Undisputed_ How to Become the World Champion in 1,372 Easy Steps - Chris Jericho [127]
It was strange for him to use those words considering he wanted to cut my pay and wasn’t using me for shit. But it was nice to hear him say them anyway.
Vince was always open to business ideas that could be profitable to his company, and after years of hearing fans chanting “ECW” (which, as Tommy Dreamer pointed out, always sounded more like “EC-Blah Blu Blah”) during WWE shows, he decided to resurrect the brand. Like a wrestling Lazarus, ECW lumbered back to life at the One Night Stand PPV in the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City.
Dreamer, who was booking the show with Paul Heyman, asked me if I would like to be a part of the show in a match with Jerry Lynn or Stevie Richards. I asked if I could work with Lance Storm instead. Lance was an ECW alumnus and he was getting ready to retire. We thought it would be apropos to have Lance’s career end against the same opponent it began with: me.
One Night Stand was like being in a time warp. The fans in attendance were reliving their youth like grown-ups wearing demon makeup to a Kiss reunion concert, and to them it was 1995 all over again. I had predicted that they’d be that way, and when I wore my old Lionheart tights and black leather vest to the ring, the fans knew exactly what I was going for and appreciated the homage.
The crowd went nuts for the show, but it was a different style of wrestling from what Vince was used to. After a particularly violent bout between Mike Awesome and Masato Tanaka featuring multiple broken tables and chair shots, I asked him what he thought.
“I wouldn’t want to have a PPV like this every month, but it’s definitely very unique.”
It was unique enough to be a big success, and soon after Vince fully revived ECW to be his third company brand.
I was in a secret limousine driving to a secret location to have a secret meeting with the secret newest member of Raw, who was going to make his secret debut on “The Highlight Reel” in St. Louis that night.
Did I mention it was a secret?
It was no surprise when I found out Mr. X was John Cena (not Ed Langley). Cena’s star had skyrocketed over the last few months and it was time to showcase him on the flagship show. But Vince wanted to keep his arrival a surprise until the moment he appeared, hence the cloak-and-dagger routine.
That night when I introduced him as the newest addition to Raw, the fans were ecstatic to see him. Cena had become the first (and only) performer in years to break into the mainstream and breathe the same rarefied air as The Rock and Steve Austin. I took great pride in the fact that I had predicted his rise three years earlier.
I recognized that since I was on my way out of the WWE, the best way to go would be in an angle with John. I was currently slotted to face Carlito at SummerSlam but I knew I could give Cena (who was the champion) a great match and an excellent platform to really make his mark on Raw.
I pitched working with Cena at SummerSlam and passing whatever torch I had to him, and Vince agreed. I was happy, as I was finally wrestling for the world title again— even if I had to leave to do so. But the prospect of working for the championship rejuvenated me and gave me the kick in the ass I needed to go out of the WWE the same way I came in—on top.
The Cena-Jericho feud was based on me claiming I was more famous than him. We were both world-renowned wrestlers at the top of our game, as well as being actors and musicians. But the difference was I was constantly bragging about all of my fame and fortune, whereas John was humble and thankful. He started calling me Y2Cheap (which I thought was Y2Lame) due to my constant boasting and self-promoting.
As part of the angle, Vince wanted us to do a battle of the bands. I’d played with Fozzy on Raw before, but the concept of the band