Chris Jericho still has some matches that he is saving for a return to Japan.
Chris Jericho's initial run in New Japan Pro-Wrestling following his almost-20 years with WWE, had a part in the genesis of AEW. In 2018, he wrestled Kenny Omega in a match that Tony Khan has admitted was the initial first spark in his mind that AEW could work. In 2019, Chris Jericho worked with Tetsuya Naito and in 2020, he wrestled Hiroshi Tanahashi in the Tokyo Dome. Chris Jericho also had matches with Kazuchika Okada and EVIL during this time.
Speaking with Inside The Ropes, Chris Jericho says he still plans on having singles matches with names like Will Ospreay and Minoru Suzuki but he is waiting for a return to Japan where he believes these matches will mean more.
"Well, I mean, the thing is, I headlined three Tokyo Domes in a row. With Kenny in 2018, Naito in 2019, and Tanahashi in 2020. So there was a lot of revenue and a lot of money and a lot of tickets sold with Chris Jericho in New Japan Pro-Wrestling and a lot of momentum,” Jericho said. “Of course, obviously, the pandemic happened which shut everything down. I think there's still a lot more money to be made in Japan. I think Suzuki and Jericho in Japan means a lot more than Suzuki and Jericho does in the States because Minoru has worked with a lot of guys, you know, I think Minoru worked with like, I don't know, Joey Janela or whatever the states, which is great. It's not a Tokyo Dome level match. So there's a couple of matches I want to keep for Japan will Ospreay is another one.”
Chris Jericho explains that he didn't compete in a singles bout on Forbidden Door due to the close proximity of the Blood & Guts event which he will be taking part in as part of the titular main event.
“So for me to be on Forbidden Door, the issue for me is not just the matches that I could do at the Tokyo Dome, but the fact that we have Blood & Guts three days later in Detroit. So anything that I do on the Forbidden Door has to relate to Blood & Guts, it has to be the next step in the story to the promotion of Blood & Guts, or it's counterproductive. We're going to have to promote both Forbidden Door and Blood & Guts, because it's the go-home show for both. So for me on Forbidden Door, I have to do something that continues the momentum to Blood & Guts. If I just randomly faced Minoru Suzuki, will we tear the house down? Of course. But how does that connect to what we're doing just three days later?”
Ultimately, at the Forbidden Door event, Jericho and Suzuki worked successfully in a team in order to give the Jericho Appreciation Society the advantage in Blood & Guts.
Keep track of everything from at AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door by checking out Fightful’s live coverage. We also had a post-show review immediately following its conclusion.
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