Undisputed_ How to Become the World Champion in 1,372 Easy Steps - Chris Jericho [76]
My heart almost puked out straight onto the Memphis Maniax XFL shirt Steve was wearing. Vince was going to make me the champion? I’d been waiting to hear those words since State College, and even though it wasn’t Vince who’d said them, I figured that hearing them from the biggest star in the business was close enough.
“So you’re going over on me in the last match,” Austin said, spitting a stream of tobacco juice into the water bottle in his hand. “I don’t want this to be just another match, either. I really want to make you with this match.”
Honored and a little bit shocked by what he was telling me, I responded ambivalently, “That’s really froot, but I’m sure plans will change between now and the show.”
Steve said adamantly, “No. It’s not changing. Hasn’t Vince talked to you yet?”
When I replied that he hadn’t, Steve walked away and said, “Don’t worry, kid, he’ll be talking to you soon.”
About twenty minutes later, Angle and I were talking about the PPV and he told me in no uncertain terms that he was winning the Undisputed Championship at Armageddon.
The plot thickened once again when Pat Patterson asked me if I’d spoken with Vince.
Playing dumb, I told Pat that I hadn’t. He said, “Vince is going to make you the champion. He’s going to tell you today for sure.” I wasn’t getting my hopes up, as Vince changed his mind quite frequently and I was still scarred from WrestleMania 2000, when Mick Foley’s face (a face that has never beaten my face, might I add) replaced mine on that poster.
As the day wore on, I still didn’t talk to Vince. I didn’t want to barge into his office and ask if there was anything he wanted to tell me. I figured he’d fill me in when he was ready.
Finally I saw him walking toward me in the hallway with a smile on his face. “This is it,” I thought to myself. The architect of the entire wrestling business was about to appoint me as the new chosen one.
“Chris, I want to talk to you about something.”
Here it comes—my ticket to immortality.
“I just want to tell you … that you have the most effeminate walk I’ve ever seen. You need to carry yourself in a more manly fashion.”
With those words, he burst out in his famous belly laugh and continued walking down the hall.
When I got to the arena in San Diego the day of the PPV, I still didn’t think I was going to win the tournament. Most of the time when someone wins the world title for the first time, they have their loved ones in the crowd to share the moment. I didn’t bother flying Jess or my dad in for the show, because I was half expecting to have the carpet pulled out from under me and didn’t want to look stupid.
I walked into catering and saw Vince talking to The Undertaker. He still hadn’t said word one to me about the championship and I assumed he wasn’t going to. When I went over to say hello, Vince said sarcastically, “You can tell that the business is going down the toilet when we’re going to make Jericho the champion.”
That was the extent of Vince’s big talk with me. Not exactly the vote of confidence I was hoping for, but at least I knew for sure that I was really going to be winning the title.
Vince wandered away, and Undertaker said, “Do it, man. It’s your time. Go out there and kick some ass.”
It was nice to have someone’s blessing, even if it was a dead man’s.
I wrestled The Rock in the opening round, and after twenty minutes of the expected Rock-Jericho magic, I pinned him with his own Rock Bottom, when Vince interfered. I was WCW champion for the second time, which was once more than David Arquette.
I was slumped down in the corner after Rock had layeth the smacketh down on my candy ass when the famous sound of smashing glass emanated from the arena speakers. Austin (who had beaten Angle in the first round) stormed down to the ring and the next match began instantly. But before Steve got to the ring, Rocky came back in and gave me the Rock Bottom, just as Angle snuck back in and hit Austin with the Olympic Slam. This left both Steve and me down on the mat as the ref rang the bell to start