For me, growing up on the Jersey Shore with the WWWF, like, everything in my soul was [saying] ‘I’m going to end up in the WWF.’ So, for me, personally, I didn’t know [going to WWE] was going to come with the heat that it did. If I’d left when [Jericho] left or right after [Jericho] left, it would’ve been a whole different story. WCW had a lot of heat rolling in there. Everybody came in there. I did not understand it.
I never made money. I worked on top for two years. I made $275,000, bro. Yes, [in WCW] ’97. In ’98 I made $295,000. I was holding out for WWE. I didn’t know what I was going to do.
Here’s what Bisch did for me that I never really appreciated until I was in WWE: he protected me. And what I mean by that is when I was being buried. I wanted to help Chris [Benoit] with his promos, so Disco [Inferno], he had a really unbelievable understanding of our business. Like, what to promo or what to do, he couldn’t really do it himself, but he was a good teacher. Like, there [were] things he said to me, [where] I went like, ‘oh yeah, I’m going to use that.’ So I wanted to put him with Benoit. He’ll help you become a great interview. And when they heard that, the bookers, they buried me! And Bisch is sitting in my driveway and we’re having beer just like we’re sitting here having a couple of beers and he tells me, ‘why would you have Disco help Benoit?’ I go, ‘because he [has] got a really great mind for the business and he really understands the art of interviewing.’ He goes, ‘it looks bad. It looks like you’re setting Benoit up to fail.’ I go, ‘that’s the last thing I’m doing.’ He goes, ‘yeah, I get that and that’s what I told them.’ He said, ‘but also, you have to stop being so honest with everybody. So stop helping people and stop being so honest!’ And I said, ‘well, I’m not going to do that because that’s not who I am.
Dude, in the beginning because I was treated so well, I didn’t see it coming. But once I got in there, I realized Vince has no idea who I am. I mean, I was like, ‘please let me show you the Goldberg match.’ I had no idea because of the way I was talked to and what they wanted.
I only wrestled there for six months and for a month of it, I tore my meniscus and I was back in four weeks! Torn meniscus! Maybe not the smartest thing, but I wanted to get away from the stalker thing and I was bringing back the ‘Feel The Bang’ guy and the smiley guy. And the smile got over! And then, they were letting me go back to being myself and I know I had that match with Christian at WrestleMania  and the one goal I always focused on was, ‘I’ve got to work a WrestleMania’ and we had a hell of a match. Christian, Jay Reso, I think he’s one of the most underrated guys. I mean, what an amazing hand in the ring and a great guy too. I had signed a three-year deal, but they wanted out of it after one and I thought I had that million dollar policy I had been paying for four years with Lloyd’s Of London. I had one of those deals.
Credit: “Talk is Jericho”. H/T WrestlingInc.