On Jan. 4, Chris Jericho will defend the IWGP Intercontinental Title against the man he took it from, Tetsuya Naito. The bout is one of the most anticipated matches on a stacked night at Wrestle Kingdom 13.
In a new video, Naito donned the face paint and mocked Jericho in an effort to build their Wrestle Kingdom 13 showdown.
"Mr. Jericho....How's is going? You're an international superstar who is 'muy ocupado,' right? Where are you right now? Probably not at home, right? Right now you're most likely traveling all over the world, huh? I mean, you are an international superstar. But, take a look at my make-up...What do you think?" asked Naito. "An international superstar wouldn't put this lame make-up on his face, would he? If he used make-up, he would do it cooler, wouldn't he? And he wouldn't rip-off someone else's t-shirt design to make a little cash. He wouldn't do anything that cheap, would he? After all, he's an international superstar, right? We know that anyone you get involved with gains more notoriety. I bet there are tons of wrestlers who want to face you."
Naito continued, "Here in New Japan, there should be lots of wrestlers who want that shot...Although, nobody really talks about you. Is it perhaps that nobody's really that interested in you? The self-proclaimed international superstar, Mr. Chris Jericho. Am I saying anything wrong? Whatever...just face me, already. You probably really don't have much else going on. Right? The self-proclaimed international superstar, Mr. Chris Jericho...I know the truth, you wouldn't wear lame make-up like this, would you? Come on. I'm very much looking forwards to seeing you."
Jericho initially "turned down" the Naito match on Jan. 4, but his tune has changed recently. He posted a fan graphic hyping the bout, signifying that he's backed off his "refusal" and will be in Japan to defend his title against Naito at Wrestle Kingdom 13.
Wrestle Kingdom 13 airs live on NJPW World at 4 a.m. ET. Fightful will have complete coverage of the event. You can view the current card here.
