AEW Champion Kenny Omega and ‘The Invisible Hand’ Don Callis recently appeared on Chris Jericho’s Talk Is Jericho podcast. The duo discussed a number of topics during the podcast, including Omega’s recent match in AAA, Don Callis’ ‘megaplan’ and the NJPW match between Jericho/Omega that ‘changed the wrestling industry.’
When discussing his Wrestle Kingdom 12 match against Kenny Omega; Chris Jericho would reveal that he was concerned about leaving the WWE bubble and heading to another promotion where he believes he may have not been ‘remembered.’
Chris Jericho on WWE versus New Japan
“There’s a certain atmosphere in WWE” Chris Jericho would begin. “It is what it is and I enjoyed it there for my time there. But this (New Japan) was a whole different level of…star positioning, shall we say. Positioning me in the main event of the Tokyo Dome with Kenny who is a proven huge star in New Japan.”
“Me? I’d not been there since 1997 when I was doing jobs for Kanemoto, whoever the hell it was…El Samurai?” Jericho would continue. “So for me to go there? People kind of knew who I was, but not really, unless you were a fan from 20 years prior. So I had to start from scratch. They might know the idea of what Chris Jericho is, maybe heard the name or seen some matches, when WWE came to Japan to do Sumo Arena? But this was a chance for me to prove myself on a completely different level.”
It’s almost baffling to believe that a veteran the stature of Jericho would think that the Japanese fans wouldn’t know who he is. Given that the former Y2J had been in almost every major promotion before 2018 and had won most of the biggest titles in the world? It’s fair to say that he would’ve always been welcomed by the Japanese fans with open arms.
Are you amazed that Chris Jericho was worried about this prior to re-joining New Japan? Let us know in the comments