What’s the story?
Chris Jericho was interviewed with Busted Open Radio on Sirius XM, where they discussed Jericho’s latest run and how it compared to his previous stints with the WWE. One of the things Jericho revealed during the interview was that he was supposed to be done with the WWE after WrestleMania 33.
In case you didn’t know...
Since his return to the WWE in 2012, Jericho has been continuing a cycle of leaving and returning to professional wrestling in between his tours with Fozzy. His latest run began in 2016 when Jericho announced himself as an entrant in the Royal Rumble Match.
His 17-month stint with the WWE was the longest of his runs since his return to the WWE in 2012. On May 2nd, 2017, Jericho’s latest run with the WWE came to an end when he lost the United States Championship to Kevin Owens on SmackDown.
The heart of the matter
Jericho said he would’ve returned to Fozzy earlier, but Vince McMahon convinced him to stick around until after Payback.
"The original plan was for me to finish after WrestleMania (with Owens). Then Vince had the idea for me to stay through April 30th and then May 1st and then May 2nd …so it's a little bit crazy. But yea I think it's fun. We had a break for about a year and a half with Fozzy so getting back in the room with the guys and just rehearsing and playing Judas for the first time live, it's really exciting. It takes me right out of the WWE world and straight to Fozzy world very quickly, which helps because I don't even really remember what happened on SmackDown. It's a little bit crazier than I expected."
Jericho said that while he views his latest run as one of his favourites, it would ultimately fall on the fans to decide whether or not it was one of his best.
“If you ask me 'Was this the best run of my career' that's not for me to answer, it's for the fans and the people who watch the shows to decide. It's definitely one of my favorites, top two along with the the Shawn Michaels feud and that era of Shawn Michaels, Rey Mysterio, Big Show was my partner.”
What’s next?
Jericho said he felt the end of his latest run was a fitting means of bringing his latest run with the WWE to a close.
“I think it was a pretty fun route because it just kept getting better and better even up until SmackDown on Tuesday. It was a great way to end the saga between Owens and Jericho because it started organically and then we went through the whole ups and downs and all this other stuff and turning on each other and then finally getting the surprise win on Sunday [Payback] and then having him take me out, kill the "knight in shining armor' on Tuesday I think was a fitting end and a nice way to kind of button everything up."
Jericho is currently on tour with Fozzy and won’t be back in the WWE anytime in the near future.
Author’s take
The continuation of the Owens-Jericho feud past WrestleMania probably would’ve been better if both men were on the same brand. Regardless of this, Jericho’s feud with Owens was as good as his latest run overall.
Jericho has proven that despite being a part of professional wrestling for so long, he’s still creative and charismatic enough to keep himself relevant.
Until next time Y2J!
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