Chris Jericho
A master of reinvention in professional wrestling, he leapt from WCW to WWE to become the first-ever Undisputed Champion, then helped launch AEW as its inaugural world titleholder.
Born 1970 (age 56)·American-Canadian professional wrestler, rock musician, and actor·Birthday: November 9·Generation X
Biography
Chris Jericho didn't just have a career in professional wrestling; he authored a series of ever-evolving eras, each with its own soundtrack and catchphrase. Breaking in during the territorial days, his true arrival was marked by a brilliant, arrogant millennium countdown clock in WWE in 1999. From there, he became the industry's ultimate chameleon—the suit-wearing 'Y2J,' the list-making villain, the mystical 'Ayatollah of Rock 'n' Rolla.' His in-ring technical prowess was matched only by his genius for character work and microphone mastery. In 2001, he achieved a historic feat by unifying the WWE and WCW championships to become the first Undisputed WWE Champion. Decades later, with nothing left to prove, he took a monumental risk, leaving WWE to become a foundational pillar of All Elite Wrestling. There, as 'Le Champion,' he won the promotion's first world title, cementing a legacy defined by perpetual evolution and an uncanny ability to stay at the center of the conversation.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Chris was born in 1970, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Chris Was Born
The biggest hits of 1970
#1 Movie
Love Story
Best Picture
Patton
#1 TV Show
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
Chris's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1970Born
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1975Started school
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1983Became a teenager
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1986Could drive
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1988Could vote
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1991Turned 21
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
2000Turned 30
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
2010Turned 40
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2020Turned 50
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
2026Age 56 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Became the first-ever Undisputed WWE Champion by defeating The Rock and Steve Austin on the same night in 2001.
- Was the inaugural AEW World Champion after defeating Adam Page at All Out 2019.
- Holds the record for the most Intercontinental Championship reigns in WWE history (9).
- Headlined the first-ever pay-per-view for both WCW (Bash at the Beach 1996) and AEW (All Out 2019).
Did You Know?
He is the lead vocalist for the rock band Fozzy, which has released multiple studio albums and toured internationally.
Jericho authored several New York Times bestselling autobiographies, including 'A Lion's Tale.'
He hosted the game show 'The Quiz' on Mexican television in the mid-1990s.
His 'List of Jericho' was an improvised segment that became one of WWE's most popular ongoing bits.
“Never be the same twice.”
