It was a surprise to a lot of people when Chris Jericho announced that he would face Kenny Omega at New Japan’s Wrestle Kingdom 12 event on January 4 because Jericho has only wrestled for World Wrestling Entertainment since August 1999. Since then, Jericho has mentioned many times how loyal he was to WWE and how that was the only wrestling company he wanted to work for. So what changed? It turns out nothing at all other than Jericho seizing an opportunity.
Jericho has recently praised Omega as the best wrestler in the world and Jericho has called himself that in the past, so he views the Omega match as a nice test. Jericho noted also that he got the idea for the match from the hype surrounding the big Floyd Mayweather win over Conor McGregor back in August as a dream match that became a reality.
In a recent interview on the Busted Open Radio Show, Jericho explained why this match with Omega is good for the entire wrestling business, including WWE, which Jericho says is still his home. Thanks to Cageside Seats for the quotes.
“I think I’m in a very unique position in the WWE where I have a great relationship with the company, one guy [specifically], where normal rules might not apply. But I also do it with respect and with relevance to what they’re doing and realize that WWE is still my company, it’s still my home, but I’m not handcuffed to WWE. If I want to go to New Japan to work a main event at the Tokyo Dome or put on my own cruise and work in tandem with Ring Of Honor, that’s OK, because guess what? At the end of the day, when I go back to the WWE it makes me that much bigger of a star.”
Jericho also thinks that the guys running WWE (that would be Vince McMahon, of course) like the idea of the match, too.
“[The Omega match is] an old-school, something that you would see Hogan or Flair or Bockwinkel or somebody do back in the 80’s when they would do a big shot in Japan just because it meant something … I’m not a world champion, but it’s a big deal for Jericho to go there and I love that sort of intrigue and I think certain guys in the WWE appreciate that as well in the office because it makes for a better business.
The good thing about New Japan and even Ring Of Honor to an extent is showing that WWE is not the only place in town, and I think the first people that would be happy about that are the guys that are running the WWE because it just makes for a better business, for a healthier business. And not just for the boys but for the fans. It pushes everybody to think more and to be more clever and creative and to work harder.”
I absolutely agree with Jericho saying it’s a big deal that he is going to wrestle for New Japan. There are a lot of fans that are going to be watching or at least paying closer attention to Wrestle Kingdom 12 because of Jericho’s presence. That’s why he’s doing it and why NJPW is happy to have him.
What we don’t know is how WWE’s top people like Vince McMahon and Triple H think about it. Jericho is a free agent, so he can wrestle where he wants, but we don’t know if WWE is going to be mad at him for working somewhere else even if it’s for one match. To be determined, I guess.
.@IAmJericho tells @bullyray5150 & @LarryDallasSXM that his match w/ Kenny Omega is a throwback to the 80s when superstars would go overseas for matches & that this match pushes promotions to think more & be more creative which ultimately is good for the pro-wrestling business. pic.twitter.com/M4whWT8MHc
— SiriusXM Busted Open (@BustedOpenRadio) November 10, 2017
