After meeting Rich Ward in San Antonio, Texas, in 1998, Chris Jericho formed the band Fozzy. At that time, Jericho created the alter ego ‘Moongoose McQueen,’ and the band embraced a fictional narrative claiming they had been megastars stranded in Japan for two decades, with their music stolen and recorded by others during their absence. The band’s first album, ‘Fozzy,’ featured covers of songs by Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Scorpions, and Dio, reflecting their early style. Jericho explained that this phase represented one of the band’s initial creative directions, characterized by different band iterations and playful stage personas.
I mean, when you’ve been in a band as long as we have, 25 years, you always have different iterations of the band and different phases that you go through,
Jericho stated.
That was at the very beginning of what we were doing, when we were doing more of a Blues Brothers, Travelling Wilburys type of thing, where we had different names and that sort of thing,
the 55-year-old finished.
Transitioning to Original Music and Removing the Gimmicks
By 2005, Fozzy shifted away from their satirical backstory and began using their real names. This change coincided with the release of their third studio album, ‘All That Remains,’ recorded at Atlanta’s Treesound Studios alongside acts like Alter Bridge and Elton John. Jericho recalled witnessing Elton John’s intense moments in the studio, including a memorable temper tantrum, highlighting the unique environment where the album was created.
It was a very busy studio. Elton, I think he ordered like a thousand dollars in fresh flowers for his studio every day. And his studio had a kitchen in it. And one morning you could hear all these plates smashing. He was having a temper tantrum, just throwing the plates on the ground. That’s rock and roll royalty right there. You’re spending more money on bringing flowers and paying for broken crockery than we’re making from a whole record,
Jericho said.
Fozzy’s Shift From Side Project to Full-Time Commitment
In 2007, Jericho returned to professional wrestling full-time, but by September 2010, Fozzy transformed from a part-time band into a primary focus. This led Jericho to take a year-long break from wrestling to support the band’s rigorous touring schedule. The decision to fully commit to Fozzy stemmed from confidence in the band’s potential and the desire to elevate their presence in the music industry.
We just thought it was time to really put some more effort into the band because we knew what we had,
Jericho said.
We thought now’s the time to really go for it. Focus more on touring, focus more on recording. And it paid off. You can see the difference in the band over the time since 2010, how much we’ve grown and how much we’ve accomplished. It’s all part of the evolving situation of being in a rock and roll band. And wanting to take things to the next level. That’s always been my goal. When I start feeling something is working, I want to put more time into it and really build it. And that’s what we’ve done. And here we are,
the 55-year-old added.
The Breakthrough Success of ‘Judas’ and Its Impact
Fozzy’s popularity surged with the release of ‘Judas,’ a song that achieved nine top ten hits on U.S. rock radio. This track spent 26 weeks on the Mainstream Rock Chart and became notable as Jericho’s entrance theme in All Elite Wrestling (AEW), sparking a trend of fans singing wrestlers’ entrance music live at events. During a 2021 AEW Dynamite show in Houston, the crowd famously performed an a cappella version of ‘Judas’ as Jericho entered the ring, underscoring the song’s deep connection with the audience.
You never know what it is about a song. And that song just had it. It’s our number one biggest hit. It’s gone gold. It’s about to go platinum. People play it at football games and hockey games. There’s just something about it,
Jericho said.
Little kids love Judas. I hear it all the time. My two-year-old loves the song. It’s just one of those tunes that connects with people. It connected with me when I first heard it. Did I think it was going to become as big of a hit as it did? You never know. I don’t think anybody can ever predict what makes a hit song a hit song. It’s just something about it that works. Maybe it’s the lyrics. Maybe it’s the riff. I don’t know. Either way, whenever we play it, people go nuts. I don’t even have to sing. The crowd sings the whole song by themselves. We’re very fortunate to have that one song that everybody knows is Fozzy. Even if you don’t know any other songs, you know Judas. Oh, that’s Fozzy. Enter Sandman? Oh, that’s Metallica. Stairway to Heaven? That’s Zeppelin. Not that our song is as big as those songs are, but for our band it is. It’s the one song that stands out that everybody knows. We’re very fortunate to have that,
the 55-year-old added.
Recent Releases and Future Direction for Fozzy
In 2025, Fozzy released singles including a cover of Ozzy Osbourne’s ‘Crazy Train’ and the track ‘Fall In Line.’ Despite these releases, Jericho does not anticipate producing another full album soon, preferring to focus on individual songs. He expressed a desire to give each track the attention and live performance opportunities they deserve, rather than releasing a collection of songs all at once.
We are not focusing on doing albums now. I think as Boombox, we loved all the songs that were on it, and we hated the fact that some of them will never be played live and didn’t really get a chance to live and breathe on their own,
the Fozzy frontman said.
Songs like Ugly on the Inside and My Great Wall and Omen, those are great, great tunes, but they’re kind of just going to the ether. I think with Spotlight leading into Fall in Line and Crazy Train, we wanted to focus just on one song at a time. And that’s kind of what we’re doing. So we did finish recording the new song just in the studio last week, laying down the vocals for that. And we’re very excited to release that one. It should be out in a couple of months. I think the best way for us to be doing the new material is just to focus on a song at a time at this point,
Jericho concluded.
Jericho’s Career Shift After WWE and His Role in AEW
Chris Jericho’s tenure with WWE concluded after his appearance at the Greatest Royal Rumble event in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in April 2018. This change allowed him to reinvent himself once more, both in wrestling and music, adopting new personas such as ‘The Painmaker’ during his time in New Japan Pro Wrestling and later becoming ‘Le Champion’ in AEW. His arrival in AEW quickly established him as the company’s top star, headlining its inaugural event, ‘Double or Nothing,’ in May 2019, and becoming the first AEW World Heavyweight Champion.
Jericho believes his move to AEW was transformative for professional wrestling, noting the unique combination of a talented roster, television exposure, and financial backing created an unparalleled moment in the industry’s history.
There was no promotion when I went,
Jericho said.
I was pretty much the biggest name. I mean, I think Jim Ross and I were the only two guys that had really national, you know, Hall of Fame-level experience in the company at the time. But I knew that something special was going to happen because you have to have a roster. That’s what you need. And you have to have six to eight guys that you can build around. And we had that. So there was something very special,
Jericho said.
Early on, Jericho competed alongside emerging stars like The Young Bucks, Kenny Omega, Hangman Page, Cody Rhodes, and Jon Moxley, many of whom have become pillars of AEW. Rhodes later returned to WWE and claimed multiple WWE Championship titles. Jericho credited the collective rise of these talents, combined with AEW’s resources and exposure, for reshaping the wrestling business.
None of those guys had been on TV at a national level. You know, Kenny, the Bucks and Hangman. And, Cody was not one quarter of what he is now. Mox, same thing. You know, lots of these guys were kind of ready to burst out but hadn’t done that yet. We had a great moment in time where you had the television deal, you had the money, and you had the roster. And that’s probably never going to happen again, to be able to, you know, go up against WWE and do a great job of it. It was a great decision for me (to join). And I’m glad I did it. And it basically changed the wrestling business forever.
Memorable Highlights Including Wembley Stadium and Live Performances
Jericho has continuously made history during his extensive wrestling career, notably performing at AEW’s ‘All In’ pay-per-view at Wembley Stadium in 2023. At this event, he combined his musical and wrestling talents by performing Fozzy’s entrance theme live before facing Will Ospreay. Reflecting on this moment, Jericho described the intense pressure but also the thrill of the experience.
Five minutes total in Wembley Stadium. I think any band in the world would take that,
Jericho said.
Judas was crazy because I had to start up high on a platform and run down some stairs and climb down a ladder to get to the floor to sing,
the 55-year-old said.
It was a great idea, and I’m glad I did it, but it was a lot of pressure. Sing the song and then wrestle the match. It’s like, ‘good Lord, dude. Talk about biting off more than you can chew’, but it was a very cool moment in time for us,
the 55-year-old finished.
Upcoming Activities and Continuing Impact
Fozzy’s touring schedule resumes with a performance in Brighton on February 6th. As Chris Jericho balances his wrestling career and music, his long-lasting influence in both arenas continues to grow. His dedication to expanding Fozzy’s reach while maintaining a prominent role in AEW illustrates a committed and evolving artist who remains deeply connected with his fans.
