Chris Jericho almost went by a very different name before becoming one of wrestling’s most iconic performers—and it’s one he now admits could’ve totally derailed his career.
In a new interview with Loaded World, Jericho shared that his original plan was to debut as Jack Action, a name inspired by a W.A.S.P. song he was obsessed with at the time. He even went so far as to start practicing his autograph with it, complete with a rockstar-style flourish.
“Ah, there was a W.A.S.P. song called Jack Action and I thought that would be such a cool name. I used to practice my autograph on a book, and the guy I was training with saw the name, ‘Jack Action’, complete with the star at the end, like Paul Stanley from Kiss used to do at the end of his autograph. The guy said, ‘Jack Action? Is that going to be your name? ’Cause that’s stupid.’”
That blunt moment forced Jericho to reconsider—right then and there. And fate took over.
“There’s a Helloween song called Walls Of Jericho, and the cassette tape happened to be sitting in my car at the time. So I said, ‘Chris Jericho. Is that a good name?’ He agreed it was much better.”
It was more than better—it was legendary. “Chris Jericho” would go on to become a name that defined decades of wrestling excellence across WWE, WCW, AEW, NJPW, and beyond.
Had he stuck with Jack Action, things could have looked very different—and not necessarily in a good way. Jericho’s story is a reminder that sometimes the smallest pivots lead to the biggest outcomes.
What do you think would’ve happened if Chris Jericho stuck with the original name? Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comment section below.
