Revisited Rivalries: Chris Jericho vs The Legends

The movie 'The Wrestler' received critical acclaim worldwide. Starring Mickey Rourke as Randy 'The Ram' Robinson, an aging 80s star who continues to wrestle in the hopes of regaining the stardom he once achieved, the film sheds light on professional wrestling and the stars of yesteryear who still compete in the ring. With the movie's hype at its peak, WWE sought to capitalize on its success by booking Mickey Rourke against WWE superstar Chris Jericho in one of the biggest matches of Wrestlemania 25.

The Screen Actors Guild Awards took place in January, two months before Wrestlemania. At the event, Rourke announced that he would compete at the immortals' showcase. Later, Rourke appeared on Larry King Live with Chris Jericho to kickstart their rivalry, culminating at Wrestlemania. A heated exchange left Rourke visibly angry and frustrated as Jericho, staying in character, took shots at Rourke.

Mickey Rourke and Chris Jericho exchange words during an episode of Larry King Live.

Chris Jericho spoke about the angle on Larry King Live and found out about Rourke and his involvement at Wrestlemania in his book ‘The Best in the World.’

“Rourke had been on the red carpet at the Screen Actors Guild Awards and had dropped the bomb that he was “going to kick Chris Jericho’s ass” at WrestleMania. I had no idea what he was talking about, but it was froot that Mickey had dropped my name instead of mentioning Austin or Cena. The plot thickened when Vince told me after the show what was going down. He had brokered a deal between the WWE and Mickey Rourke’s agents for Mickey to have a match at Mania … against me. Rourke had just been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor and was the hottest thing in Hollywood. Vince felt I was the perfect guy workwise, promotional-wise, and acting-wise to wrestle him and get the angle over”

“There would be no kowtowing or ass kissing for Mr. Hollywood. No friendly ribbing or niceties. I was going for the throat and would use all of the dirty tactics I had learned over the years to try and get him to snap. I got to the Allstate Arena early with my best friend and partner in crime, Speewee, and was escorted to the exact room in the backstage area that we used for catering when we did WWE shows there. It was empty except for the cameras and the equipment that was set up to beam me across the country onto Larry’s show. I was able to watch it live on the monitor as I anxiously awaited my turn, which was scheduled near the end of the show. Mickey was introduced and came across great in answering questions about his start/ stop career and his subsequent storied comeback. He was personable and humble, everything he should’ve been, considering this was the first in-depth interview he’d done since he seemingly fell off the face of the planet years earlier. After a good twenty minutes of banter, Larry brought up that Rourke had been in negotiations with the WWE to actually work a match at WrestleMania, and then introduced me to the show.”

“I started by saying that I respected what Rourke had done in The Wrestler but that he was out of line in challenging me to a match. Mickey was in great spirits and politely admitted immediately that he was a visitor in my world and he had indeed put his foot in his mouth when he challenged me. I’m sure he was coached to say those lines, but I wasn’t letting him off that easily and I told him flat-out that if he stepped in my world for real, I would teach him a lesson.”

Sadly, Mickey Rourke failed to agree to a match at Wrestlemania with Chris Jericho, but as Jericho put it.

“Vince switched over to Plan B. One of his favorite mottos was “Always turn a negative into a positive,” and that’s exactly what he planned to do.”

Chris Jericho began to compare WWE Hall of Famers to Mickey Rourke's character in ‘The Wrestler,’ beginning with Ric Flair. Flair had retired the year previously but had still been around WWE, working in various situations. Jericho called legends like Flair has-beens, and it was pathetic that they still paraded themselves around, continuing to steal the spotlight. Flair and Jericho had a heated argument on an episode of Monday Night RAW.

The following week on February 16, 2009, Jericho was confronted by Rowdy Roddy Piper, who defended the integrity of the legends:

Roddy Piper: "You want the truth? I'm gonna shoot with you on this one. Let me tell you something, man, I have watched you your entire career. And I like you. I'll tell you why. You said what was on your mind and then you had the guts to come in the ring and back it up. I respected that. It reminded me of somebody I know. What happened?

Now, you get on television and you're running your mouth. You're calling me out, you're calling Flair out, you're calling the other legends out. You used to be entertaining. What happened? You're judging us. You patronize us. You tell us what we should be and what should not be doing. Let me take one of your quotes: Please, shut the hell up."

Chris Jericho: "Sure, Piper. Dance like a puppet on a string. Make all of these fans cheer for you..."

Roddy Piper: "I'M NOT FINISHED YET! Mickey Rourke is my friend. And I watched his movie ‘The Wrestler'. And yes, I cried. The movie is not about a bunch of old timers that want another run. The movie is about the honor and respect we have for everyone. The movie is about the pain - physically and emotionally. And most of all, most important why we do what we do - for the thrill of performing. Ric Flair was right: We live for this!

I have people to come up to me and say: 'Hey Roddy, we remember when you slapped Mr. T. And I have people come up to me and say: 'When my grandad was alive we watched you shave Adrian Adonis' head. And Chris, you wanna bury these moments. No, these moments are to be celebrated. These moments...

Last year I was in the Royal Rumble and when I came out in the Madison Square Garden, 24.000 people jumped to their feet. And just for one second, Chris, I felt like I was back in the first WrestleMania. That was the thrill of a lifetime for me. I have one hip and I hurt all the time. But as long as these folks here say so, I will crawl down here on my hands and knees to give them one more memorable moment because old school's cool.”

A passionate promo from Roddy Piper during the February 16, 2009 edition of Monday Night Raw.

Jericho continued to play the role of an arrogant heel who was fed up with the old-timers taking up space on Monday Night Raw. Ricky ‘The Dragon’ Steamboat made his return to WWE and appeared on RAW as the newest inductee of the WWE Hall of Fame. Jericho made his presence felt, and like Flair and Piper before him, he verbally attacked Steamboat before attacking him physically.

Jericho also targeted Jimmy ‘Superfly’ Snuka in the same manner as the previous legends, claiming that Snuka's best days were long gone. With the three legends at home recovering after the attacks from Jericho, Flair made his return to confront him. In his autobiography, Y2J described the start of a promo he would have with Ric Flair on Monday Night Raw.

“Flair started the promo on Raw by accepting my challenge on behalf of his friends to a 3-on-1 match at Mania, guaranteeing he would be in their corner and that Mickey would be in the front row. I interrupted him from the production truck, where I was standing in front of TV screens showing highlights of Snuka, Steamboat, and Piper. I left the truck and walked down the halls of the backstage area, through the Gorilla position and into the ring, all the while vilifying the legends with my diatribe. I boasted that I was going to beat them all at once, and there was nothing he could do about it. He told me I was wrong and then cut a classic Flair promo, describing how at the end of the match”

Jericho's brutal attack on Flair left the wrestling legend requiring 15 stitches. A blood-soaked Flair lying beneath Jericho ignited the feud and generated a buzz among fans. The anticipation for the Legends to seek revenge on Jericho at Wrestlemania 25 was palpable, and with Rourke in attendance, the prospect of a confrontation between the wrestler and the movie star was thrilling.

The event took place in Houston, Texas, and Chris Jericho emerged victorious over the three legends of Roddy Piper, Jimmy Snuka, and Ricky Steamboat. During the match, fans were genuinely shocked to see how Ricky Steamboat never lost a step, delivering a solid and exciting performance. After 'Le Champion' pinned all three legends to win the match, he challenged Flair to enter the ring. Jericho beat down The Nature Boy as he had done previously on RAW. This led to Jericho being in the ring alone, with Mickey Rourke watching from the front row. Jericho then challenged Rourke to enter the ring, which Rourke obliged. Once in the ring, Rourke wasted no time in knocking Jericho out with one swift punch.

“The footage of him “knocking me out” after the match (even though his feared right hand barely grazed the back of my head) made it onto all the Hollywood gossip shows,”

As Jericho mentions in his book, Rourke appearance made the news, which WWE wanted but the big news and excitement for wrestling fans was the performance of WWE Hall of Famer Ricky ‘The Dragon Steamboat. 

At the night after Wrestlemania, 'The Dragon' participated in a 10-man tag team match and his team emerged victorious, with Steamboat playing a significant role in securing the win. On the April 20th episode of Monday Night RAW, Chris Jericho opened the show by declaring that he was done with RAW and its fans after being drafted to SmackDown. Steamboat, however, interrupted and refuted Jericho's statement, asserting that the fans were actually done with him. Jericho then challenged Steamboat to a match at Backlash, which Steamboat accepted.

Their match at Backlash showcased Steamboat's exceptional performance yet again. Although Jericho emerged as the winner, forcing 'The Dragon' to submit with the Walls of Jericho, Steamboat received a standing ovation from the audience for his remarkable performance. Steamboat has since spoken about his comeback and working with Jericho in the past.

“He really took care of me. I was 56 and was still pretty active in the ring because I was working at the [WWE] training grounds in a hands-on role.”

"Vince knew that was my style of training. I worked with Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Bray Wyatt. Those guys have come along and are doing very well now. With Jericho, I think he went to Vince and said, 'I'd like to try something with Ricky' and they came to me and was like, 'Well, it isn't like I haven't been in the ring for 20 years. I'm still getting in the ring every day.”

"I could see it in [Jericho's] demeanour about making sure that I wasn't going to be out there to embarrass myself and having fans say I should have stayed retired. He was very conscious about making sure I would have a good showing."

Chris Jericho spoke with Steve Austin on The Broken Skulls sessions about working with Steamboat. 

“He (Steamboat) was better than 70% of the roster after not working for 15 years, that night. Then, Vince (McMahon) liked his work so much he put him in the ring for six months as a player-coach and he got better than 85%-90% of the guys. I got a chance to work with him quite a few times, and you mentioned house shows, to really get the idea of who Ricky Steamboat was a wrestler. And I agree with you a 1000%, even at that later stage, he was still excellent, excellent, excellent”

Chris Jericho's feud at the beginning of 2009 was a roller coaster ride of emotions, with fans desiring to see legends defend the honour of professional wrestling. While the clash with Mickey Rourke fell through, Plan B was arguably even more compelling, which deserved a much-needed reminder that old school is still cool.