WWE Hall of Famer and Busted Open Radio co-host Bully Ray had some interesting comments regarding Chris Jericho and his appearance at New Japan’s Wrestle Kingdom 14 this past weekend.

There had been speculation that AEW and NJPW had worked together in some form before the show. As Tanahashi claimed that he would “open the forbidden door.” And challenge for an AEW Championship shot if he beat ‘The Painmaker’ Jericho. ‘Le Champion’ responded to the challenge; stating that he would take on Tanahashi for the AEW title if he were to beat him at Wrestle Kingdom. Interestingly NJPW mentioned AEW several times during the Wrestle Kingdom broadcast, and Jericho appeared wearing the AEW Championship.

“…it will probably based around Chris Jericho’s comments of him trying to bridge the gap between AEW and New Japan”

Bully Ray and Busted Open co-host Dave LeGreca were discussing the Wrestle Kingdom event and how AEW/Jericho fit into the equation. “If AEW does come into the conversation today it will probably based around Jericho’s comments of him trying to bridge the gap between AEW and New Japan,” Bully began.

“Trying to get them on the same page, see if they can get a working relationship. I like what Jericho was trying to do by saying ‘hey Tanahashi if you beat me you know you can get a shot at the [AEW] championship.”

“…Chris Jericho talking about how he’d love to see bad feelings and egos put aside”

Bully continued, saying “they took us down one road thinking ‘well maybe Tanahashi gets a shot’ but [in the end] Jericho goes over. But now they’re saying the [forbidden] door is closed.”

Ray also talked about Jericho’s press conference following Wrestle Kingdom, where the former WWE Superstar stated that he wants to see ‘egos put aside’ so that AEW and New Japan can work together. “Chris Jericho does the press conference talking about how he’d love to see bad feelings and egos; all this stuff get put aside and try to bring them together.”

“Super Alliance”

Ray also talked about how the likes of Jericho and even CM Punk wrestling outside of WWE is such a big deal to the industry as a whole.

“Do you remember how we talked probably about a year ago? When we were talking about guys like CM Punk coming back wresting? How Jericho came back wrestling? About how it’s bigger for these guys to come back and go work for other companies other than the WWE? Because what it means to the business on the whole. Globally. Big picture wise I think what Jericho is trying to do is like what we talked about a year ago. Jericho is trying to bring the biggest Japanese pro wrestling company; and the hottest wrestling company right now in America together to maybe form a super alliance.”

• Bully Ray Says CM Punk’s Role on WWE Backstage Gives Fans Hope He’ll Wrestle Again

All Elite Wrestling’s Cody Rhodes and Chris Jericho have both made efforts to help the firefighting effort in Australia as bushfires rage through the country.

Cody took to Twitter to share a new t-shirt that sports a retro design of his name. He wrote how it was an unused concept, but wanted to put it online to help the New South Wales Rural Fire Service. 100 percent of profits will go towards helping Australian fire services.

“I had an unused retro shirt design, I’ve decided to put it online! [100 emoji] % of the profits go to THE NSW RURAL FIRE SERVICE to help provide support to those affected by the catastrophic fires spreading across Australia.”

If you are interested in purchasing a t-shirt, you can do so at ProWrestlingTees.

Chris Jericho’s Wrestle Kingdom Shirt

“Le Champion” had a similar idea in helping out. After speaking with New Japan Pro-Wrestling English commentator, Gino Gambino, and Robbie Eagles, Jericho donated the ring worn shirt he wore at Wrestle Kingdom 14. Gamino uploaded a photo of Jericho holding up the shirt. He highlighted how “ALL of the money will be donated.”

At the time of writing, the eBay bid is currently at $5,100 Australian dollars.

“Today @IAmJericho spoke to myself and @RobbieEagles_ about the devastating fires . Chris really wanted to help out all his fans in #Australia affected by these events, and has dontanted his WK14 ring worn T-shirt. ALL of the money will be donated”

If you are interested in bidding on the t-shirt, you can do so here.

Chris Jericho recently competed against NJPW’s Hiroshi Tanahashi. He managed to defeat “The Ace” during Night Two of Wrestle Kingdom 14. Despite the AEW World Champion competing against one of New Japan’s top talents, the relationship between the two companies is reportedly “worse than previously thought.”

AEW World Champion Chris Jericho spoke with SI.com recently in the build-up to his match at Tokyo Dome this weekend. During the interview, Jericho mentioned what he thinks he would be doing had he stayed in WWE.

Jericho on what he would be doing if he were still in WWE:

“If I was still in the WWE, I would still have to be doing ‘The List’ and it would feel so old,” said Jericho. “I love all the great stuff I did in the past, but to go out there and say ‘Raw is Jericho’ or ‘I’m the Ayatollah of Rock ‘n’ Rolla’ would really feel like a rock and roll band that tours that never puts on a new record and tours every summer.”

On the Genesis of his NJPW “Painmaker” persona:

Jericho also spoke about the genesis of his “Painmaker” persona in NJPW.

“I originally went into that Omega match thinking I’d be the same guy from WWE,” said Jericho. “But I was really into Bruiser Brody at the time–I think it was the 30 anniversary of his death–and watching him just beat the sh– out of people. In Japan, people are still intimidated by that and they kind of like it. I really liked the lunacy of the character I played building up to and during the Kenny match, so when I went back for Naito, I didn’t want to wear sparkly tights and light-up jackets. It didn’t feel right. I felt crazier, and I decided that some paint needed to be worn.”

Jericho on keeping his character fresh:

Jericho also compared his character re-invention to bands playing new songs. He also specifically used DX as an example during the conversation.

“I have a great list of hits, but a lot of those will never be played again because I’m too busy concentrating on new hits and performing at the highest level,” said Jericho. “It’s hard to leave all the old gimmicks and catchphrases, and take a chance, but if you don’t do that, it’s like DX coming to the ring in 2019 and yelling ‘Suck it!’ It looks like a relic from the past, and I never wanted to be that.”

Jericho defeated Tanahashi in the Tokyo Dome on Sunday, meaning Tanahashi failed to earn a shot at Jericho’s AEW World Championship. It’s not clear if the “forbidden portal” will be open in the future or not.

The full interview Chris Jericho gave to SI.com can be read here.

Auctioning off Wrestle Kingdom Worn Shirt

Gino Gambino is auctioning off Jericho’s shirt from Wrestle Kingdom to support Australia as it goes through the most destructive wildfire season in recorded history.

AEW Executive Vice Presient Cody Rhodes recently spoke to SPORT1 in Germany. Rhodes took the time to discuss some of the young talent on AEW programming as well as the influence of veteran performer and AEW Champion Chris Jericho.

“I didn’t know who Kris Statlander was a month ago” – Cody Rhodes

“There are people who are definitely ahead of the curve considering they have never been on TV: Darby Allin, for example, or Kris Statlander,” Rhodes stated. “I didn’t know who Kris Statlander was a month ago. Now, I can’t imagine AEW without her. She’s an incredibly special talent and we want to cultivate that. I’ve been really impressed with so much of our roster with how they’ve taken doing live television.”

“They say in wrestling, ‘What’s old is new’.”

Cody Rhodes also talked about how the days of ‘territory’ wrestling and an old-school mentality come into play with AEW. “They say in wrestling, ‘What’s old is new’. There is so much of the territory wrestling, and even pre-Crockett, pre-television wrestling, that have so many great stories and elements to bring to the squared circle and tell a story within the ropes,” Cody said. “To be able to do that on worldwide television is huge. But we also have to do our best not to be a parody of what’s old. Not to be nostalgia for nostalgia’s sake.”

Cody elaborated further, saying “you have to give people the buffet: some old, some new. We are melding those worlds. I like Memphis Wrestling, southern wrestling. I revel in that old school, but not lazy old school – the diligent, committed old school. If you mash that up with the new school and create something new like Darby Allin does, or MJF, people will let you know how much they love it.”

Cody then praised AEW Champion Chris Jericho, saying “you don’t want to praise Chris because he’s such an asshole, but you have to give him props,” Cody claimed. “Every week, Chris Jericho does something that reminds me of how important he is to the company – every week! He’s a huge part of this.”

This weekend marks the first time in New Japan Pro Wrestling’s illustrious history that Wrestle Kingdom, the January 4th tradition; will actually be held as a two day event. As part of Night 2, AEW Champion Chris Jericho will be taking on NJPW ‘Ace’ Hiroshi Tanahashi.

As part of the build up to the bout, Tanahashi claimed that if he defeated Jericho he would ‘open the forbidden door’ and ask for an AEW Championship match. Up to this point the relationship between the two companies has reportedly been splintered at best. In the latest episode of Wrestling Observer Radio Dave Meltzer had further information regarding the two companies; apparently Rocky Romero (of NJPW) and Jericho went to AEW owner Tony Khan to ask if the Championship could be used in the build up to the Wrestle Kingdom match. Khan gave the green light to the idea and NJPW featured AEW and the belt on their website. Conversely AEW did not make any mention of Tanahashi or NJPW on their own site or television programming.

Meltzer also noted that there is still a lot of bad blood between the two entities, more than previously thought. Apparently there have been legal threats made from NJPW’s side, however it was not made clear what these were. Meltzer did also note that although there are a lot of barriers that a deal could still be struck between the two companies. Currently the use of the AEW belt is just a deal between Jericho and Tanahashi. With Jericho being ‘protected’ as Champion it is doubtful that Tanahashi takes the win over Jericho in the bout.

You can check out our live coverage of Wrestle Kingdom 14 Night 2 here.

New Japan Pro-Wrestling is kicking off 2020 with their biggest event of the new year, Wrestle Kingdom 14. For the first time ever, Wrestle Kingdom will be a two-day event, with shows in the Tokyo Dome on January 4th and 5th. This event will be available to watch on their live streaming service, NJPW World, as well as Fite TV. Both platforms enable a choice between English or Japanese language commentary.

Day 1 of Wrestle Kingdom 14 took place on January 4th, and it made for a very eventful evening. Full results of the show can be read here and a shorter synopsis with key takeaways can be read here. Three matches from Day 1 pertained to the card of Day 2. An IWGP US Heavyweight Championship match has been scheduled for Day 2 in which Juice Robinson would challenge the winner between the title bout between Jon Moxley and Lance Archer, which ended up with Moxley the victory. Also, the “Double Gold Dash” will come to a head, as Kazuchika Okada and Tetsuya Naito left Wrestle Kingdom 14 as the IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Champions respectively, and will face off in the main event of Day 2. Their respective opponents, Kota Ibushi and Jay White, will also compete in a singles match.

Pre-show start times are the following. The main show starts one hour after the listed time.

• Pacific USA: January 4th, 9PM
• Eastern USA: January 5th, 12AM (Midnight)
• UK: January 5th, 5AM
• Japan: January 5th, 2PM
• East Australia: January 5th, 4PM

Stream Links

• NJPW World (English Commentary)
• NJPW World (Japanese Commentary)
• Fite TV

Wrestle Kingdom 14 Day 2 Card

(Pre Show) NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship Gauntlet Match: Los Ingobernables de Japon Win
Teams:
– Champions: Togi Makabe, Toru Yano & Ryusuke Taguchi
– CHAOS: Tomohiro Ishii, YOSHI-HASHI & Robbie Eagles
– Los Ingobernables de Japon: Shingo Takagi, EVIL & BUSHI
– Suzuki-gun: Taichi, El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru
– Bullet Club: Bad Luck Fale, Chase Owens & Yujiro Takahashi

The match began with the Bullet Club and CHAOS teams. CHAOS eliminated Bullet Club when Tomohiro Ishii hit a vertical drop brainbuster on Chase Owens. The Suzuki-gun trio entered second, but also fell to the CHAOS team as Eagles hit a small package hold on Kanemaru. With two teams dispatched, CHAOS finally fell to Los Ingobernables de Japon, the third trio to enter, after EVIL hit Tomohiro Ishii with the Darkness Falls. With LIJ the last of the challenger teams standing, the champions Makabe, Yano, and Taguchi entered to determine the ultimate winner. There was a close call in which Taguchi hit Shingo Takagi with the Dodon, which he used to finish off Jushin Thunder Liger yesterday, but Takagi kicked out. BUSHI sprayed black mist in Taguchi’s face and Shingo hit him with Made in Japan and got the pinfall victory to win the match. Los Ingobernables de Japon won the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championships, putting another piece in place for every member of LIJ leaving Wrestle Kingdom 14 as champions.

Jushin Thunder Liger Retirement Match II: Hiromu Takahashi & Ryu Lee def. Jushin Thunder Liger & Naoki Sano (with Yoshiaki Fujiwara)
Ryu Lee entered using his new, non-CMLL namesake for the first time, donning the ROH Television Championship and a mask with Liger’s horns. He held the rope open for Hiromu Takahashi, who was wearing half-Liger styled tights, as he made his entrance. The crowd was ablaze as Jushin Thunder Liger walked down the ramp for his final match. Hiromu tagged to Lee, but they double-teamed Liger as the crowed booed. Liger rallied with tilt-a-whirl backbreakers and was able to tag in Naoki Sano, who briefly rallied with surprising agility. The match went back to Liger and Hiromu, and Liger showed great fire against his junior heavyweight successor. Crowds came unglued for his comebacks and were thrilled with his kickouts. They did not want the illustrious career of Jushin Thunder Liger to end. But it did end, when Hiromu Takahashi hit the Time Bomb on Liger to pin the junior heavyweight legend in his final match. Liger briefly spoke on the microphone to the Tokyo Dome audience, his music played, and an era of pro-wrestling ended. Jushin Thunder Liger’s retirement ceremony takes place tomorrow at New Year Dash. (12:16)

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship Match: Roppongi 3K (SHO & YOH) def. Bullet Club (Taiji Ishimori & El Phantasmo) (c)
Roppongi 3K rushed Bullet Club before the bell rang, presumably as payback for stealing their Super Junior Tag League trophies. Soon, the Bullet Club turned the tables with underhanded offense. In one of the most magnificent displays of ostentation, El Phantasmo hit a springboard backflip into a back rake. Theoretically, this match should have struggled to hook the crowd following Liger’s heartfelt retirement, but the crowds were solidly behind Roppongi 3K. Bullet Club attempted to do Roppongi 3K’s self-titled finish, but SHO countered it and the three-time Super Junior Tag League winners were able to take control. Phantasmo tried to get in a belt attack and a groin attack, but they were both foiled. Roppongi 3K hit a combination Shock Arrow and diving double foot stomp, to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships. (14:08)

Revolution Pro Wrestling British Heavyweight Championship Match: Zack Sabre Jr. (c) def. SANADA
As is the theme of matches between Zack Sabre Jr. and SANADA, this was a match that was highly ground-based and full of counters, and counters of counters. Zack and SANADA traded control in holds and on the ground, with Zack becoming increasingly frustrated as he realized that SANADA did not succumb to his skill as easily as most others. He had promised to defeat SANADA by submission in the Tokyo Dome. SANADA took the match to stand-up and Zack couldn’t match him in that regard. Nevertheless, Zack deftly caught SANADA with a Japanese leg roll clutch to retain the British Heavyweight Championship. (12:32)

IWGP US Heavyweight Championship Match: Jon Moxley (c) def. Juice Robinson
Despite his rather comedic facial hair and entrance outfit, Juice rushed Moxley as he made his entrance with the IWGP US Heavyweight Championship that he had won less than 24 hours prior. Moxley was arguably at a disadvantage considering the danger of the Texas Deathmatch with Lance Archer that he went through yesterday, but he soon was dominating Juice with strikes. Juice had won a match against Moxley on one of the final days of the G1 Climax, but he looked worse for wear at first. He urged Juice to hit him harder, and then put him out of his misery. Jon Moxley hit the Death Rider to retain the IWGP US Heavyweight Championship. (12:48)

Then, Minoru Suzuki’s music started playing. He entered in his ring gear and gave Jon Moxley a Gotch-style piledriver. He held the IWGP US Heavyweight Championship above a fallen Moxley and left the ring.

NEVER Openweight Championship Match: Hirooki Goto def. KENTA (c)
After an initial burst from Goto, KENTA kept throwing him out of the ring, eliciting heavy boos from the Dome audience. He pompously rubbed his boots in Goto’s face and kicked him while he was down, until Goto lost his patience and floored him with a single forearm. Goto was tired of KENTA’s constant belittling, calling him cute and not taking him seriously. KENTA briefly countered with kicks but Goto continued his momentum with the Ushigoroshi. A corner dropkick and a penalty kick, followed by a shotgun dropkick held Goto down for a near fall. KENTA went for the Go 2 Sleep but Goto caught his leg and headbutted him to the ground. KENTA had a second wind of furious strikes, but Goto powered through them all and delivered the GTR to win the NEVER Openweight Championship. (16:12)

Singles Match: Jay White def. Kota Ibushi
This match involved the two losers of the IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Championship matches from Wrestle Kingdom 14 Day 1. Ibushi looked understandably disappointed as he entered, while Jay White seemed unfazed by his loss. White started the match in the lead, working over Ibushi while proclaiming that his people didn’t care about him anymore. Ibushi was not interested in being slowly worn down, and responded in his usual ferocious manner. He struck Jay down as if he were insignificant, and a wobbly White struggled to land a hit on him. White hit a fast Complete Shot and German suplex to give himself a moment of reprieve. He landed a Kiwi Crusher for a near fall as Gedo barked orders at him. White went for the Blade Runner but Ibushi blocked it with a high kick, and Gedo came in with a chair after the referee had been hit. He hit Ibushi on the back with it, but Ibushi turned around, unfazed, and felled Gedo with a slap to the chest. Ibushi hit an elevated sitout powerbomb on White, but the referee was still down. He left the ring to pull the referee back in, and hit a Kamigoye, but Gedo pulled the referee out of the ring. Gedo came in once again, and Ibushi caught him, but White used the moment to hit Ibushi with a chair, then hit the Blade Runner for the victory. (24:58)

Singles Match: Chris Jericho def. Hiroshi Tanahashi
The video package for this match showed Tanahashi making a comedic parody of the video package that played when Chris Jericho challenged him in November, wearing Juggalo face paint and pretending to sing. Chris Jericho entered wearing the AEW World Championship, after claiming that Tanahashi would be granted an opportunity to challenge for it if he defeated him at Wrestle Kingdom, which was also shown in the video package. The most interesting part of the early stages of this match was Jericho attempting to flex his muscles at Tanahashi, which seemed to amuse him. Jericho used all sorts of unconventional tactics in this match, such as DDTing Tanahashi through an announce table and flogging him with his belt. Not the championship, the belt of his pants. Jericho went for a Lionsault but Tanahashi pushed him off the ropes, and then did a High Fly Flow onto him on the outside. Jericho tried to retaliate with the Codebreaker, but Tanahashi caught him and punished him with repeated dragon screws. Tanahashi went for a High Fly Flow in the ring, but Jericho blocked it with his knees, and then hit a Lionsault for a near fall. Tanahashi blocked the Judas Effect, but Jericho got him in the Walls of Jericho. He was in it for what seemed like forever, but broke the hold and hit a Sling Blade. Tanahashi went for the High Fly Flow yet again, but Jericho stood up in time and hit the Codebreaker in mid-air. Tanahashi blocked the Judas Effect again and hit a Codebreaker of his own for a near fall. Jericho rolled through another High Fly Flow attempt and reapplied the Walls as the crowd went into a frenzy. Jericho arched into the Liontamer and Tanahashi had nowhere to go. Chris Jericho defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi by submission. (22:24)

IWGP Heavyweight Championship & IWGP Intercontinental Double Championship Match: Tetsuya Naito def. Kazuchika Okada
Before the two men even touched, the crowd was absolutely ballistic for this match once the bell rang. This was the match to decide the first ever Heavyweight and Intercontinental double champion, and a one-on-one encounter that had not been seen in two years. As the match began, Okada took advantage early, controlling the pacing and working over Naito’s neck. Naito briefly took control with his own neck attacks, but Okada’s big boot put him flat on his back. Okada hit the reverse neckbreaker, diving elbow drop, and then called for the Rainmaker with unexpected urgency. This Okada was not the same Okada who was toying with Kota Ibushi yesterday. Naito dodged the Rainmaker easily, but Okada compensated with attacking Naito’s damaged knees, including dropping him knee-first on a commentator’s table. Naito barely made it back to the ring before the 20-count and Okada leveled him with a missile dropkick as he made it back. Naito desperately turned the tables with his rope-assisted tornado DDT, followed by the Gloria. Okada blocked the Destino attempt, only for Naito to avoid the Rainmaker. Naito hit a running Destino for a near fall as the crowd erupted. He attempted another, but Okada blocked it and hit his signature dropkick. Naito blocked the Rainmaker with a slap to the face, only for Okada to follow up with a discus lariat. Okada hit a Tombstone piledriver and the Rainmaker, but Naito kicked out. Okada rallied the crowd as he picked Naito up for another tombstone, but Naito struggled out. Okada smashed Naito’s knee against the mat and was roundly booed for it. Okada hit a Rainmaker and held onto Naito’s wrist, then hit another. Naito countered a third rainmaker and hit a Destino for a near fall. Naito body slammed Okada in the corner and hit the Stardust Press for yet another near fall as the ring announcer called that 35 minutes had passed. Naito hit the Valentia and Destino to become the first ever simultaneous IWGP Intercontinental and Heavyweight Champion. (35:37)

As Naito was about to complete the roll call of Los Ingobernables de Japon at Wrestle Kingdom, KENTA came out of nowhere and attacked him. He sat on Naito’s chest holding the IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Championships, then left. BUSHI came out to help Naito up, and carried him to the dugout with the roll call left incomplete.

Chris Jericho addressed some interesting questions in a recent interview with The Aquarian. 

One of the questions was his decision to join AEW (All Elite Wrestling) and whether there was a condition that they’d make him AEW World Heavyweight Champion. Jericho ruled out this theory. 

“It doesn’t work that way. I would never say that. The belt is just a prop anyway. The important thing is how you conduct yourself, how you work in the ring, and how you connect with the audience. That’s much more important than having a title.”

Jericho became the inaugural AEW World Heavyweight Champion when he beat Hangman Page in the headliner of the All Out pay-per-view event back in August.

Chris Jericho Addresses WWE Question

Jericho had previously stated that he wouldn’t work for another promotion in the United States. However, things changed and he left the company that he had a relationship which was WWE after two decades of working for them and being a top star for the promotion.

Chris Jericho also addressed his decision to leave the WWE, which he stated that he did all he could in WWE and that he’s in a company (AEW) that he’s bringing up from scratch.

“That appeals to me. I could go back to WWE tomorrow and I know exactly where I’d stand. I prefer being here. There’s no limits. It’s uncharted waters. We don’t even know what’s going to happen from day to day at AEW. Also I think the fans like an alternative. Wednesday nights on TV rock now.”

Jericho is expected to make his next title defense on pay-per-view against Jon Moxley on Saturday, February 29, 2020 in Chicago, IL from the Sears Center. As of this writing, the promotion has yet to confirm this match.

• Chris Jericho States That AEW Is No Longer Hiring New Talent

In a recent interview with Tokyo Sports, Hiroshi Tanahashi insinuated that he should get a shot at Chris Jericho’s AEW World Championship if he is victorious over him at Wrestle Kingdom. Jericho and Tanahashi will meet on the second night of the event, January 5th, 2020 inside the Tokyo Dome.

Jericho recently published a video on Instagram responding to Tanahashi’s comments. In the video, Jericho agrees to give Tanahashi an AEW World Championship match if he beats him at Wrestle Kingdom.

“What you don’t know is I speak and read perfect Japanese,” Jericho says in the video. “I read what you said about the Tokyo Dome. You said if you can beat me that you will enter the forbidden portal and request a title shot for the AEW Championship. I thought it’s a great idea. So, Le Champion asked the chairman of the board, the owner of AEW Tony Khan if it is ok to grant your request and he said yes. If you can beat me in the Tokyo Dome, I will give you a championship match for the AEW title.”

Jericho’s video can be viewed below:

• Hiroshi Tanahashi Wants AEW Title Shot If He Beats Chris Jericho At Wrestle Kingdom

“If the Tanahashi wins and develops into a championship, the relationship between the two organizations may be new,” a loose translation of some of the article reads. 

Hiroshi Tanahashi will take on Chris Jericho at Wrestle Kingdom next year. Jericho vs Tanahashi is scheduled to take place on night 2 of the event, January 5th, 2020. In a recent interview with Tokyo Sports, Tanahashi said that if he is victorious over Jericho he will then ask for a shot at the AEW World Championship.

Tanahashi’s comments in the Japanese-language interview are available here.

A loose translation of Tanahashi’s comments includes that if he beats Jericho on January 5th, 2020, he would open “the forbidden door” by asking for a shot at the AEW World Championship. The article continues to speculate that Tanahashi beating Jericho could lead to a new relationship between the two wrestling promotions.

“If the Tanahashi wins and develops into a championship, the relationship between the two organizations may be new,” a loose translation of some of the article reads.

Wrestle Kingdom Nights 1 & 2 Lineups

• Full Cards for NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 14

Wrestle Kingdom 14 Day 1 (January 4, 2020)

• Jushin Thunder Liger Retirement Match #1: Jushin Thunder Liger, Tatsumi Fujinami, The Great Sasuke & Tiger Mask IV (with El Samurai) vs. Naoki Sano, Shinjiro Otani, Tatsuhiko Takaiwa & Ryusuke Taguchi (with Kuniaki Kobayashi) (Special Referee: Norio Honaga)
• Eight Man Tag Team Match: Los Ingobernables de Japon (SANADA, EVIL, Shingo Takagi & BUSHI) vs. Suzukigun (Zack Sabre Jr., Minoru Suzuki, Taichi & El Desperado)
• Eight Man Tag Team Match: CHAOS (Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano & YOSHI-HASHI) vs. Bullet Club (KENTA, Bad Luck Fale, Chase Owens & Yujiro Takahashi)
• IWGP Tag Team Championship: Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa (c) vs. FinJuice (Juice Robinson & David Finlay)
• IWGP US Heavyweight Championship Texas Deathmatch: Lance Archer (c) vs. Jon Moxley
• IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship: Will Ospreay (c) vs. Hiromu Takahashi
• IWGP Intercontinental Championship: Jay White (c) vs. Tetsuya Naito
• IWGP Heavyweight Championship: Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. Kota Ibushi

Wrestle Kingdom 14 Day 2 (January 5, 2020)

• Jushin Thunder Liger Retirement Match #2: Jushin Thunder Liger & Naoki Sano (with Yoshiaki Fujiwara) vs. Hiromu Takahashi & Ryu Lee (formerly known as Dragon Lee)
• IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship: Bullet Club (Taiji Ishimori & El Phantasmo) (c) vs. Roppongi 3K (SHO & YOH)
• Rev Pro British Heavyweight Championship: Zack Sabre Jr. (c) vs. SANADA
• IWGP US Heavyweight Championship: Lance Archer OR Jon Moxley (c) vs. Juice Robinson
• NEVER Openweight Championship: KENTA (c) vs. Hirooki Goto
• Singles Match: Loser of IWGP Heavyweight Championship match vs. Loser of IWGP Intercontinental Championship match from the previous day
• Singles Match: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Chris Jericho 
• IWGP Heavyweight Championship & IWGP Intercontinental Championship: IWGP Heavyweight Champion vs. IWGP Intercontinental Champion

Chris Jericho has made an interesting comparison between AEW’s Darby Allin and WWE’s Jeff Hardy. 

The AEW World Heavyweight Champion did so during a recent appearance on the Keepin’ It 100 podcast where he spoke about a wide range of topics. 

Chris Jericho Compares Stars

Jericho, who is seen as a locker room leader for All Elite Wrestling due to his experience in the business, has picked up on the fan following that Allin has received. 

Jericho sees Allin like a younger version of Hardy due to him taking high-risk moves and also wearing facepaint during his matches. Jericho pointed out how people are starting to dress like Allin. 

“At first, you’re like, ‘who is this guy?’ Then I had him come down and attack me off the skateboard. Then we had the match where he had his hands tied behind his back and all that stuff. He did the crazy promo where he’s in a bodybag, getting crowd surfed at a punk rock show.”

Chris Jericho continued, “Then he has an amazing match with Moxley. He’s made. He went from nothing to a legit made star in less than two months. He wants it. He reminds me a lot of Jeff Hardy. He’s got an x-factor to him.”

• 5 Takeaways From AEW Dynamite (12/18)

Darby Allin’s History

Since the launch of AEW, Allin has put together some good matches with Cody Rhodes, Jon Moxley, and even Chris Jericho. 

Over the past few weeks, AEW has paired Allin with Rhodes on television. After this week’s episode of AEW Dynamite that saw them be tag team partners, they will now square off in a singles match. 

Allin will battle Rhodes on AEW Dynamite on January 1st from Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, FL on TNT. This will mark the first episode of AEW’s weekly television show of the new year.

H/t Fightful for transcript

All Elite Wrestling World Champion Chris Jericho has defended his former WCW colleague Disco Inferno after a fan lashed out with an online outburst. The two frequently worked together during the ‘90s when both were a part of WCW—a time that Jericho clearly looks back fondly on.

When a fan insulted Inferno via social media, claiming that nobody has ever paid to see him wrestle before calling him a joke and an embarrassment to wrestling, “Le Champion” refused to stay silent. He replied to the disparaging remarks, commenting “Totally not true jerkoff. @TheRealDisco was great at what he did and I LOVED working with him. So shut your ass and eff off.”

Championship Inferno

The fan also incorrectly argued that Inferno had never held a title for any promotion. In WCW alone, Inferno held the company’s Cruiserweight, Television and Tag Team Championships.

The critical comments were initially made after Inferno shared a GIF of a missed spot between Bea Priestley and Mayu Iwatani. Inferno has been outspoken in the past over his personal views on women’s wrestling, something that Impact Wrestling decided to turn into an on-screen storyline—one that has seen him competing against numerous female talent in several intergender matches.

Jurassic Express’ Jungle Boy is set to face off against All Elite Wrestling World Champion Chris Jericho on an upcoming episode of AEW: Dynamite. For some, his sudden push into the main event scene is somewhat perplexing, given his current record within the company.

According to Dave Meltzer of F4WOnline.com, Jungle Boy was one of those on AEW’s roster that had been earmarked for long-term development. He has apparently been given a “no rush” focus in how the company is wanting to help develop and evolve him. This extends to his growth as a character and in-ring talent. Meltzer pointed to how Jungle Boy did well as a featured talent during AEW’s first Battle Royal as an example of their approach.

When a fan asked about why Jungle Boy gets to wrestle Jericho despite his current record, “Le Champion” answered. Jericho stressed that Jungle Boy gets this chance “Cause it’s my decision. I wrestle who I want because I’m #LeChampion ….and you are a dumb moron.”

Jericho isn’t the only AEW talent to respond to the question. AEW EVP Cody Rhodes also happened to see the post. He explained that Jungle Boy’s clash with Jericho isn’t a title shot but is “Gonna’ be a great match.”

Jungle Boy faces off against AEW World Champion Chris Jericho on the December 18th episode of AEW: Dynamite on TNT.

The Survivor Series PPV was mostly praised by the fans but it appears that the current AEW World Champion Chris Jericho did not find a segment of the show very amusing.

Jericho recently joined Konnan for his Keepin it 100 podcast where he talked about things like the difference between WWE and AEW and more.

When asked about Survivor Series, the Le Champion admitted watching the show but he went on to criticize a segment between Daniel Bryan and The Miz from the event, calling it “cartoonish in a bad way”:

“I watched Survivor Series, it was really good, but there was this promo with The Miz and Daniel Bryan and Miz saying for the sake of our children and our families you have to stop The Fiend. Nobody talks like that.

You can still put the guy over big time, but what is he going to do, break into your house? Steal your kids? It’s just not believable. It’s cartoonish in a bad way,”

Chris Jericho also talked about the creative process of AEW, revealing that he has been very involved with all the work he has done for the company so far which wouldn’t have been possible with WWE.

Apart from this, the AEW Champion talked about Roman Reigns and weighed in on how the Big Dog might do in the upstart promotion. You can check out his comments on the matter at this link.

Quotes via WrestlingInc

Chris Jericho announced recently on an episode of Dynamite that he has lent his name to a sparkling wine now titled “A Little Bit of the Bubbly.” The line was first uttered by Jericho shortly after winning the AEW World Championship.

Jericho took to Instagram to note that sales of the sparkling wine are going well. In fact, more than 10,000 bottles of A Little Bit of the Bubbly have been sold in just 2 days.

A Little Bit of The Bubbly Sales Going Well

Multi-time WWE Women’s Champion Sasha Banks also expressed interest in receiving a bottle of Jericho’s new sparkline wine product. “Send me a bottle,” Banks wrote in the comments section of Jericho’s post.

Bottles of Jericho’s sparkling will begin shipping on December 9th, 2019.

“The inspiration was sparked by Chris Jericho’s one-man backstage celebration after winning the first AEW World Champion title on Sept. 1, 2019, when he reveled with a little of the bubbly.  His “A Little Bit of the Bubbly” catchphrase became an instant viral sensation resulting in countless memes and millions of views worldwide.  Now flanked by his notorious Inner Circle of friends, Jericho has been wreaking havoc all throughout AEW. Now you can join in on the celebration with a libation suitable for Le Champion!  Pre-order your bubbly today, and we will begin shipping the week of December 9th!”

Chris Jericho was recently a guest on Konnan’s “Keepin it 100” podcast where he spoke about a wide range of topics. 

During the interview, Jericho talked about the scripting of WWE’s promos for their superstars to use on television. He gave some high praise to one of if not the top star in WWE, Roman Reigns. 

“If you had a guy like Roman Reigns in AEW, he would be so over,” Jericho stated. “Roman is so legit, a real cool dude, man.”

Jericho noted how Reigns is such a great and cool guy that you would want to hang out with.

He added, “They never portray him like that on the show. They always give him these promos to read and the real Roman Reigns never really shines through.”

Chris Jericho Compares His AEW Promos To His WWE Promos

Jericho took a chance of himself and All Elite Wrestling when he signed with the promotion earlier this year. 

Since that time, he has been the top star in the promotion where he has beaten the likes of Kenny Omega at Double or Nothing and Adam Page to become the inaugural AEW World Champion at All Out.

Most recently, successfully retained the championship over Cody Rhodes in the co-headliner of the Full Gear pay-per-view event this month. 

Chris Jericho was recently a guest on Konnan’s “Keepin it 100” podcast and spoke about having creative freedom with his promos. Jericho was asked by Disco Inferno about what freedom he had creatively in WWE.

“I was there almost 20 years, so I had a lot of freedom to say ‘I don’t like this’ and also I had a lot of input,” Jericho said on the show. “All the Shawn Michaels stuff was my stuff with Shawn, same with Rey and Kevin Owens, all that stuff. I had a lot of say in it but when you’re talking about having to write a promo together – I mean, all the promos I’ve done in AEW have been off the cuff, all off the top of my head, everything. Even last week with Scorpio when he was talking about Melanie Parsons, I said ‘Well, Melanie Parsons has gained a lot of weight since high school,’ that was improv and then he came back with ‘I like big butts and I cannot lie.’ It’s like that was a great moment that we came up with it on the fly because that’s what you do.”

Jericho would then explain the difference between his promos in AEW and in WWE.

“In WWE, you have to write the promos, construct them and then you have to get Vince to approve it and then Vince will change whatever he doesn’t like, which he’ll change something because that’s just what he does.”

“A lot of times, you’d spend hours working on this great piece of work and then Vince would hate everything and want to change the most important part but once again, that’s Vince’s world,” Jericho added.

A clip of Jericho’s conversation on the show is below:

All Elite Wrestling World Champion Chris Jericho was a recent guest on 101WKQX. During their conversation, Le Champion opened about up how he has managed to consistently evolve over time, becoming wrestling’s renaissance man. He also broached Moxley’s recent comments, where he said Jericho was smart not enough not to mess with him.

“You’re constantly evolving, updating and not living in the past. I think that I was never cut out for that,” Jericho said. “I never wanted to do the same thing twice and I know, I feel it, when the time is right to change.”

He continued, “I knew when it was right to change out of ‘Y2J’, I knew with the countdown clock, The List; that’s one of the reasons I’m so excited to be in AEW because I know if I went back to WWE they’d want me to do The List because it’s so popular. It doesn’t fit anymore, you know? It’s one of those things where time moves on and it’s good to always update your act, update your look, update what you’re doing and still obviously pay homage to your history and your legacy, but constantly make it more contemporary. That’s not selling out.”

Jericho spoke about his willingness to drop anything that veers towards nostalgia. He’d rather push forward into unexplored, newer terrain than coast on the past. He believes that his ability to keep changing is what helps his fanbase stay engaged as they’ll never know what he might do next.

Jericho/Moxley

Turning his attention towards Jon Moxley and his recent comments, Jericho said “I saw it. Well, the thing is—here’s the best part—Moxley is not Dean Ambrose anymore. This is a completely different guy, he’s motivated. He knows exactly who he is and he went through the system in WWE and he wasn’t able to harness and work with it—I was. I could work in WWE for years, because I understand how to take what they want and make it good. He couldn’t do that to that extent.”

He reflected on the feud the two had together in WWE, calling it a “great rivalry” before saying that their matches were a diluted version of what Moxley could do in-ring now. Jericho stressed that all he cares about is telling great stories, teasing that there could be a “great confrontation between us when the time is right.”

H/T to Wrestlezone for the transcription. 

AEW World Champion Chris Jericho and Stephen Amell, star of the CW superhero series Arrow, are selling sparkling wine. 

Jericho announced the news on Wednesday’s episode of AEW Dynamite and later, All Elite Wrestling issued a press release with additional details. Jericho is teaming up with Amell, who founded Nocking Point Wines. 

“I’ve been working non-stop over the last few months to deliver a product that’s as classic and as great as I am….and I have,” said Chris Jericho. “After you get a taste of A Little Bit of the Bubbly, normal wine, beer and even vodka will taste like swill. This is pretty much the GOAT of adult beverages. You’re welcome.” 

“It’s Jericho. It’s AEW. It’s A Little Bit of the Bubbly,” said Stephen Amell. “I’m marking out.” 

A Little Bit of the Bubbly is a sparkling Riesling produced exclusively by Nocking Point Wines. It was announced that fans can buy the product when pre-sales begin Wednesday, Nov. 27, at 8 pm ET. 

Chris Jericho Says NXT Is Minor League, Talks Vince McMahon’s Genius Move Against AEW

All pre-orders will ship Dec. 9-10-11. Fans can order packs of two ($46), three ($69), six ($138) or 12 bottles ($276) at www.LittleBitoftheBubbly.com. 

This product comes after Jericho made the “A Little Bit of the Bubbly” catchphrase extremely popular with fans that ended up going viral. Jericho said the catchphrase after he beat Adam Page at the All Out pay-per-view event in his post-match celebration for winning the first AEW World Championship.

AEW World Champion Chris Jericho recently spoke with Uproxx to promote his new Christmas song, a hard-rock version of Father Christmas by the Kinks. Proceeds from the single are being donated to Juvenile Diabetes Research Funding. You can hear the song at the bottom of this article.

Of course, pro wrestling was a major topic of discussion during the interview. When asked about CM Punk’s return to WWE television, Jericho says he can’t believe what a letdown it was and how little buzz there has been.

“It’s a long time coming,” Jericho said. “We knew there would be a Mötley Crüe reunion and we knew CM Punk would come back to wrestling. It was just a matter of time. I think he came back with more of a sigh than a scream.”

“It seems kinda funny that he came back on a show that drew 150,000 viewers where it could have been 5 million viewers,” he added. “But if it’s part of the process to slowly wean him into the wrestling business, then good.”

Chris Jericho says, “WWE sure needs” Punk, because this business is built on star power. He says “Good for him for coming back” but believes that CM Punk’s return was nowhere near as big as it could have been or should have been.

“He’s back for the first time in five years and no one really cares,” said Jericho. “But I’m sure it will lead to more. I don’t see how it can’t.”

It’s no secret that CM Punk had some talks with All Elite Wrestling about joining them. That may still happen, but it seems like a long-shot at this point – especially with Seth Rollins repeatedly calling out CM Punk for a match at WrestleMania.

Jericho admits that Punk would have been a nice addition to AEW, but they don’t need him. “I’m not disappointed,” said Jericho. “I know there were some conversations, but Punk’s his own guy. Could we have used him? Yes. Does it hurt us to not have him? No, not at all.”

Visit Uproxx.com to read the full interview.

With the help of appearances from the likes of Becky Lynch and Seth Rollins, NXT was able to beat AEW Dynamite in TV ratings this week, for the first time since the start of the Wednesday night wars.

Cody Rhodes was the first AEW star to react to this news and when a fan asked for comments on NXT topping Dynamite in TV ratings, the former Champion explained that it’s an opportunity for them to learn:

The Le Champion Chris Jericho also reacted to this news in his own style and Y2J reminded everyone that last night’s episode was not a true NXT episode:

Triple H had invited members of Raw and SmackDown roster to NXT prior to this week’s episode of the show while AEW had announced a Rey Fenix vs. Nick Jackson match and more for the episode of Dynamite.

This tease from the company helped NXT in gaining a viewership boost and the show garnered 916,000 viewers which was a massive increase from last week’s 750,000 viewers.

On the other hand, the Dynamite episode saw a small decline in audience compared to last week and this week’s episode of the show drew 893,000 viewers, down from the 957,000 viewers of last week.

AEW has announced some big matches for Dynamite next week while NXT will return to its normal programming after the Survivor Series weekend and we will have to wait and see how these changes affect the ratings of their shows next week.

AEW announced on the latest episode of Dynamite that their World Champion Chris Jericho will be defending his title in a singles match at next Wednesday’s episode of the show.

This week’s episode of the show saw Chris Jericho coming out with fellow Inner Circle member Jake Hager and he announced that he will be having a “Chris Jericho’s Thanksgiving Thank You Celebration” on next week’s episode of the show.

However, he was interrupted by Scorpio Sky and the rest of the SCU. Sky reminded the Champion how he pinned him during a tag team match at last week’s episode of Dynamite, which was Jericho’s first loss in AEW.

The trio then managed to get Chris to agree to a singles match against Scorpio for next week with the former WWE star putting his world title on the line:

The segment ended with a brawl between SCU and Inner Circle Members with Michael Nakazawa, Brandon Cutler, and Jurassic Express making the save for SCU.

Though this is not the only match announced for the show and the company has also confirmed that Kenny Omega will face Pac in an All Out rematch on Dymaite next week.

On the other hand, MJF will compete against Adam Page with the winner receiving the AEW Diamond Ring on next week’s episode of the show.

AEW Champion Chris Jericho has broken down the scenario that would need to transpire for him to leave pro wrestling.

Speaking with the Pacific Rim podcast, “Le Champion” discussed competing and traveling on a reduced schedule. He highlighted how he has only performed in-ring on a handful of occasions in 2018, listing matches for New Japan Pro-Wrestling, WWE and a match on his cruise. Jericho admitted he likes wrestling on this reduced schedule, especially when compared to the demands of his former employer, WWE. He noted how he has competed about 10-12 times this year but is more than happy with this schedule. 

“I think if I continue with that schedule, I may be able to continue to work at this level for years to come,” Jericho said. “For me, people will say ‘well, how much longer can you do this?’ or ‘how long do you plan to do this?’ I never think about it that way. To me, it’s I’m just Chris Jericho and I’ll continue to do what I’ve always done and when I start feeling like I’m not at the level or, doing the best segment of the show or having one of the best matches on the show, I’ll stop but that hasn’t happened yet.”

Jericho recently defeated Cody Rhodes, successfully defending his AEW Championship at the promotion’s last pay-per-view, Full Gear. 

H/T to WrestlingNews for the transcription. 

WWE Hall of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin had high praise for the current AEW World Champion Chris Jericho. Speaking on an episode of his podcast, The Steve Austin Show, Austin praised Jericho as a smart individual, calling him a “wrestler’s wrestler” because of the way he studies and respects the history of the pro wrestling industry.

Austin and his guest, stunt performer and actor Paul Lazenby, discussed Jericho’s ability to reinvent himself throughout the years. They highlighted his ability to grow and evolve as the wrestling business did. 

“He’s Jericho, man. He’s going to do everything you need to get over if you’re good enough to get over in the ring. Like, he knows what to do as a heel; he knows what to do as a face; he knows what to do to make people care about the match; and then, it’s up to you after that,” Lazenby said.

He continued, “It’s so diverse, and he seems to know when the right time to make a change is, and what the right change to make is. Like when he started with New Japan [Pro-Wrestling]. ‘Well, okay, I have to be a different Chris Jericho in Japan than I am in North America’ and that’s when the whole ‘Painmaker’ gimmick started up, and, of course, it turned out to be the right thing and it was something completely different. And now, it’s to the point where he [has] kind of got it as an alternate persona where Muta had two personas and you might get Jericho, but you might get ‘The Painmaker’ that night who wrestles a different way. Yeah, he’s just a dude who seems to see around corners and constantly finds new ways to put himself out there and new ways to reinvent himself.”

Austin agreed with Lazenby’s thoughts, adding that Jericho is “about as entertaining as it gets” right now. He explained how Jericho is pushing the envelope, and his unpredictability has fans eager to tune in each week. For him, this adds a dangerous edge to his character that Austin enjoys watching. 

H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

AEW World Champion Chris Jericho was recently interviewed by Jim Valley and Fumi Saito for the Pacific Rim podcast. During the conversation, Jericho was asked how much longer the 48-year-old plans to wrestle for.

“When you talk about 2018, I just did I think I believe 4-5 matches. I did the 3 matches with New Japan, I did one for WWE, and one on the cruise and that was about it,” Jericho said. “I liked that schedule. This year was basically the same, I think I’ve probably done 10-12 matches and that’s good for me.”

Jericho would then continue to say if he can work a reduced schedule, he has many more years of wrestling ahead of him.

“I think if I continue with that schedule, I may be able to continue to work at this level for years to come,” Jericho said. “For me, people will say ‘well, how much longer can you do this?’ or ‘how long do you plan to do this?’ I never think about it that way. To me, it’s I’m just Chris Jericho and I’ll continue to do what I’ve always done and when I start feeling like I’m not at the level or, doing the best segment of the show or having one of the best matches on the show, I’ll stop but that hasn’t happened yet.”

All Elite Wrestling has announced AEW Bash at the Beach, a 9-day ‘fan extravaganza’ taking place in January that will include Chris Jericho’s Rock ‘n Wrestling Rager At Sea cruise and two episodes of AEW Dynamite

The January 15th episode of AEW Dynamite will have a special Bash At The Beach theme. The show airs live from Miami, Florida at the Watsco Center at the University of Miami.

The following week’s AEW Dynamite will be taped Tuesday, January 21st on board the Jericho Cruise. Those matches will air the following night, January 22nd during Dynamite’s usual Wednesday night time slot.

Here is AEW’s official press release for AEW Bash at the Beach:

AEW Announces Nine-Day “Bash at the Beach” Fan Extravaganza 

MIAMI, FL (Nov. 18, 2019) — AEW today announced “Bash at the Beach,” an unprecedented, nine-day experience for superfans that features two Dynamite shows, a cruise onboard Chris Jericho’s tricked-out party ship, and non-stop entertainment in between. 

The adventure begins on Wednesday, Jan. 15, when AEW Dynamite takes over the Watsco Center at the University of Miami for a Bash at the Beach themed episode, and continues with Chris Jericho’s Rock ‘N’ Wrestling Rager at Sea, sailing round-trip from Miami to Nassau, Bahamas, on Jan. 20-24. 

High-octane bouts with the biggest names from AEW will be filmed from Jericho’s sold-out Norwegian Pearl ship, including the Jan. 22 episode of Dynamite on TNT. The history-making event will be bubbling with exclusive opportunities to meet AEW’s star-studded roster, as well as non-stop wrestling, rock ‘n’ roll, live podcasts, paranormal explorations, talent-hosted activities, autograph sessions, parties and more. 

“AEW’s Bash at the Beach events will deliver nine unforgettable days of wrestling and much more from the hottest company in the business today,” said Chris Jericho. “Thousands of the Friends Of Jericho onboard the SOLD OUT ‘Rock N Wrestling Rager At Sea’ will have the experience of their lives, and now millions more will be able to watch AEW Dynamite along with us, as we break out the bubbly together from Miami to the Bahamas.” 

Tickets for the Jan. 15 Bash at the Beach show in Miami go on sale this Friday, Nov. 22, at noon ET. Tickets for the show will be available for purchase exclusively at www.AEWTIX.com. For your chance to join the party at sea, sign up for the waitlist at www.chrisjerichocruise.com.