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My Final Heaven
07-08-2004, 01:30 PM
Hello all, I was just surfing online & stumbled across this newspaper article. I thought everbody here might like to read about how Chris Jericho felt about having his hometown changed. Just like always, he handled it with the utmost class. I guess not all wrestlers have to resort to embarassing "Look At Me!" stunts in the media *Coughcoughbradshawcoughcough*. Enjoy.

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Jericho loses roots
'Peg's wrestling star now hailing from N.Y.
By KEVIN ENGSTROM -- Winnipeg Sun


Chris Jericho says he's still a hockey-loving Maple Leafs hoser -- even if his boss says otherwise. The World Wrestling Entertainment star and former St. James resident told The Sun yesterday he still considers Winnipeg home, despite the fact ring announcers are now billing him as being from Manhasset -- a small town just outside New York City.

"It's a big deal initially, just because of the shock of it, but does it really change anything? I still consider myself a Canadian and if anybody asks me where I'm from, I tell them I'm from Winnipeg," Jericho said yesterday from Tampa, Fla., where he resides with his wife and seven-month-old son.

Born in Manhasset

"It really doesn't bother me that they're saying I'm from Manhasset because that is actually where I was born."

Jericho, the son of former New York Ranger Ted Irvine, is one of several fan favourites on Vince McMahon's WWE roster who are no longer being billed from their Canadian hometowns. He had been billed as being from "Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada" since his WWE debut in August 1999.

Jericho, 32, and other Canadian "babyfaces" -- including Edmonton's Chris Benoit and Toronto's Adam "Edge" Copeland -- were told by management of the change about a month ago.

The decision was presumably made with an eye toward American fans embracing Canadian grapplers as their own, but Jericho said he doesn't think the move will have an effect.

"I personally don't think it matters either way where wrestlers are from," he said. "If you were from Mars, people would still like you or hate you based on your work and character."

It isn't the first time Jericho has been billed as being from somewhere other than Winnipeg. When he started wrestling for local promoter Tony Condello more than a decade ago he was billed as being from New York because "the 20 other guys on the show were all from Winnipeg," Jericho said.

"I still represent Canada, everybody who knows me knows I'm proud to be a Winnipegger -- I'm wearing my Jets jersey right now," he said.
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HankScorpio
07-08-2004, 01:54 PM
Y2J: Classy as always :)

natureboycv
07-08-2004, 02:01 PM
<font color=8307ff><b>Yeah Jericho did a good job of handling that. :y:</font></b>

Corkscrewed
07-08-2004, 02:44 PM
Hehe... we reacted more badly than he did! :lol: Ah well, he's a really great guy, so more kudos to Y2J!

Funky Fly
07-08-2004, 02:49 PM
Jericho is top notch. But I still think billing all the Canadians as being from the States (and Korea) is kinda stupid. I'm just waiting until they edit all of Bret Hart's intros in his DVD and say he's from Flagstaff, Arizona or any other random town in the States.

The Naitch
07-08-2004, 03:32 PM
it's bullshit. Fuck you Vince

LK
07-08-2004, 04:38 PM
Originally posted by Funky Fly
Jericho is top notch. But I still think billing all the Canadians as being from the States (and Korea) is kinda stupid. I'm just waiting until they edit all of Bret Hart's intros in his DVD and say he's from Flagstaff, Arizona or any other random town in the States.

Mayo
07-08-2004, 04:45 PM
I agree with Y2J since I don't think that it really makes that much of a difference. We all know that the best wrestlers are from Canada anyways, so any American marks watching will even be able to tell who is truly Canadian ;)

Seriously though, fans that are stupid enough to embrace a wrestler just because he is announced from the U.S. instead of another country (or vice versa) shouldn't even be watching wrestling.

Kane Knight
07-08-2004, 05:08 PM
Jericho is top notch. But I still think billing all the Canadians as being from the States (and Korea) is kinda stupid. I'm just waiting until they edit all of Bret Hart's intros in his DVD and say he's from Flagstaff, Arizona or any other random town in the States.
Yeah, and the thing is...He says he still considers himself a Canadian, but a lot of people are going to view him as American, simply because he's announced as being from New York. Last I checked, NEw York=/= Canadia.

Do I think it makes a huge difference? Probably not, but I do think it's stupid to change every wrestler's hometown out of Canada.

Lara Emily
07-08-2004, 08:27 PM
They changed Edge's hometown too? Personally I really find it annoying that they changed practically all the Canadian face's (please don't kill me Mr. Flair) hometowns, but in the end there is nothing I can do about it. I'm just not going to pay attention when the ring announcer say the wrong hometowns.

Batsu
07-08-2004, 10:35 PM
Thank goodness some light has been shed on this. I thought the whole changing of the Canadian wrestlers' hometowns thing was pretty dumb, myself...