It Took Chris Jericho Just Two Minutes To Make An Impact On My Life

It was just one moment in time, and we were all there for a good reason, but there's always someone willing to prove to the world what a colossal clown they can be. In this case, it was none other than former WWE Superstar, AEW Superstar, and Fozzy-frontman, Chris Jericho. Thanks to him, I haven't heard the end of this one day in my life for nearly 20 years.

In 2005 the war in Afghanistan was in full swing and the stars of the WWE were doing autograph signings to raise money for charity. WWE was going to be close by in early April after their Wrestlemania event. They were doing an autograph signing early that day at Southpark Mall in Moline, Illinois, before putting on Raw from the Mark of the Quad Cities.

As a fan of professional wrestling, something my dad got me into when I was a kid, I'd watched it with my son for a couple of years. He was a huge Chris Jericho fan, as well as a fan of Shawn Michaels. For that time frame, every male with a heartbeat was a fan of Trish Stratus. They were all scheduled to be there to sign autographs and meet and greet fans.

Over the years, there had been several opportunities to meet the stars of the WWF and later WWE. Thanks to my dad, I met the greats like Hulk Hogan, Macho Man Randy Savage, Bret The Hitman Heart, Jake The Snake Roberts, and Andre The Giant. They were some of the best memories of my childhood and teenage years. I wanted to give that to my son.

Arranging for him to be gone from school for a day, we made plans to get to the mall early and get a relatively good spot in line. I was going to be exhausted, having worked the third shift the night before, but it was all going to be worth it to meet Shawn Michaels and Chris Jericho.

We drove to Moline, which is about an hour from home. By the time we got there and found a parking spot at the mall, there was already a line forming. We found our way to the end of the line and waited to meet our heroes for nearly two hours.

After a nearly two-hour wait in line to spend twenty dollars on an autograph poster from the four stars that made it to the signing, it was nearly our turn. The kid and a friend that got to come along with us were so excited that they could barely contain themselves. Admittedly, I was pretty pumped to get to meet the group that was there and see the kids have their first brush with fame.

When we finally got to the front ten people in line, the reality struck that Trish Stratus was a drop-dead knockout. You see people on television and there's the assumption that they're good-looking, but in person, she was jaw-droppingly stunning.

Our turn was next, and the kids were bursting at the seams seeing Shawn Michaels sitting there. Shawn, who exploded in popularity as part of the wrestling faction Degeneration-X, was a hero to young people because of his youthful rebelliousness on screen.

We stepped forward and Trish went to shake my hand and thank me for coming out that day. She looked at me and smiled like she had everyone else, and that's when it hit me. Right there, in front of one of the most beautiful women on the planet, I got tongue-tied.

What came out of my mouth was something that sounded like, "Uh, blu blu bluh."

Of course, Chris Jericho had to seize on the moment and announce as loud as he could, "She's just a girl."

This led to his partner, Shane "The Hurricane" Helms, in his kayfabe voice, at the top of his lungs giving the crowd a, "What's up with that?" and the two men having a lengthy laugh.

By the time we got to the end of the table, and Shawn Michaels signed our poster so we could get on our way, I was mortified that I couldn't even say a word to the woman. Even worse, all the way from the mall to the arena, the kids echoed, "What's up with that?"

For nearly 20 years I've heard this story replayed by my son, especially on those occasions when Trish comes back to wrestle for a while. If only Chris Jericho had left it alone then maybe, just maybe, I could have lived it down. However, when two celebrities laugh at you and crack wise in front of your son, it's not going away...ever.

It might have been just a moment as we were passing through time, but that guy that went on to become a Wrestling God, left much more of an impact on my life than he probably will ever know.