For many, the May 2001 tag match that saw Chris Jericho and Chris Benoit defeat Steve Austin and Triple H to win the WWE Tag Team Championships remains the best match in “Raw” history. It is also the same match that altered Triple H’s career, as he tore his quad muscle, putting him out of action for eight months. It’s an evening that remains vivid in Jericho’s memory, and during an appearance on “Wrestling Observer Radio,” Jericho recounted the wild swing of emotions that occurred from when the match was over to learning how severe Triple H’s injury was.
“The crowd went nuts, we win the titles, and everyone’s going crazy, and what an amazing moment,” Jericho said. “And then we go to the back. And this should’ve been one of those nights where you get the pat on the back, you get the standing ovation in Gorilla, you get the handshake and a hug from Vince. Those are things in the business that…well, you strive for them. You don’t crave them, but you strive for them, the night when everybody, when everything works.
“And we didn’t get that, because everyone was concerned about Triple H, as we should’ve been. But we didn’t know. I just thought ‘Well, he followed through. He must be okay.’ It’s like ‘He’s really hurt.’ I was like ‘Oh no, is he really?’ And so it went from this amazing elation to this complete downer, where now we’ve all got to go to the doctor’s room, and he’s getting checked, and then we find out that he tore his quad, which then basically ruined everything for the plans they had.”
Those plans called for Jericho to resume his feud with Triple H, after the two had previously battled several times in 2000, while Austin was set to defend the WWE Championship against Chris Benoit. Instead, Jericho and Benoit would both challenge Austin for the title at King of the Ring, with Austin retaining.
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “Wrestling Observer Radio” and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription
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