Chris Jericho: Great Matches Don’t Matter

Chris Jericho believes match quality is overrated. To him, what sells a match or colors how it is perceived is the characters involved.

“I’m gonna go on record here,” Jericho said on a recent episode of his podcast. “Guess what guys? Great matches don’t matter. Here’s the secret to wrestling: personalities and character. That’s all that matters.”

Jericho expressed similar sentiment earlier this year during an appearance on Busted Open radio:

Chris Jericho on Dangerous Wrestling and Will Ospreay

Jericho would continue to use Will Ospreay as an example of what he means. Ospreay is often referred to as the next Dynamite Kid. In one respect, this is a compliment considering the success Tom Billington had. From another perspective, however, being the next Dynamite Kid could also mean a shortened career and limited mobility inlater life.

“People were predicting he’s gonna be the next Dynamite Kid,” Jericho said of Ospreay. “I called him on the phone and said, ‘dude you do not want to be the next Dynamite Kid. I want you to be around when you’re 47 just like me kicking ass. Stop doing stupid moves that don’t mean anything.’”

According to Jericho, he and Ospreay had a productive conversation and the popular junior heavyweight has toned down his style since.

Jericho also recalled the story of meeting Nick Bockwinkle at a TV taping in 1992. Bockwinkle, Jericho recalled, had a similar attitude to him that he now has given to Ospreay.

“I remember Nick Bockwinkle told me back in like 1992, at a TV taping in Winnipeg when he was there as a color commentator, ‘you do too much’.”