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Chris Jericho created ripples across the wrestling universe with his show-stealing matches against the who's who in NJPW. He might not have been there for long, but his brief stint was incredible.
The Painmaker recently took to Twitter to clear the air surrounding his NJPW status, quashing reports that suggested he was released by the company recently. Jericho took a shot at the wrestling outlets that reported the rumors, stating the developments they covered were 'hardly hot news'.
"Hardly hot news....I haven’t been under contract with @njpw1972 since Jan 6, 2020," tweeted Jericho
Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter recently reported that NJPW President Harold Meij was skeptical about the AEW star's big-money contract. The promotion decided to cancel Jericho's contract to minimize the losses suffered due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The report also suggested that others in NJPW weren't particularly pleased with Meij's decision, as Jericho has played a vital role in bringing western eyeballs to the promotion's product.
Chris Jericho's NJPW career
Chris Jericho worked extensively with NJPW during his short spell there. He had programs with some of the biggest stars in the promotion.
Le Champion wrestled his first NJPW match against current AEW champion Kenny Omega at Wrestle Kingdom 2018, which he lost.
He also competed in other marquee matches in the promotion against the likes of Tetsuya Naito, Evil, Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kazuchika Okada.
The Demo God held the IWGP Intercontinental Championship for nearly three months, before losing it to Naito at Wrestle Kingdom 2019. He even faced Kazuchika Okada for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship at Dominion 6.9.
At Wrestle Kingdom 14, The Painmaker beat 'The Ace' Hiroshi Tanahashi. According to Jericho's own tweet, his contract expired shortly after the event.
However, due to the Japanese promotion and AEW's working relationship, the possibility of Chris Jericho appearing at future NJPW shows cannot be completely ruled out.
Who would you like Chris Jericho to face over in NJPW? What do you think about his run in NJPW so far? Let us know your opinions in the comments section below.
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