Chris Jericho recalls iconic WWE Raw debut, countdown to Y2J era

Pro wrestling legend Chris Jericho has revealed some of the backstory that led into his iconic arrival at WWE back in 1999.

It was the height of WWE’s “Attitude Era,” with The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin standing as the company’s two biggest stars.

But another star was about to join the ranks of the WWE, with former WCW star Jericho’s arrival in the WWE preceded by a series of mysterious countdown clock promos that interjected during episodes of Monday Night Raw throughout 1999.

That countdown clock eventually hit zero on August 9, 1999, when the clock appeared to interrupt The Rock mid-promo. Jericho’s new music hit the speakers, and the crowd exploded as Jericho emerged as WWE’s new “Y2J” problem.

It remains one of the most iconic debut appearances in WWE history and, speaking to Chris Van Vliet, Jericho recounted some of the backstage conversations that led to his memorable arrival.

"It was my first show. I'd been to Detroit to watch Sunday Night Heat the night before, just to be around the set, the guys, and everything," he said (via WrestlingInc).

"We didn't have a rehearsal, which is crazy to think. The Rock and I, and Vince Russo, kinda went to a back area and came up with some ideas.

“I remember Rock came up with the 'Y2J KY Jelly up your ass,' and the Juventud Guerrera line in there, as well. So we just went over it ourselves."

While Jericho and The Rock managed to come to an agreement over the best way to frame their first verbal exchange as rival WWE superstars, Jericho also knew he had to win over former WWE chairman Vince McMahon.

Jericho admitted that process took a little time, with the WWE boss seemingly not fully sold on the brash superstar’s look, or his approach.

"I remember asking, 'Is there anything you want me to do?' “ he recalled.

“He said, 'No, I'll be watching you like a hawk. If there's anything I don't like, I'll tell you,' which, of course, he never told me anything, and I found out afterwards that he didn't like a lot of the things I did, but he never said a word."

The day of the event came, and the entrance itself, which had been teased for weeks, needed to play out perfectly to have maximum impact. Given that lengthy build-up, and the scale of the reveal, there was a lot of pressure to get it right, and Jericho admitted he felt every bit of it.

“I remember when the idea came up for the countdown clock — which we had been doing it for about a month on Raw — when the idea came up to end at zero during The Rock's promo, which is Vince's idea – which doesn't get any bigger than that.

“Rock was the number one guy in the company at the time — probably still is now — but to have that interrupt him was like, 'Damn dude, here's your teed-up chance at hitting a home run.'

“I just remember being backstage thinking, 'Okay, this was nine years into my career, all the miles I've traveled, all the matches I've had, all the places I've been. This is it. You have to hit a home run. If you don't, this could be the end.'"

The rest, of course, is history. The reveal played out perfectly, Jericho’s promo and verbal exchange with The Rock hit all the right notes, and Jericho went on to become a superstar.

Twenty-six years on, he’s still entertaining the crowds as part of AEW, but Jericho looks back at that moment as being the moment he elevated his stock to the top of the business.

But, despite that, he admitted that it took another nine years before he truly felt he’d hit his peak and earned McMahon’s full trust.

"I think it took all the way until the Shawn Michaels–Jericho suit-and-tie feud in 2008, that's when I really felt like I lived up to my potential,” he said.

“That's when I truly earned Vince's respect as someone he knew he could trust, both in the ring and out, as far as being a general."