Chris Jericho says Vince McMahon thought the match at Wrestle Kingdom was a good idea.
Last Thursday, New Japan Pro Wrestling held their biggest annual event in Tokyo, Japan. Wrestle Kingdom 12 featured several title matches including Kenny Omega facing Chris Jericho. This was the first time Jericho had performed outside of WWE for nearly twenty years. On Talk Is Jericho, he hosted an episode where he explained how the match with Omega came to fruition. Jericho said he had to call Vince McMahon before committing to the match.
"We were on tour with Fozzy and we had a VIP meet and greet. It's every day at four o'clock. I texted Vince earlier in the day and said 'Hey boss, what are you doing? Do you have time to talk?' He says 'Yes, at four o'clock,'" said Jericho. "Four o'clock, I call him and he doesn't answer, classic Vince. Then he calls me, I am shitting my pants. I feel like my dad is calling me after I wrecked the car or something," he continued.
To some surprise, McMahon was fully in support of the match according to Jericho. He explained the match to McMahon including the build-up and the deal Jericho received from New Japan Pro Wrestling.
"It was not a long call. Right from the start, he says 'you have to do it. This is great. This is great for you. It's great for me. Everyone knows you're a WWE guy. You're flying the flag there anyway,'" said Jericho. "I say 'it's going to put me at a different level when I come back.' He goes 'absolutely,'" he added.
The entire episode was recorded on the day of Jericho's match against Omega. Jericho discussed the match's origin, how he negotiated with New Japan Pro Wrestling, and what he wished to accomplish with the match.
Talk Is Jericho is available at Omny.fm.
