The Story: For weeks, a "Countdown to the Millennium" had been appearing on WWF programming for brief periods before they went to commercials. On August 9, it appeared at the beginning of Raw, revealing that the countdown would end at about 10:30 later that evening. On commentary are Jim Ross and Jerry "The King" Lawler.
(The Rock's music hits and the crowd cheers. The Rock makes comes out and makes his way to the ring.)
Jim Ross: Well I tell ya, the... the Rock, I don't know what he has on his mind here, but uh, he is dressed for battle, King, is the... the Great One, the People's Champion. Well I tell you what, it has been an unbelievable day, an unbelievable night. It'll be MTV week... or theWWF this week on MTV, I should say, as we head into SummerSlam in thirteen days, but...
Jerry Lawler: It's gonna be on all week on MTV, isn't it?
Yep... the Rock hammered earlier by the Big Show.
(Rock gets a mic.)
Rock: Big Show… the Rock says seeing as that jabronie you call a partner, the Undertaker, is booked tonight for a match, that pretty much leaves you free. So the Rock says, if you've got any fortitude in them little bitty things you call balls…
Ross: Uh oh…
Lawler: Uh oh.
Ross: Very personal here.
Lawler: Well…
Rock: Then tonight, in front of all Rock's fans, you will go one on one with the Great One!
Ross: Laying down a challenge to the Big Show tonight.
Rock: And go on and check your big fat ass directly into the Smackdown Hotel!
Ross: Big Show's gonna need a big king size bed isn't he?
Lawler: Ha ha.
(The Countdown to the Millennium comes up on the TitanTron with 0:25 to go.)
Ross: Wait a minute.
Lawler: Hey, wait a minute!
Ross: It's that Millennium clock.
Lawler: This is the Millennium, JR! Ten… nine… oh!
Ross: The countdown…
Lawler: Six…
Ross: To the Millennium.
Lawler: Four… we're counting down now, three… two… one…
Ross: We're counting down!
(The lights go off and various colored strobe lights flash on and off into the ring and a rhythm is heard resonating.)
Ross: What…
Lawler: What…
(After about twenty seconds, everything stops and all is dark. On the stage, pyro explodes, starting some techno/hip-hop style music.)
(The TitanTron shows pictures of New York City, and the crowd suddenly pops when the name 'Jericho' appears.)
(The lights come on, and Chris Jericho is standing on the ramp, with his back to the audience and his arms stretched out. He turns around.)
Chris Jericho: Welcome to Raw is Jericho!
(The crowd cheers and Jericho waits for his music to cut.)
Jericho: And I am the new Millennium for the World Wrestling Federation! Now for those of you who don't know me, I am Chris Jericho, your… your new hero, your party host, and most importantly, the most charismatic showman to ever enter your living rooms via a television screen. And for those of you who DO know me, well, all hail the Ayatollah of Rock and Roll-a!
(Some in the crowd start to boo.)
Lawler: He's got a nice haircut, I can say that.
Jericho: Now when you think of the new Millennium, you think of an event so gigantic that it changes the course of history. You think of a dawning of a new era, in this case a dawning of a new era in the WWF.
(The crowd starts to chant "Rocky!")
Ross: The Rock is not impressed.
Jericho: Thank you! Thank you.
Ross: Jericho's got a lot of guts…
Jericho: A new era is what this once proud and profitable company sorely needs! What was once a captivating, trend-setting program has now deteriorated into a clichéd… let's be honest… BORING snoozefest that is in dire need of a knight in shining armor.
Lawler: He's talking about you now, JR.
Jericho: And that is why I'm here.
Ross: Huh.
Jericho: Chris Jericho has come to save the WWF!
Ross: Ah, from what?
Lawler: You're gonna get your pink slip.
Jericho: Now let's go over the facts. Television ratings: downward spiral.
(The crowd chants "Rocky!" again.)
Ross: Who's he kidding?
Jericho: Pay-per-view buyrates: plummeting. Mainstream acceptance: non-existent. And reaction of the live crowds: complete and utter silence! And I know why you're silent. You're silent because you're embarrassed to be here!
Lawler: What?
Jericho: And quite honestly, I'm embarrassed for you. And the reason why you're embarrassed is because of the steady stream of uninteresting, untalented, mediocre "sports entertainers" who you… you're forced to cheer for and care for. No wonder you're not cheering! You could care less about every single idiot in that dressing room and especially this idiot in the center of the ring.
Ross: The Rock is going to explode, King. Any minute.
Jericho: You people have been led to believe that mediocrity is excellence. Uh-uh… JERICHO is excellence.
(The crowd boos heavily.)
Ross: He's got a lot of guts to interrupt the Rock.
Jericho: And now, for the first time in WWF history, you have a man who can entertain you. You have a man who is good enough for you. You have a man who can make you jump up off your chairs, raise your filthy, fat little hands in the air, and scream, "Go, Jericho, go!" "Go, Jericho, go!" "Go, Jericho, go!"
(Part of the crowd starts to chant along with him.)
Jericho: Thank you. The new Millennium has arrived in the WWF, and now that the Y2J Problem is here, this company, from the front office idiots to all the amateurs in the dressing room, including this one, to everybody watching tonight, will never e-e-e-ever be the same again!
(The entire crowd boos.)
Lawler: Y2J? Did he say Y2J?
Ross: Yeah, I heard him.
Lawler: The Rock is still dumfounded.
Ross: He's an arrogant young man.
(Lawler laughs. Rock raises the microphone.)
Ross: Uh oh.
Rock: After three boring minutes, the Rock says, know your role and shut your mouth!
Lawler: Aah!
Ross: Uh oh. I second that.
Rock: How dare you, little jabronie, come on the Rock's show and not even have the class to introduce yourself. What is your name?
Jericho: I told you earlier, my…
,Rock: It doesn't matter what your name is!
(The crowd cheers.)
Ross: Wow.
Lawler: Oh no!
Ross: He gotcha.
Lawler: Oh boy.
Rock: The Rock says, you talk about your Y2J Plan? Well the Rock has a little plan of his own and it's called the KYJelly Plan…
Lawler: Oh no!
(The crowd cheers.)
Rock: Which…
Lawler: You know what that is, JR?
Ross: Yeah.
Lawler: You do?
(The crowd chants "Rocky!")
Lawler: You don't clean it… you don't use it to clean pipes, JR.
Rock: Which means the Rock is gonna lube is size thirteen boot real good, turn that sumbitch sideways and stick it straight up your candy ass! If ya smeeeellllll… what the Rock… is cookin'!
(The Rock's music plays while Jericho makes a face like he's about to cry.)