Before New Japan Pro Wrestling’s biggest show(s) of the year, ace Hiroshi Tanahashi commented that if he defeated ‘Painmaker’ Chris Jericho in the Tokyo Dome, he’d “open the forbidden door” and pursue an All Elite Wrestling Championship match. Jericho, who speaks and reads perfect Japanese, agreed to the stipulation, and it was on.
Le Champion brought the AEW Championship to the Dome, but unfortunately for anyone hoping to see that Forbidden Door actually opened and the bad blood between the promotions quelled, he defeated the Ace by submission on night two. Never fear, though, as Jericho made a point in a post-match interview to say that while the door is “closed,” it shouldn’t be, and that he’d be willing to open it again himself. “The forbidden door is closed,” he commented, “but I don’t think it needs to be closed.”
Chris Jericho really wants AEW and NJPW to work together
— Fightful Wrestling (@Fightful) January 5, 2020
“Put aside all hurt feelings, put aside all the egos, put aside all of the issues and politics and concentrate on great wrestling matches and big business. I haven’t been doing this at the highest of levels for 29 years as what some people say the greatest of all time because I’m a stupid business man. I can see the amount of money that we could make together with AEW and New Japan, both here in Japan and in the United States, and Canada, and England, and Australia, and all around the world. So even though I beat Tanahashi tonight, I would be more than willing to wrestle him again, any time, and I’d be willing to give him an AEW title shot. And Okada. And Naito, and Suzuki, and Ibushi, and Ospreay.”
Jericho also mentioned that he doesn’t know when he’ll be back in Japan, but assumes he’ll at least be back for next year’s Wrestle Kingdom. He then said goodbye with a middle finger to the press, reminding everyone which country he’s in normally.
Let’s hope AEW and New Japan can listen to Jericho at least when he’s speaking good business sense and not calling children of the Savage Land “pieces of shit”, and find some common ground together. Next year’s Wrestle Kingdom might end being the biggest of them all.
(h/t to Fightful for the interview clip, of course)
