I have really held off on this. As wrestling fans, we are some of the worst offenders when it comes to being prisoners of the moment. Hyperbole. Hot takes. Snap judgments. These are part-and-parcel of our experience because what we are following is so outlandish and over the top sometimes that such bold responses often seem appropriate, if not outright encouraged. With those things in mind, I have hesitated to elevate Chris Jericho’s to GOAT status because I didn’t want to make such a declaration too hastily or too emotionally.

But he is. He’s the GOAT.

He’s not the GOAT because he is the greatest example of a wrestler staying relevant for their entire career, even though he is.

He’s not the GOAT because, in his prime, he might have been the perfect blending of so many different styles, but I’d say he probably was.

He’s not even the GOAT because he continues to pump out storyline after storyline that keeps us invested in his character, even though he does.

He’s the GOAT because he actively, consistently, and successfully does everything in his power to elevate talent and make them better. He’s the GOAT because he does favors for people he doesn’t have to do, that no one would ask or expect him to do, that some would be offended to do… and he does them well.

He might be the best example ever of someone who has almost without fail put the good of the business and wrestlers as a whole at or near the top of his professional priorities. He’s the anti-Hulk Hogan in every sense of the phrase. Which is why I find it poetic that Chris would come out on top in this conversation, as Hogan is certainly part of it.

Jericho has surpassed him though. He’s become everything Hogan could have been for wrestling but chose not to be.

He’s the GOAT.