Brian Damage
The ‘If Factor’ are a series of articles that takes a look at real scenarios in pro wrestling that at one point or another were suggested, planned, considered…but did not get the green light to continue. What would the landscape of professional wrestling look like if these ideas came to fruition?
The If: Chris Jericho’s Originally Planned WWF Debut in 1999
Many wrestling fans have cited that the August 1999 WWF debut of ‘Y2J’ Chris Jericho as one of the finest debuts in the company’s history. The crowd reaction at the time and his verbal spat with ‘The Rock’ made for compelling television during the Monday Night Wars. As good as the debut was, it was apparently planned a bit differently. All thanks to the WWF’s main rival…World Championship Wrestling.
The initial plan involved rock star Kid Rock and Jericho’s victim in a war of words was not intended to be the Rock initially, but the Road Dogg. According to reports, Kid Rock was planned to somehow be involved in Jericho’s WWF debut. The reason, was Vince McMahon wanted to push the rock and roll aspects of Chris Jericho’s character. While it was unknown what Kid Rock was supposed to do whether to play his intro music or come out on stage with Jericho….it was all for naught. WCW signed a deal with the rocker that prevented him from appearing on WWF television.
It was that move that made McMahon go into a different direction with the character. With no Kid Rock available, Vince still wanted Chris Jericho to make a big splash for his debut. Initially, the plan was for Jericho to interrupt the Road Dogg on Raw, but changed course and decided to have Jericho go after one of the company’s top stars in the Rock instead. At the end of the day, it all worked out, but we potentially could have had a much different debut and gimmick for Jericho. Do you think the original plan could have topped what we actually got? How different would Chris Jericho’s WWF career have been if it was all planned originally?
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