What’s the story?
Metro.co.uk caught up with WWE United States Champion Chris Jericho prior to his appearance at the Royal Rumble on Sunday. During the conversation, Jericho revealed who he wants to see as a surprise entrant in the Royal Rumble match and also discussed his chances of winning the match.
In case you didn’t know…
A Royal Rumble victory is perhaps the only achievement which has eluded Chris Jericho in his long and illustrious WWE career so far. Jericho’s Rumble debut in the year 2000 was a forgettable one as he was eliminated by Chyna in a matter of minutes.
However, he has been one of the most consistent performers in the match ever since. The closest that ‘Y2J’ came to winning the match was in 2012 when he was the last man to be eliminated by the eventual winner, Sheamus. In terms of longevity, Jericho put together his best showing in last year’s Royal Rumble match as he lasted a little over 51 minutes.
The heart of the matter
Asked about who he wanted to see in this year’s Royal Rumble match, Chris Jericho said that it would be great if Kurt Angle makes an appearance. Among others, he wished to see NXT superstars like Shinsuke Nakamura, Samoa Joe and Bobby Roode in the match, too. Jericho also claimed that he would be glad if former WWE performer Duke ‘The Dumpster’ Droese could be added to the mix.
Here’s what ‘The Ayatollah of Rock 'n' Rolla’ had to say:
“You hear that Kurt Angle is heading into the Hall of Fame which is great so maybe he'll make an appearance. There are a couple of guys currently in NXT who I think should be in the big leagues like Shinsuke Nakamura, Samoa Joe and Bobby Roode as well.
And I always like when sometimes they'll throw a Kevin Nash in there, or a Duke 'The Dumpster' Droese. I'm hoping for Duke this year, that's what I want to see.”
On his chances of winning the 2017 Royal Rumble, Jericho opined that things are always unpredictable in the WWE and anything could happen in the match, too. The veteran WWE superstar said that he has as much chance of winning as Mojo Rawley. Chris Jericho stated:
“You never know what's going to happen in WWE. It's the Royal Rumble, anything can go on. It's only January and I'm not leaving until May. I suppose I have just as much of a chance as Mojo Rawley has.”
What next?
Apart from competing in the Royal Rumble match this Sunday, Chris Jericho will also be seen suspended above the ring inside a shark cage while his ‘best friend’ Kevin Owens defends his WWE Universal Championship against Roman Reigns.
Sportskeeda’s Take
While it is very unlikely that the WWE may decide to make Jericho win the Royal Rumble considering his plans of taking a hiatus soon, it could possibly be a great way to set up a match between him and Owens at WrestleMania for the latter’s title.
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