Chris Jericho's deal with New Japan was a surprise to many, but the WWE legend says WWE is still "his company."
Jericho, who had worked a Twitter angle with Kenny Omega for weeks before the announcement at NJPW Power Struggle, spoke to Busted Open Radio about his ongoing relationship with WWE after making the deal.
"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 okay. At the end of the day, when I go back to the WWE it makes me that much bigger of a star. I'm not saying it's a Brock Lesnar type thing, but it is very much a mercenary type thing. It's an old-school, something that you would see (Hulk) Hogan or (Ric) Flair or (Nick) 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. 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 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, healthier business. Not just for the boys, but for the fans. It pushes everybody to think more and be more clever and creative and to work harder."
Jericho will square off against Kenny Omega on January 4 at Wrestle Kingdom. Fightful.com will have full live coverage of the show, as well as a post-show podcast covering the show later that afternoon.
