Chris Jericho On When He Really Became 'Chris Jericho'

As Utah Jazz superstar Lauri Markkanen, NASCAR Champion Joey Logano, and Royal Rumble winner Cody Rhodes would attest, sometimes it takes a while to reach one's peak form. All three men appeared destined to top out at a certain level, only to exceed their potential due to a combination of hard work and finding themselves in the right situation. 

AEW star Chris Jericho can relate. Despite a 30-plus-year career in which he achieved success in WWE, WCW, AEW, CMLL, and several Japanese promotions, Jericho believes it took him nearly two decades to figure out who Chris Jericho was. In an interview with Daily Star, he revealed the exact time he "got it."

"I'd say 2008 — that's 18 years into [my time in] the business, when I did that feud with Shawn Michaels," Jericho said. "That's when I really got it. I had already been Undisputed Champion and all that other stuff, but that's when it really hit me, what wrestling is all about. You can look at all the stuff prior — debuting against The Rock and the matches I had, they're all good, but nothing from that time period is as good as the stuff I did in 2008, that's just my opinion. 

"So, it takes a while for guys to get it. So 'flying under the radar?' I don't see that. You have to figure stuff out on your own and that's what makes you great. If you can stick it all together. ... I think everybody has their individual journey on how to get there. It does take some time but once you lock it in and you have that confidence, nothing can stop you."