Chris Jericho recently sat down with NJPW1972.com for a special interview. Part 1 of the interview has now been released and the IWGP Intercontinental Champion made some interesting points relating to EVIL, WWE comparisons and the rematch with Tetsuya Naito.
Match With EVIL
When asked about the Power Struggle match with EVIL, Jericho stated “I’ve never been in a match with EVIL before. I think the fact that the match was so great; the quality, the fighting spirit, the intensity, the strong style. I think EVIL was very good. He’s got a great character, a great gimmick and I really enjoyed working with him.” We reported shortly after the Power Struggle match that Jericho claimed it was EVIL’s “first ever classic match.” Y2J again made this claim in this new interview, saying that “I think it’s the best match EVIL has ever had – a classic match, a must-see match. That makes it 1 for him and 557 for me, which is just a result of the experience that I have in comparison to EVIL. I really enjoyed it.”
Comparisons to WWE
The interviewer also asked Jericho if EVIL was comparable to any Superstars he has faced in WWE. Jericho replied “I don’t rate and think of performers that way, everyone is unique and different. If you say “Oh EVIL’s like this guy, or that guy” then it’s usually not a good thing. I think he’s got a great character. There was however one WWE legend that sprang to mind; “Obviously, it’s a little bit of an Undertaker theme, but it’s an original take on that. In the ring, I don’t know… it’s hard to compare… He’s a very Strong-Style type of wrestler, but he’s fast.”
Rematch with Naito
The interview ended with Jericho’s comments on Tetsuya Naito and the planned rematch at Wrestle Kingdom. Jericho asked “Why does Naito get a re-match? Why? What does he do? He beat Zack Sabre Jr. You know, ZSJ is a great technical wrestler, but I can break him in two like a branch. I beat Naito. I beat EVIL. To me, you don’t just get to have a re-match just because you say so. When I lost the WWE title to John Cena, I didn’t just come back the next day and say, “I want a re-match”, it doesn’t work that way.”
