My 1-2-3 Cents : Chris Jericho

Chris Jericho is one of my favorite pro wrestlers of all-time. But what if he'd stayed in WCW and not jumped to the World Wrestling Federation in August 1999? Chad Smart and I chat about it in this week's episode (the very first What If... edition of the podcast).

Listen here. Share your thoughts and be sure to offer up suggestions for future discussions.

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Wednesday, January 30, 2019

VIDEO: Chris Jericho's influence on my running streak

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

Listen to the podcast

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My running streak started 1,004 days ago. When I knew about six months ago that I would reach 1000 consecutive days of running one mile or more I came up with a plan to end the streak on a unique note. Some suggested going 1,111 or 1,234. 

But I looked to Chris Jericho for inspiration. Back in the 90s when feuding with Dean Malenko "The Man of 1,000 Holds", Jericho one-upped his foe claiming the moniker, "Man of 1,004 Holds."

Thursday, January 11, 2018

I wanted to name my kid Jericho

Could have been baby Jericho

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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Our oldest son just turned 18 this month and I was reminded of the early days of my wife's pregnancy and how we as first-time parents prepared for our baby's arrival. My wife started reading What to Expect When You're Expecting and I checked out articles online for tips on being a good dad.

Then my mother-in-law bought us a book filled with baby names and the process of trying to figure out what we'd call our child started. An early "pee and Draino" test indicated we were going to have a girl. But an ultrasound and professionals confirmed our DIY test was invalid and we'd be the parents of a baby boy in January 2000. So we threw the name Gracie out the window and started the process over again.

Jericho's WWE debut
Courtesy: WWE

We each came up with 20 names we liked (this included the middle name too as well as input from our families). Because I'm a die-hard wrestling fan I was influenced to include the names of some WWE Superstars on my list. At the top was Jericho, as in Chris Jericho. You might recall Y2J had debuted in WWE a few months prior. I'd been a fan of his in WCW, but his persona in WWE cemented my fandom. As you might imagine, my wife, who is not a wrestling fan at all nixed the idea pretty quickly. She leaned toward Peyton but I balked because I didn't want people to think we named our son after Peyton Manning. We were living in Indiana at the time and he was the star QB for the Indianapolis Colts.

I have nothing against Manning, I'm just not a big football fan and knew people would draw the similarities. If they were going to draw a connection with our son's name, I wanted it to be with someone I was a fan of. Makes sense, doesn't it? So I countered with alternatives like Piper and Hunter as well, but I'm not a fan of the "er" ending first and last names as in Piper Hunsperger or Hunter Hunsperger. Needless to say, those ideas didn't make it far either.

Ethan 18 years later

We finally settled on Ethan and there's no real fun or entertaining story as to why. It was one of the names in the book and it caught both of our eyes. This was at a time before everyone under the sun named their son Ethan, but I digress...

Jericho
Courtesy: WWE

The recent hype of Jericho battling Kenny Omega at WrestleKingdom 12 also served as a reminder of how I wanted my first born to be the namesake of one of the all-time greats in the wrestling world. I have never met anyone else with the first name Jericho so it would have definitely been something unique. I still dig the idea all these years later.

Saturday, April 29, 2017

Payback predictions

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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WWE Payback happens Sunday. The company has done a pretty good job building up to the first post Superstar Shakeup and WrestleMania pay per view event. I'm going to attempt to make some predictions and voice a couple of concerns with the show as it stands at the time of this post on Saturday, April 29.

Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson will beat Enzo and Big Cass. I just have a feeling they're leading us to a split between Cass and Enzo. Not necessarily a feud, but I can see these two going their separate ways. I don't think it'll happen Sunday night, but I won't be surprised in the next few months if this popular duo is no longer a pair.

It's too soon to switch the tag team titles so the Hardys will retain the belts against Sheamus and Cesaro. I am digging the team of Shesaro (did I spell that right?).

Kevin Owens will retain the U.S. Championship against Chris Jericho. SmackDown Live needs the star power of Owens and not someone who is planning to leave and go on tour with his band.

I'm holding out hope that Neville will retain against Austin Aries, but it seems they're priming A Double to eventually lead the Cruiserweight Division. I'm a huge fan of Neville's and as long as he's still a key in the storylines in the division, I'll be happy.

Alexa Bliss will become the next Raw Women's Champion. She's the highlight of the division on Raw.

Samoa Joe will beat Seth Rollins, perhaps due to interference by the returning Triple H.

I suspect Roman Reigns will beat Braun Strowman to overcome all the ass beatings he's faced recently. However, I'd rather see the carnage continue. WWE Creative appears to still be strapping the rocket pack on Reigns' back, so having him bounce back from the abuse seems to be the next step.

Bray Wyatt should beat Randy Orton in the House of Horrors match, especially since it's non-title. But long ago I learned to not bet against Orton.

Now for some critical analysis of the card. The U.S. title is being defended and not the Intercontinental Championship. I figure they're on a time crunch to get the Jericho-Owens rematch in on pay per view and since they're on opposite brands this makes sense, but I would like to see the IC title be defended too. I'm still holding out hope Dean Ambrose and the Miz will meet at Payback too.

I say that because it's the second biggest title on the Raw brand and since Universal Champion Brock Lesnar will not be defending his belt, the IC title should be getting some shine and be showcased on events when the big belt isn't defended.

Tuesday, April 25, 2017

Did the Superstar Shakeup happen too soon?

Orton & Wyatt
Courtesy: WWE

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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The question of the day: Did the Superstar Shakeup happen too soon? Short answer: Yes. But since I get paid by the word, I'll go into long form here. (Editor's note: I don't get paid by the word.)

Owens & Jericho
Courtesy: WWE

I have enjoyed the stories coming out of the Shakeup and my only criticism is it seems to have happened too soon after WrestleMania. Loose ends weren't tied up before Bray Wyatt went to Raw and Kevin Owens went to SmackDown Live. Because of this, there are now two championships that are no longer on Raw being defended on a Raw event. It's not a huge deal, but when it comes to the brand split and pay per views, I prefer only the big four shows to have inter-brand matches.

I have more thoughts on the upcoming Payback event, but since it's only Tuesday and I hope they're going to add another match or two, I'm going to wait until later in the week to weigh in on those thoughts. Overall though I'm pleased with the way stories are currently developing. I would have waited until after Payback to do the Shakeup.

Monday, March 6, 2017

Not so Fast(lane)

Spear!
Courtesy: WWE

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

If you've been paying attention you probably know I'm not thrilled with the results from Fastlane. It is what it is, and I'll get to my feelings on the Goldberg champion win and YOUR 3 Cents too in a moment. But I also want to touch on the other travesty of justice that went down: ending Charlotte Flair's pay-per-view win streak.

Bayley retains
Courtesy: WWE

It was destined to end, I just wish WWE would have done it on a bigger show, like oh let's say the biggest freakin' show of the year in five weeks, WrestleMania. I don't mind so much that it's Bayley who ended the streak, but after seeing these two go at it on NXT and now on Raw, someone outside the box would have been refreshing. I guess I got my hopes up when I saw some speculation last week that NXT Women's Champion Asuka was mentioned as a possible WrestleMania opponent for Charlotte. I don't want to rush to judgment and will wait patiently to see what's next for the women.

Now to Goldberg. Quick recap: never been a fan, but that doesn't mean I don't respect what he did for the business in the late 90s and during his brief run in WWE. I'm not a fan of anyone coming in after a 13.5-year hiatus and being handed a title shot in his third match back. I'm even less of a fan of that person winning the championship in less than 30 seconds. And even lesser of a fan of that new champion facing another part-time performer (who has been suspended from UFC for drug violations).

Goldberg wins
Courtesy: WWE

Let's also approach this from another side. Why would Chris Jericho cost Kevin Owens the WWE Universal Championship when all signs are pointing to a match with KO at Mania? Wouldn't Jericho have wanted to be the one to end Owens' reign? Enough of my venting, here's what others are saying on the My 1-2-3 Cents social media sites. Some are for Goldberg, others share my thoughts.

Courtesy: WWE

Chad: (poop emoji) "Nostalgia only goes so far. The main event at the biggest show of the year shouldn't be between two guys who will wrestle probably six times this year combined."
goodbirger: "As a casual wrestling fan, I dig it. It will make me want to watch for the time being. Also, I hate that belt. I wish they would use a throwback belt for the big title."
Martin Endersby: (thumbs down) "Time for WWE to probably ditch the old guard and part-timers. There's more than enough young, rising talent out there."
Greg Mehochko: "I agree with Martin. I know (or at least 'I'm pretty sure') WWE has something more "big picture" in mind. But you just took the main event (or co-main) of WrestleMania and gave it to two part-time guys."
Garrett Turner: "If WWE really wants to build up their roster as legitimate, they would not have their Universal Champion (Kevin Owens at the time) lose in less than a minute to someone who hadn't held the world title in 13+ years!! I get the fact that he is a huge draw and brings back nostalgia. But if he gets winded walking to the ring, I dread what we have in store for us at WrestleMania between Goldberg and Brock Lesnar. I feel like they should focus their efforts on building stars and not relying on those of the past."
Ken Johnson: "He came back to put butts in the seats. He deserves to be champ for a week or so."
Robert Wilson: "Yay, because the new young talent has no respect. They want it easy the old talent paved the way and still has a big following and spend the money there is a need for new faces but don't discount the vets."
Thank you to everyone who weighed in. I will say this title change makes me feel a lot less sad about not being in Orlando this year for Mania. Hopefully, the show will still be great. I am curious to see what happens with this match now. And hey at least Neville retained the Cruiserweight Title...

Saturday, March 4, 2017

Goldberg doesn't need the Universal Championship

Face to face
Courtesy: WWE

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

I know I've been critical of Goldberg since his return right before the Survivor Series in late 2016. My criticism isn't meant to be negative, I'm just expressing the other side of the argument as many fans are popping over his return. I preface this all with the caveat: I've never been a Goldberg fan. I don't hate the guy, I just never connected with him as a fan. I think in part because I was always a WWF guy over WCW in the Monday Night Wars, but even when he signed with WWE in 2003, I felt "meh."

But putting my own thoughts and feelings to the side for a moment, I see the value in bringing back legends. Society in general loves nostalgia. That's why shows and cartoons from the 80s are coming back in big screen form. Yes, I've seen The Smurfs Movie, Scooby-Doo and the new Ghostbusters. I will probably go see Baywatch later this year. And I marked out when the Rock came back. But I don't think he should have had a run with the belt again.

Goldberg
Courtesy: WWE

As much as I love seeing my favorites come back and work with the current roster, I find value in those former Superstars helping establish the future. The Rock killing the Wyatt Family last year at WrestleMania and Steve Austin, Shawn Michaels and Mick Foley beating up on The League of Nations did nothing for these full-time Superstars. Putting the Universal Championship on Goldberg this weekend will be another example of that.

Kevin Owens
Courtesy: WWE

I know there will be those who argue Kevin Owens looks more like a pro bowler than a pro wrestler and a "fat guy" shouldn't be representing WWE. I couldn't disagree more and I've laid out my points on that in the past so I won't rehash it here. A year from now Owens will still be around. Will Goldberg? What about in five years? I'm not suggesting Owens cleanly beat Goldberg, especially considering Goldberg is headed to Mania against Brock Lesnar, but I don't think he should be going into the event as champion either.

Owens vs. Jericho
Courtesy: WWE

I don't read spoilers or speculation usually so I don't know what the plan is right now. But in my 1-2-3 cents, Goldberg will win by either disqualification or count out. This can set up Owens-Jericho at Mania with both the U.S. and Universal championships on the line. By dirty means, Owens wins both (Jericho is allegedly going to tour with Fozzy next month). Then Owens can drop the Universal Championship to Finn Balor and I'll be quiet (not likely) about the situation. But putting the gold on Goldberg is a band-aid solution that does nothing to help the current crop of Superstars.

Tuesday, February 14, 2017

When bromances go bad

When bromances go bad...
Courtesy: WWE

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

Bromances are awesome. We see them in all walks of life. I even have a couple myself. In the world of professional wrestling, it seems these relationships always end up going south. It's inevitable, so let's take a look at some of the best bromances in the business.

Chris Jericho & Kevin Owens
Courtesy: WWE

Kevin Owens and Chris Jericho's bromance came to a screeching halt on the most recent episode of Monday Night Raw. When the union formed last summer it gave new life to the Jericho's character and helped endear Owens in the eyes of fans. Their SummerSlam victory over Enzo and Big Cass surprised me and I thought for a moment the two would get a run as Raw tag team champions.

The timing of the breakup concerns me, though. My hope was that Owens would retain the Universal Championship against Goldberg later this month with the help of Jericho and then set up a match between the two at WrestleMania. But now I'm worried Goldberg will emerge as champ because of Jericho's interference, still leading us to an Owens-Jericho Mania matchup.

I would have loved to see the two stick it out together longer, but with WrestleMania coming, you knew the fun was going to come to an end. Now I look forward to seeing what both of them can do against each in the ring.

The MegaPowers
Courtesy: WWE

In the late 80s, "Macho Man" Randy Savage was on the verge of turning good when he feuded with the Honky Tonk Man. Then one Saturday night the fans fully embraced Savage after he was attacked by HTM and the Hart Foundation. Miss Elizabeth summoned the help of Hulk Hogan and the two became fast friends. For more than a year the Mega Powers dominated the WWF with their bromance, but all the way seeds of dissension were being planted. It was great storytelling and the Mega Powers exploded prior to WrestleMania V, 18 months after the bromance began.

Chris Adams & Gino Hernandez

I'm going old school for this last bromance. "Gentleman" Chris Adams proved to be anything but when he turned on the Von Erichs in World Class Championship Wrestling. He aligned himself with Gino Hernandez and the two ran amuck on the babyfaces of the company. They were joined at one point by Jake "The Snake" Roberts and won the WCCW 6 Man Tag Team Titles. Adams and Hernandez also had a run with the tag team titles.

But like all good things, the Gentleman and the Handsome Half-Breed had a huge falling out. Hernandez blinded Adams, which led to his return to being a face. Sadly, Hernandez died shortly after this while Adams was recovering from his injuries. The two never had that much-anticipated feud. Hernandez was just 28 years old and had so much potential.

Rock n Sock Connection
Courtesy: WWE

Of course, there are plenty of other great wrestling bromances. Edge & Christian, Shawn Michaels & Triple H, The Rock & Mankind and Scott Hall & Kevin Nash just to name a few. These men have all had their ups and downs too, just like history has shown us.

Monday, January 30, 2017

Shouldering the title

Jericho & KO "shouldering" their belts
Courtesy: WWE

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter