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Chris Jericho has spent thirty years in the pro wrestling world, and is still going strong. The veteran wrestler has seen it all - from wrestling in Japan, to becoming a megastar in WWE, and he is now helping build AEW.
Jericho has reinvented himself on multiple occasions throughout his pro wrestling career, and has debuted different gimmicks that have won over fans. While the first-ever AEW World Champion is still an important player in pro wrestling in 2020, there was a time around 15 years ago, when he thought of bringing an end to his career.
Chris Jericho revealed in a recent interview that he contemplated quitting pro wrestling back in 2005.
Chris Jericho reveals why he wanted to quit wrestling when he was in WWE
In his recent interview with Chris van Vliet, Chris Jericho said that he was "mentally burned out" following his match with John Cena at SummerSlam 2005.
Here's what Jericho said:
“Yes, in 2005, SummerSlam with John Cena, I wasn’t done, done, but I was mentally burned out. I walked away. My contract was up. There were no contract negotiations. I said don’t even give me a figure because I felt they were going to give me a downgrade because of the way my career was at the time. I knew it was time to get away. I left the business for two and a half years. When I came back in 2007, it was with a completely different mindset because I had done a lot of acting and a lot of training." (H/T 411 Mania)
Jericho wrestled once again following that match at SummerSlam, the very next night on RAW, against John Cena once again, in an "You're fired" match. He lost and went on a hiatus, returning in 2007. He revealed in the interview that upon his return in 2007, he adopted a new persona and reached his full potential, and that he has been at the top of the game since.
He stayed in WWE for the next decade, with a few short breaks in between, before wrestling in NJPW and then AEW.
