Other Columns
Couture's Championship Profiles: WWF European Champion Chris Jericho
By James E. Couture
Nov 15, 2007 - 11:16 AM

Folks, it’s the man who puts both the “amazing” and “grace” in “Amazing Grace”, me, James E Couture.  You know, as I was watching Raw this week, when the “save_us” mumbo-nonsense came on screen proclaiming next Monday as the payoff to this barrage of jabberwhacky, a sort of epiphany came over me.  There was a championship reign in need of Profiling.  It had everything I was looking for. Y may equal X+1, and J may equal 9+1, but (James/[Couture x Profile]) equals Chris Jericho, European Champion!

Ah, 2000.  Back when the WWE had more tag teams than they knew what to do with, leading to matches like Large Boss Man and Bull Buchanan versus D-Lo Brown and the Godfather at WrestleMania. Well, it was either there or on Heat.  Disregardless, another match at WrestleMania 2000 was the first ever “Two Fall Triple Threat Match” for both the Intercontinental and European Championships.  A match with two falls in it, involving three guys, with one title on the line at a time, IC first, then Euro.  It almost sounds like something TNA would come up with.  Hey speaking of “TNA” and “Champions”, the man at the crux of this match was EuroContinental Champion, Kurt Angle.  Both of his titles would be put on the line, thanks to the dastardly doings of his former mentor, Mr. Bob Backlund (more TNA flashbacks). His challengers: none other than Chris Jericho, the man Angle defeated for the Intercontinental Champion, and Chris Benoit, and that’s all I have to say about him.  

The ensuing triple threat match “wowed” the Anaheim crowd into silent reverence, or at least that’s what I’ll say. Jericho did some moves, Angle did some moves, Benoit did some moves, but the pin would be broken up.  And so it went, back and forth until Benoit pinned Jericho with his flying headbutt after Angle was dispatched. The crowd burst into a golf clap, and no, that’s not what you get when you give a prostitute the old three wood.  But there would be no rest for the weary, as we were busting into a European title match.  While it couldn’t compare to the classics of Val Venis v Gangrel or D-Lo Brown v Mark Henry, they gave it their best shot, with Jericho getting the deuce after a lionsault on Benoit.  Sure, it was no IC title, but Jericho had regained some of that sweet, sweet WWE gold.

For a day.  Eddie Guerrero, having earned a title shot by losing to Chyna and Too Cool in a six-man tag the previous night, exercised his opportunity, and, thanks to a dastardly double cross by Chyna (the wrestling kind, not the “Crying Game” kind), Eddie had HIS taste of that sweet, sweet European gold. 

Still, if anything, this was a stat building title reign for Chris Jericho.  He can claim to be a “grand slam” champion thanks to that little title reign, which I think is a step above being “Moons over My-Hammy” champion.  

Well, until Junior Fatu returns to WWE and is repackaged as “Big Daddy Fat”, I am, in fact, James E Couture.

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