Undisputed_ How to Become the World Champion in 1,372 Easy Steps - Chris Jericho [55]
So the initial temptation when putting the match together was to try a lot of dangerous stunt spots, but we decided instead to base the match around using the ladder as a weapon and saving all the climbing until the end. We used it as a lance, a battering ram, and a shield, but the best idea came when we were standing in the ring throwing around suggestions. Chris came up with the idea of me bending him over the top of the ladder backwards and applying an upside-down version of the Walls of Jericho. It was brilliant in concept and looked amazing on TV; I have to say it was one of the frootest looking moves I’ve ever done in my career. I re-created it many times in other Ladder matches, but the first time I did it with Chris was still the best.
After a brutal twenty-minute fight, I finally dumped Benoit to the floor, scaled the ladder, and grabbed the title. The crowd went ballistic as they knew they had seen something special. Watching it back now, I feel that it was just as good as the famous Shawn-Razor Ladder match, and if you see them back to back, you might agree.
It’s unfortunate that the match has been buried and technically doesn’t exist anymore.
CHAPTER 15
No More Beards
Backstage at SummerSlam 1999, I was pleasantly surprised to see Zakk Wylde, Ozzy’s guitar player, hanging around. He was in town for a gig with his solo band Black Label Society and was a huge WWE fan. When I say huge, I mean it literally, as Zakk was no run of the mill scrawny rock star. He was well muscled, which combined with his long blond mane of hair made him resemble a rock and roll viking. He had the attitude to match and was a loud, boisterous, and, most important, friendly guy, and we clicked instantly. He also knew his wrestling; more specifically his Ultimate Warrior. The first words out of his mouth when I introduced myself to him were, “Hey, brother, I’m a big fan. But the bottom line is: have you ever met James Hellwig?”
When I told him that I had indeed met Mr. Hellwig, a.k.a. the Warrior, the ice was instantly broken.
I’d worked with Hellwig briefly in WCW, and he was such a character that I had half a dozen stories about him. But it was a quid pro quo (Clarice) conversation, and after every Warrior story, Zakk reciprocated with a tale about his boss.
I told him how Warrior had arranged to make a surprise appearance on Nitro by entering the ring through a secret trapdoor. Unfortunately, nobody clued in the rest of the crew and we were bumping on pure steel for the entire show. Zakk listened in wonder like a five-yearold during story time and then told me a tale about the recording of the album No More Tears, when he decorated the studio with posters of Jimi Hendrix and Aleister Crowley to inspire him. Ozzy walked into the studio, looked at both posters, and mumbled, “Zakk, I know this guy is Hendrix, but who the fuck is the other one?”
Zakk said bewilderedly, “Ozzy. It’s Aleister Crowley … Mr. Crowley? You know, the guy you’ve been singing about for twelve years?” Ozzy stared at the poster and said, “I’ve never seen a fucking picture of him before …”
I reciprocated by telling him how Hellwig wouldn’t eat dessert, but would instead crush a cookie into a thousand little pieces and simply smell it, which he claimed gave him the same effect as actually eating it.
Zakk then told me how Sharon had imposed a backstage ban on alcohol in an effort to keep Oz on the wagon, so Zakk bought cases of O’Doul’s nonalcoholic beer and replaced the beer in each bottle with Heineken. His plan to stay tipsy worked great, until one night he was in the middle of a fifteen-minute guitar solo while Ozzy watched him from the side of the stage and decided to sip on one of the O’Doul’s. By the time Zakk finished his solo, Ozzy had drunk three of them and told him, “Zakk, these O’Doul’s taste pretty fucking good, man. I almost feel like I’ve got a fucking