Everything We Know About Chris Jericho's First-Ever Wrestling Match
Chris Jericho has been in the wrestling business for over 30 years. Known by many nicknames, including the "Lionheart" and "Y2J", Jericho has had one of the most complete careers out of any professional wrestler. Since 2019, Jericho has been one of the leaders of AEW and has been a constant for Tony Khan's promotion. He was the first-ever AEW World Champion and has led two factions during his time in AEW, including his current stable, the Jericho Appreciation Society.
Rarely injured, Jericho — now in his 50s — is still in great shape. With all of his stops throughout his career, whether it's been WCW, WWE or currently in AEW, if a wrestler was in the same promotion as Jericho, it's likely they have gone one-on-one with the multi-time world champion. The "Demo God," as he's now known, has successfully been able to manage his band Fozzy and host his podcast, "Talk Is Jericho," while still competing in the ring at a high level three decades into his illustrious career.
The first time doing something new is always memorable, and the same can be said for Jericho when it comes to his first-ever wrestling match.
Chris Jericho Clearly Remembers His First Match
Jericho has had countess wrestling matches throughout his career, so remembering the details of every contest he participated in would be impossible. However, the same could not be said for his first-ever professional match. On the 30th anniversary of the match in 2019, Jericho shared on Instagram a lengthy post, remembering the details of that night in 1989 and celebrating his 30 years in the business.
The "Lionheart" recently sat down with Metal Hammer to discuss his career, both in and outside of the squared circle. In the interview, the 51-year-old was asked to provide details surrounding his first match against a wrestler who became known as Lance Storm. "October 2, 1990 in Ponoka, Alberta," Jericho said. The venue was called the Moose Hall. There were only 125 people there, but it felt like Madison Square Garden or The O2, people screaming and going crazy. It was me and a guy I was training with, Lance Storm, who has also gone on to have a fantastic wrestling career. It was a 10-minute draw, and I got paid $30 in a white envelope. At the time, I had been working in a deli for five bucks an hour, and I worked out that I got paid almost as much money in 10 minutes as I did in an eight-hour shift! I was rich! Hearing the crowd cheer and react and getting paid to do something you love to do was the greatest feeling."
The two men who participated in said match had a watchalong on "Talk Is Jericho" back in 2019 to celebrate the three decade anniversary of the match.