Episode 92 — Chris Jericho: Reinvention Engine — From Y2J to Le Champion

pplpod Episode 92 tracks Chris Jericho’s four-decade shape-shift—from Winnipeg prospect and “Lionheart” in Mexico, Japan, ECW, and WCW to the WWE debut that stopped Raw cold and minted Y2J. We unpack the playbook: character pivots (suit-and-scowl heel, “List of Jericho,” Painmaker, Demo God), finishing-move evolutions (Walls of Jericho, Codebreaker, Judas Effect), and landmark rivalries from The Rock and Shawn Michaels to Kenny Omega and beyond. We follow the global loop—IWGP runs in NJPW, founding moments in AEW as its first World Champion—and the empire outside the ring: Fozzy’s “Judas,” the Talk Is Jericho podcast, bestselling memoirs, and a sea cruise that turned fandom into a floating festival. Adaptation, branding, craft—how Jericho kept staying new while never losing the mic.