Chris Jericho has played plenty of larger-than-life characters throughout his career, but his latest transformation might be one of the most fitting yet. With Prime Video’s Muhammad Ali series The Greatest officially out, fans are finally getting their first proper look at Jericho stepping into the shoes of one of wrestling’s original showmen.
On November 4, Jericho took to Instagram and shared a photo of himself completely transformed into legendary wrestling pioneer Gorgeous George. Rocking George’s signature blond curls and flamboyant look, Jericho used the post to promote the newly released series.
“Are you ready to get GORGEOUS? #TheGreatest out NOW on @primevideo! #GorgeousGeorge @muhammadali”
The photo gives fans their first real look at Jericho in character after his casting was revealed back in October. Jericho portrays Gorgeous George in The Greatest, the eight-episode Prime Video limited series chronicling the life and career of Muhammad Ali.
And Gorgeous George isn’t just some random wrestling cameo thrown into an Ali series. Long before wrestling characters became mainstream celebrities, George turned himself into a television sensation through his outrageous personality, elaborate entrances and ability to make people desperate to either love him or hate him.
That swagger also famously influenced a young Muhammad Ali, making George a natural part of the story. Jericho makes his first appearance as the wrestling legend during the fourth episode of the series.
The role is also a pretty natural fit for Jericho considering his own career has been built around constantly reinventing himself and understanding exactly how to get a reaction from an audience. Now fans can actually see what that transformation looks like instead of just imagining Jericho underneath those famous Gorgeous George curls.
With The Greatest now streaming, Jericho’s first-look photo finally puts an image to a casting choice that had already sounded pretty damn perfect on paper. The only question now is how much of Gorgeous George’s larger-than-life personality Jericho managed to bring along with the hair.
What do you think of Chris Jericho’s transformation into Gorgeous George for The Greatest? Let us know what you think in the comments.
