerned, the word ‘honour’ means ‘jump on her’ and ‘stay on her’. He goes on to spell the word ‘honour’ (wrongly by the sounds of it) and says that she is half of that...a ‘ho’! X-Pac escapes a hammerlock and gets the better of a shoulder tackle, but Jericho with a Japanese arm drag. Pac rolls to the floor, however Y2J is right on him with a baseball slide dropkick. He throws him into the ring steps before tossing him back inside. As Jericho climbs the turnbuckles, X-Pac kicks a leg out and he crotches himself. Superplex attempt is blocked; Y2J shoves Pac to the canvas only to then fail to connect with the missile dropkick. Spin kick in the corner drops Jericho, but he manages to avoid the ‘bronco buster’. Bulldog, and as Y2J runs the ropes, Tori grabs his ankle. The interference doesn’t really hinder him though as he ducks under a Pac clothesline and nails him with a flying forearm for two. Double powerbomb, Lionsault and Tori is up on the apron distracting referee Hebner. Springboard dropkick to Tori!!! Pac levels Jericho with a spin kick and somewhere along the line the cut on X-Pac’s forehead has been re-opened. ‘Bronco buster’ and Earl Hebner decides not to give him until five to break, but at two starts manhandling Pac and trying to pull him off Y2J. X-Pac shoves Hebner, Earl responds with one of his own (with Pac bumping for him) and then calls for the DQ due to him putting his hands on the official. Jericho with ‘the Walls’ on X-Pac post-match and Road Dogg is out for the save. The Dogg gets in Hebner’s face and he must be one strong cookie as a single shove now drops him too! Earl’s lost the plot and a bunch of other officials are out to restrain him.

 

Huge improvement in the promo from Jericho here, and he was super over with the crowd who were all joining in with his ‘Raw is Jericho’ and ‘never...ever’ catchphrases. Work between the two was really good, and we even got a Tori bump off a springboard dropkick; however this felt more about storyline progression for Earl Hebner than the two wrestlers. I can appreciate he’s trying to show his authority and he’s not to be messed with, but I really wish they wouldn’t bump and take pratfalls so easily for him though. Personally I wouldn’t have him putting his hands on the wrestlers period, but if he’s going to push them, don’t fall over off a solitary shove from a 160lb 50 year old man!