The wrestling world continues to react to WWE’s announcement that NXT, will debut on USA Network in September.
Former WWE Superstar and current All Elite Wrestling (AEW) wrestler Chris Jericho shared a loaded tweet in the wake of the news. He wrote:
“Oh by the way… @WWENXT on @USA_Network? #YoureWelcome #IndustryChanger”
Turns out that NXT’s General Manager William Regal has seen Jericho’s message. It didn’t take him long to respond:
“Yes,thank you Chris. From us both being on NXT in 2010 until today, being a mentor, announcer and GM, NXT has given huge oppurtunities for many talent who would never of got a chance before, to be real game changers. And it’s all down to you.Thank you so much”
NXT’s September start date puts WWE a few weeks ahead of AEW’s TNT debut on October 2nd. This gives WWE time to try and establish its black-and-gold brand on television before their competitor’s debut.
With both shows airing on Wednesday nights, the wrestling industry is on the precipice of a new ratings war between the two shows. Despite this, AEW EVPs, The Young Bucks, recently stated they aren’t “scared” of WWE’s counter-programming efforts.
WWE NXT will be moving up to a two-hour time slot and will debut on USA Network on September 18th at 8/7 C.
Chris Jericho has given his thoughts on the news that WWE will move NXT to the USA Network to counter-program against All Elite Wrestling on TNT.
NXT is reportedly airing on the USA Network starting on September 18th while AEW will start airing their weekly TV show on October 2nd. Both shows will go head-to-head with each other on Wednesday nights in primetime.
Jericho appeared on Busted Open Radio on Monday with Dave LaGreca and Bully Ray where he noted that he thinks by adding another program that is two hours long will dilute WWE’s product and focus. He called it a reactionary move.
“It’s done by a guy who wants to start a war when we don’t care if you want to start a war. That was never our intention. There’s no war for us. We’re just doing what we’re doing. Some people don’t like that and they’re reacting to it.”
Jericho brought up how he doesn’t care about any other wrestling company in the world but noted that he wants everyone to go and present the best product that they can.
Jericho thinks that is one of the reasons it makes them cool. He thinks the more people do something then it makes AEW look revolutionary and cool.
Kenny Omega will team up with The Young Bucks (Nick & Matt Jackson) to take on Jericho and two mystery tag team partners in a six-man tag team match on AEW’s debut episode on TNT.
Although Chris Jericho is no longer under contract with WWE, that doesn’t mean he has stopped watching their product.
Jericho saw the performance that WWE Hall of Famer Bill Goldberg put on during his match against Dolph Ziggler at the WWE SummerSlam pay-per-view event in Toronto, Ontario at the Scotiabank Arena. It was a short match that saw Goldberg go over with a spear and jackhammer.
Jericho took to his official Twitter account to praise Goldberg and the series of spears that he gave to Ziggler after the match. He wrote the following:
“Say what you want, but @Goldberg still has the BEST spear of all time. Nobody makes it look that devastating…NOBODY!”
Another fan tweeted to Jericho and questioned why he’s still watching WWE. This is where he questioned why he wouldn’t be still watching. You can see his response here:
Jericho, who found a ton of success in WWE, is no doubt a future WWE Hall of Famer despite being under contract with All Elite Wrestling.
Jericho is slated to take on Hangman Page to crown the inaugural AEW World Heavyweight Champion at AEW’s next show, All Out, on Saturday, August 31st at the Sears Centre in Chicago, IL.
Chris Jericho has continued his feud with Matt Riddle on social media after seeing a recent video that Riddle posted on his official Instagram account.
Jericho just shared this video on Twitter while wearing a headband as a way to mock how Riddle looks. He also had an interesting caption in the video, which you can see here:
The bad blood started when Jericho responded to a fan on social media who shared a snippet from Jericho’s book where he told Riddle that he should learn and listen when it comes to learning for promos that talent should never totally bury their opponent.
Riddle would respond with a tweet and then a video on Instagram. This is where he noted that Jericho came at him first and doesn’t understand why he would listen and learn from Jericho.
He would then call Jericho soft and claimed that he would beat up Jericho should they fight. Jericho was referring to Riddle’s comments about Goldberg several weeks ago.
WWE presents the NXT TakeOver: Toronto II special on Saturday, August 10, 2019 in Toronto, Ontario at the Scotiabank Arena.
At this show, Riddle takes on Velveteen Dream and Roderick Strong in a Triple Threat Match for the NXT North American Title.
Jericho is slated to take on Hangman Page to crown the inaugural AEW World Heavyweight Champion at AEW’s next show, All Out, on Saturday, August 31st at the Sears Centre in Chicago, IL.
Matt Riddle threw out the first pitch at the Tampa Bay Rays game yesterday. He then promptly delivered a flying crossbody to Raymond, the team’s mascot. Fox Sports Florida has since called for a rematch.
— FanDuel Sports Network Florida & Sun (@FanDuelSN_FL) August 4, 2019
Riddle also took the time yesterday to fire back at some who have been critical of his comments in regards to Bill Goldberg. A fan on Twitter sent Riddle a screenshot of a snippet of Chris Jericho’s book and Jericho replied.
What’s wrong with these WCW guys? First Goldberg then Booker T and now a really boring wrestler who hates barefoot Bros (Lance Storm) and last but not least Y2J. It’s almost like you all wanna get beat up before you retire “Listen and learn Bros” https://t.co/faJPySpiQPpic.twitter.com/prvXoNuREY
Booker T was critical of Matt Riddle’s comments toward Bill Goldberg on his “Reality of Wrestling” show recently:
“I was listening to Matt Riddle talk about Goldberg,” Booker T said. “And I got a chance to watch Matt Riddle work. This guy needs a lot of work. You’re talking about somebody that needs to work on their craft? This Matt Riddle, he needs to work on his craft and that’s coming from Booker T.”
Matt Riddle vs Killian Dain
Riddle has recently been involved in a developing program on NXT with Killian Dain. The two will clash in single’s action this week.
Chris Jericho asked for a thank you from AEW when Double or Nothing and All Out sold out. Thus, it’s no surprise that he wants it when it comes to the premiere episode of AEW on TNT selling out on Friday.
In just three hours, the event sold out when the tickets went on sale. Jericho took to his official Instagram account to write and share this video:
The event will take place on Wednesday, October 2 from the Capital One Arena in Washington, DC. In an update on ticket sales, AEW sold more than 9,200 tickets over two hours, according to Dave Meltzer of F4Wonline.com.
This was confirmed after Bryan Alvarez mentioned on Wrestling Observer Live that between 9,200 and 10,000 tickets were sold. 2,000 tickets were bought by scalpers, who put them up for sale on the secondary market.
The promotion has made it known on Twitter that more seats will be released as the show gets closer once production is finalized. Meltzer has reported that there will be around 1,000 more tickets released within the next week.
“#ThankYou Please continue to check in via (link: https://aewtix.com) aewtix.com & (link: https://ticketmaster.com) ticketmaster.com on a recurring basis as tickets may be released for sale for the 10/2 D.C. event between now and event date,” AEW tweeted.
Several matches and a segment were previously announced for the show. Below is the current line-up:
The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega vs. Chris Jericho and two mystery partners
Jon Moxley appears live
Cody Rhodes vs. Sammy Guevara
The first-ever AEW Women’s Champion will be crowned
Another match has been announced by All Elite Wrestling for the premiere episode of their weekly television show on TNT.
On Wednesday, AEW revealed that Kenny Omega would team up with The Young Bucks (Nick & Matt Jackson) to take on Chris Jericho and two mystery tag team partners in a six-man tag team match.
Chris Jericho is already hyping up the identities of his mystery partners. In a post on Instagram, Jericho wrote, “You’re not gonna believe who I’m planning on bringing in!”
https://www.instagram.com/p/B0lm5rkB3aH/
AEW on TNT
The premiere of AEW on TNT will take place on Wednesday, October 2 from the Capital One Arena in Washington, DC.
Tickets for the show will go on sale at noon Eastern time on Friday, August 2. Tickets will be priced at $250, $90, $75, $50, $35, and $20.
This marks the second contest thus far announced for the show. Previously announced was Executive Vice President Cody Rhodes taking on Sammy Guevara in a singles match.
Also, Jon Moxley is slated to make an appearance although his exact role is unknown at this time.
The AEW All Out pay-per-view event will take place on Saturday, August 31st at the Sears Centre in Chicago, IL.
At this show, Jericho is slated to take on Hangman Page to crown the inaugural AEW World Heavyweight Champion. Omega will take on Moxley and The Young Bucks will battle Lucha Brothers for the AAA World Tag Team Titles in a Ladder Match.
Chris Jericho continues to talk about the possibility of AEW signing CM Punk to a contract as he is the biggest free agent in the market right now.
Jericho did so during an interview with Collider Live where he noted that AEW doesn’t need Punk to be a part of their roster.
“Do we need him? No. Would it be a huge pop to get him? Yes. I don’t know, man. I don’t know what his attitude or mindset is. I think our roster is jam-packed right now.”
Jericho continued by stating that All Elite Wrestling is not headhunting WWE talent as they don’t want to be WCW in 1998 or TNA in 2011 where they brought in former WWE talent. He noted that he does think it’s funny that WWE stars are being offered double the money to stay under contract with WWE.
The reason that AEW has this mindset is due to them having enough talent that no one else has seen before such as Jungle Boy and MJF, who appeals to a different demographic.
AEW’s next event is All Out, which takes place will take place on August 31st at the Sears Centre in Chicago, IL and has already sold out. The event will air on pay-per-view.
Chris Jericho has continued to successfully reinvent himself throughout his entire pro wrestling career.
Even now, Jericho remains at the forefront of fans’ minds thanks to his involvement with All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW).
During a recent media event, Jericho was asked how he felt being referred to as wrestling’s ‘renaissance man’.
“My mission has always been to reinvent and evolve,” Jericho stated. “It’s David Bowie. It’s been one of my inspirations since I was 25 years old, when you realize that you have this guy that’s a genius and who constantly changes what he’s doing, what he looks like to keep the fans guessing. ‘What’s Bowie’s next record going to be?’ Is it going to be ‘Electro’, is it going to be ‘Let’s Dance’, rhythm and blues rock, techno, be whatever. What look is he going to have? And that’s what I always wanted to do, but it’s not something that’s calculated. It’s something that just happens for me. The “Painmaker” in Japan with the makeup and all of that sort of stuff, it just felt right. Some people said “oh he looks like a clown”—I ‘don’t f*****g care what you think.”
He continued, saying “To me, that’s the way that this character should be, the same thing with the character that you saw tonight with the ‘thank you’. I really do think I should have some kind of a thank you from the company, and then when Adam Page is busted open and there’s blood over everything, that’s my thank you.”
Y2J
Jericho went on to say that when fans chant ‘Y2J’ at him, he can no longer relate to the revered character. He explains that Y2J is a 20-year-old character and that he, as an individual, has naturally changed and grown so much in that time.
Without that continual personal evolution, he exaplins that he would have no interest in continuing in the pro wrestling business.
Chris Jericho has shown off the nasty bruise that he left on the face of Adam “Hangman” Page following their latest angle.
Jericho attacked Page after his match against Kip Sabian at the AEW Fight for the Fallen event over the weekend in Jacksonville, Florida. Jericho came out of nowhere while wearing a Dark Order creeper mask to attack Page with the Codebreaker then took off his mask and rained down kicks/punches to his next opponent.
During the latest episode of Being the Elite titled “Backstage at Fight for the Fallen,” footage is shown of Page being treated by the medical staff and being informed that he will need stitches. You can watch the full episode here:
This angle was done to promote the upcoming match that will see Jericho and Page share the squared circle to compete for the inaugural AEW World Heavyweight Title.
This match, which could end up serving as the main event, will take place at the All Out pay-per-view event at the Sears Centre Arena in Chicago Hoffman Estates, Illinois on August 31, 2019.
Chris Jericho attacked Adam “Hangman” Page last night at AEW Fight for the Fallen in Jacksonville. Later in the evening, he came out with a live microphone and talked about how AEW wouldn’t exist without him. He also mentioned during the promo that if he were to lose to Page at All Out, it might be the beginning of the end of Jericho’s career.
Following the show, Jericho said his promo was unscripted.
“Tonight – I said this to Dean Malenko – is the first time in 20 years that I’ve ever done a promo with no script, no approval of what I’m going to say and really no idea of what I’m going to say,” Jericho said. “Just knowing I have a point and some directions that I may or may not want to go. When Hangman got busted open, that changed the entire design of the promo. It was very liberating.”
“If you want creative freedom, we can give you that in AEW,” Jericho continued.
Jericho’s post-match scrum can be viewed in the player below:
Chris Jericho Says He Has To Beat Hangman Page
Last night at Fight for the Fallen, Jericho delivered a promo first saying he wanted his thank you for creating AEW. He didn’t want a thank you from the many in attendance who attempted to give one to him, however.
“A thank you doesn’t mean anything,” Jericho said on the show. “Because what I’m going to do from now is get my thank you one at a time by beating the crap out of every single person here in All Elite Wrestling starting with the Hangman.”
Chris Jericho made a special appearance at the latest event presented by AEW (All Elite Wrestling), Fight for the Fallen.
Jericho was supposed to do a promo in the ring at the event from Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, Florida that aired live on Bleacher Report’s streaming service. That didn’t happen.
Instead, he made a surprise appearance under a mask following Hangman Page’s win over Kip Sabian. Jericho hit the Code Breaker to Page and the Judas Effect.
Jericho was last seen in action under the AEW banner when he beat Kenny Omega in a classic match in the main event of the inaugural PPV event, Double or Nothing, in May.
Jericho’s most recent match came last month when he challenged Kazuchika Okada for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship at the Dominion 6.9 in Osaka-jo Hall event but lost the match.
Jericho is slated to have another opportunity to become a World Champion. The legendary pro wrestler is slated to face Adam “Hangman” Page to crown the inaugural AEW World Champion.
This match will take place at the All Out pay-per-view event at the Sears Centre Arena in Chicago Hoffman Estates, Illinois on August 31, 2019.
Paco Alonso passed away earlier this week at the age of 67. As the President of CMLL, Alonso gave Chris Jericho his first big break in the wrestling business as Corazon de Leon. Jericho posted an emotional tribute to Alonso recently on Instagram and then dedicated his most recent episode of Talk is Jericho to his former employer.
Jericho worked for Paco Alonso for 2 years from 1993 to 1995 in CMLL.
“I’ll say this about Paco,” Jericho said. “He’s one of my 3 favorite bosses I’ve ever had in my career. One is Paco, two is Genichiro Tenryu from WAR and three is Vince McMahon.”
On the episode, Jericho recounts his history with Alonso, including the first time they met in his office at Arena Mexico. Jericho also noted how it was Alonso who gave him the name Corazon de Leon. Also during the episode, Jericho noted that he asked Alonso if he wanted him to wear a mask but Alonso said it would be better for the female fans if they don’t cover his face.
“He was my employer for 2 years and he never screwed me on a payoff, he never screwed me on a booking, he never screwed me on an angle.”
NOW @TalkIsJericho, I reminisce about my old @ConsejoLucha boss- the legendary #PacoAlonso, & how he made me a main event superstar at 22 yrs old, why he gave me the name #CorazonDeLeon, working 10 matches a week, why I left Mexico, the last time I saw Paco & more! @WestwoodOne
Chris Jericho On Paco Alonso’s Reaction To Incident At Airport
When working for Alonso in CMLL, Jericho was involved in an incident at an airport along with the legendary Haku. Jericho said he was rushing to make a plane and the security agent began giving him a hard time.
“I started getting mad. I was like ‘I gotta go, I gotta go,'” Jericho said. “The (airport security agent) started to get a little cheeky with me so I got in his face.”
Jericho then said another guard grabbed at him so he shoved them and they fell over. This led to a bit of a commotion.
“Everybody’s kind of surrounding me and yelling and screaming and I hear this from behind me ‘Hey, what’s the problem? Hey, you leave my friend alone’ and it was King Haku,” Jericho continued.
Haku then ended up throwing around some security guards and both Jericho and Haku had to go to “airport jail.” It was then insinuated to Jericho and Haku that they should provide a bribe to the security agents and the two pooled together about $300 to give to the agents and were then freed.
Jericho then said this of Alonso’s reaction to the story:
“When I got back to the office a couple of days later Paco goes ‘ah, if it isn’t the King of the Airport! How was the airport? Good security in the Mexico City airport?”
Jericho said that Paco would just let him know that he knew what happened at the airport but never fully confronted him about it.
Ultimately, Jericho decided to leave Mexico in 1995 when a change in the exchange rate reduced his wages.
Chris Jericho’s Emotional Tribute To Paco Alonso
Jericho posted the following to Instagram after learning the news of Alonso’s passing.
“I just heard that Paco Alonso, the President of CMLL in Mexico City passed away,” Jericho said in the video. “I don’t know why it hit me so hard but it did because he was the first guy that believed in me and made me into a main event star in 1993.”
Chris Jericho is scheduled to have a live mic this Saturday in Jacksonville, Florida. The promotion announced recently that Jericho will be on-hand at event, though he has not been scheduled for a match on the card.
Jericho posted the following to YouTube saying he wants to receive a “thank you” from AEW at Fight for the Fallen.
Chris Jericho Still Wants His Thank You
Jericho had the following to say in the video
“I’m Chris Jericho. I built this place, I put it on the map, I got a TV deal with the TNT network, do you think that would have ever happened without me on the AEW roster?” Jericho said. “Yes, I still want my thank you and guess what? If I don’t get it, in Jacksonville you made another mistake because you gave me a live mic.”
Fight for the Fallen Lineup
The following matches have been confirmed for Saturday’s show:
Brandi Rhodes vs Allie
Kenny Omega vs CIMA
Cody & Dustin Rhodes vs Matt & Nick Jackson (the Young Bucks)
Adam “Hangman” Page vs Kip Sabian
Jimmy Havoc, Darby Allin & Joey Janela vs Shawn Spears, Maxwell Jacob Friedman, & Sammy Guevara
Frankie Kazarian & Scorpio Sky w/ Christopher Daniels (SCU) vs Pentagon Jr. & Fenix (the Lucha Bros)
CMLL President Paco Alonso has passed away at 67-years-old. Alonso had been President of the promotion since 1987 after taking over for his Uncle, Salvador “Chavo” Lutteroth Jr.
Francisco "Paco" Alonso has died. He's listed as president of CMLL but has been effectively the family member in charge of the promotion since the 90s. https://t.co/R3H6nFKe7m
LuchaBlog would also note that Alonso has been absent from public spotlight over the last couple of years. There had been no indication Alonso was ill, however.
Paco Alonso seemed to be generally liked by the luchadors, as much as a wrestling promoter is liked. He had a reputation for being hands off and hard to contract and not that interested in lucha, but there are stories of luchadors being closer to him the rep suggested.
“I just heard that Paco Alonso, the President of CMLL in Mexico City passed away,” Jericho said in the video. “I don’t know why it hit me so hard but it did because he was the first guy that believed in me and made me into a main event star in 1993.”
Jericho also mentioned that Alonso gave him the name “Corazón de León,” which translates to “Lion Heart.”
“I don’t know what happened, I don’t know how he passed away but he was pretty young. I just wanted to say thanks Paco for believing in me, believing in this kid from Canada.”
Former WWE Champion Chris Jericho made headlines all over the world when he officially joined All Elite Wrestling. Ever since joining the new company, Jericho has been quite vocal about the problems he faced working for WWE and Y2J has also been providing interesting backstage scoops about the company.
Jericho was a guest on The Bubba Army pocast recently. During the interview, he talked about topics such as his career, Vince McMahon’s work ethics and how wrestlers get ready for their matches backstage. During the talk he also revealed which WWE Superstars have their own locker rooms
Chris Jericho claimed that very few Superstars get their own locker rooms. He stated that only ‘big guys’ such as Goldberg, Brock Lesnar or The Rock get their own rooms for changing. He also mentioned that while The Undertaker doesn’t have a seperate locker room, he usually changes in the talent relations room and The Phenom doesn’t have to deal with 50 Superstars stuffed in one room.
Apart from this, he also commented on the subject of work ethic in WWE and The former World Champion said that the work ethic while working for Vince McMahon is second to none. According to Jericho, in WWE, things start from the top and go down from there and everyone follows the lead of Vince McMahon, who is well known to be the ultimate workaholic.
You can check out Chris Jericho’s full interview in the video below:
Two days before their Fyter Fest event, AEW has confirmed
that the former World Champion Chris Jericho will be present for their upcoming
Fight For The Fallen event next month.
The company announced this news from their official Twitter account. They posted a photo confirming that the Master Of Manipulation will be coming Live from Jacksonville Florida on July 13th:
Though the tweet doesn’t mention what Jericho will be doing at the show. It looks likely that he will be involved in a segment rather than having a match at the event.
Considering his upcoming match with Hangman Page for the AEW
World Championship, it’s possible that Officials are planning a segment between
these two stars for the show.
It’s worth mentioning here that this announcement came shortly after WWE made their decision to air the 10th-anniversary show of EVOLVE on WWE Network, which will take place on the same day as Fight For The Fallen.
While it’s possible that these two events are unrelated to
each other, the fact that AEW announced their biggest name for the upcoming
show right after WWE’s announcement makes many think that it’s a response from
the upstart promotion.
Chris Jericho is currently scheduled to face Hangman Page in
a one on one match at the upcoming All Out event on August 31th to determine
who will be the first ever AEW World Heavyweight Champion.
Chris Jericho recently uploaded an episode of his popular podcast, Talk Is Jericho, where he dissected tonight’s Stomping Grounds card.
Near the end of the show, Jericho began to analyze the Universal Championship match between Seth Rollins and Baron Corbin. He discussed why this match has failed to connect with the fans, who seem apathetic to the event as a whole.
“This match, to me, once again is one of the problems with WWE, and maybe one of the reasons why tickets haven’t sold well in Tacoma. […] Maybe this is one of the reasons: we just saw this match two weeks ago [at WWE Super ShowDown]. The classic thing is ‘my neighbor’s a good guy, too,’ doesn’t mean he [Corbin] should be headlining pay-per-views over and over again.”
“There’s heat, there’s ‘go-away’ heat, there’s ‘this guy isn’t ready’ heat. Corbin—solid worker, solid personality, great guy. I don’t think he’s ready for the main event, especially when you got Samoa Joe four or five matches down working for the United States Championship. Flip-flop it,” Jericho suggested.
He added WWE should “Let Corbin work his way up through the ranks and let a guy who is a legit, proven headliner who has drawn money [be in the main event].”
Jericho explained that whereas Samoa Joe can “walk the walk and talk the talk,” Baron Corbin is still clearly learning his craft.
The two will clash for the Universal Championship tonight at WWE Stomping Grounds. A major aspect of their rivalry has revolved around who will be the special guest referee for their matchup—a mystery that will be answered tonight.
With WWE locking down talent, people are still questioning the promotion’s use of ‘independent contractors’ to describe their contracted Superstars.
Former WWE Superstar, and current All Elite Wrestling (AEW) wrestler, Chris Jericho, discussed the ‘independent contractor’ culture that WWE has cultivated. The topic arose as he spoke with Jesse “The Body” Ventura on RT America.
“I think the way that the union will happen is when television stations go through the Screen Actors Guild type of thing and force the union to happen,” Jericho said.
“I think right now is the best time for wrestlers. There’s a lot of options, there’s a lot of ways to put that money away and put that money aside to be able to take care of yourself in the future. There’s a lot of guys from the ’80s, your generation, that weren’t able to do that and are having a lot of issues with healthcare and that sort of thing. It’s something I believe in—helping a lot of those guys.”
Jericho called the current system “flawed” before claiming that AEW is “[…] more about wrestlers and not just in that respect, but also as far as being in control of who you are as a performer. There is a lot of micromanaging going on in the WWE right now as far as writers, and scriptwriters, and script doctors, and all this sort of thing. That’s something that isn’t good for the business either. AEW has a fresh perspective on all of those things. I think it is something that will change the business.”
He went on to confirm that, despite his appearances for New Japan Pro Wrestling, he is an employee of AEW and that he enjoys the “big-time sports mentality” that they have adopted versus WWE’s old school model.
Chris Jericho recently clarified his employment status with AEW. He did so on an episode of Jesse Ventura’s “The World According to Jesse” on RT America. Jericho stated he is an AEW employee and receives health benefits from the organization, not an independent contractor.
Ventura and Jericho discussed various aspects of how wrestlers’ employment is handled by promotions.
“I know you for one always stood up for a union in wrestling,” Jericho said to Ventura. “I think the way a union will happen is when television stations go through the Screen Actors Guild type of thing and force the union to happen.”
The interview can be viewed in its entirety below:
https://youtu.be/PWsdsWqMzgs?t=858
Chris Jericho On Independent Contractor Status
“You could steal half the talent if you simply made the wrestlers employees,” Ventura said.
Ventura then stated several reasons why wrestlers should not be classified as independent contractors. Jericho then clarified his status with AEW.
“I don’t know everybody’s specific deals but for myself, I am an employee of AEW,” Jericho clarified. “So there are inroads for that, atleast for me, I’m a registered employee of the company.”
Jericho will face Adam “Hangman” Page at AEW All Out on August 31st, 2019.
“I was paying $5,000 a year and this was way back in the 80s, just for health care,” Ventura said.
Jericho continued to say that the benefits and employee status he was given played a role in him deciding to sign with AEW.
Jon Moxley may not be the only former-WWE Superstar joining this year’s G1 Climax.
During a Dominion post-match interview, “The Painmaker” Chris Jericho teased his interest in participating in this year’s tournament.
Appearing backstage with one of Kazuchika Okada’s “Rainmaker” dollars attached to his forehead, Jericho spoke with the Japanese press. He addressed his loss to Okada before claiming that “The Painmaker never loses, I win big tonight.”
“G1-icho”
“Maybe I’ll show up in the G1,” Jericho teased. “Maybe I want to be in the G1. What do you think about that? Maybe I’ll enter the G1.”
Jericho then asked “Is Okada in the G1? Is Tanahashi in the G1? If they’re in the G1, maybe I’ll show up in the G1, what do you think about that? And I’ll kick Jon Moxley’s ass, too. He still owes me $15,000 for ripping up my light-up jacket three years ago. […] They’re all in the G1. Maybe I’ll join the G1. Chris G1-icho, what do you think about that?”
He then issued a warning to Hiroshi Tanahashi, claiming that “The Ace” needs to watch his back. Jericho promised that if Tanahashi intends to compete in the G1 Climax tournament, he will be watching and waiting at every moment for his opportunity to prove why he is “The Painmaker.”
Shawn Spears will be cheering for Hangman Page at All Out later this summer when he faces Chris Jericho for the AEW World Championship. Spears took part in an interview recently with Bill Apter where he said Page has a chance to become a worldwide star with a victory over a high-profile opponent like Jericho.
“Nobody loves Chris Jericho more than Chris Jericho,” Spears said when asked who will win between Jericho and Page. “He’s going to be gunning for it more than anyone else because he still feels he has something to prove even though the guy’s resume speaks for itself.”
Spears then said he’ll be cheering for Page, however.
“I’m pulling for Hangman,” he continued. I think Hangman has a chance to make himself a worldwide global star in one match and that’s the match to do it in.”
Shawn Spears To AEW?
Spears competed in the Casino Battle Royale before Double or Nothing last month but has not signed with AEW. He also spoke to the possibility of him becoming a full-time member of the AEW roster during the interview.
“It’s pretty common knowledge that I’m good friends with an Executive Vice President,” said Spears. “I’d heard the rumblings like everybody else across the planet had heard about the beginning of something special. So when the opportunity presented itself to be a part of it, it just so happened to fall in line with my timeline, the whole 90 days – that worked out perfectly in terms of timing.”
“Once one thing ended another door opened and I dove through that door without hesitation and it turned out to be the best decision I’ve made in recent memory.”
5 championship matches took place at NJPW Dominion with the challengers winning 3 of the bouts. Jon Moxley declared himself for the G1 Climax tournament this year after defeating Shota Umino in the night’s opening contest. Later in the show, KENTA was led to the ring by Katsuyori Shibata and also declared for the G1.
Following the night’s main event, Chris Jericho attacked the retaining champion. He was prevented from delivering even more damaged by Hiroshi Tanahashi, who was ringside doing commentary for the main event.
Kazuchika Okada defeated Chris Jericho to retain his IWGP Heavyweight championship today in Osaka, Japan. Okada used a traditional pinning combination to get the win and an enraged Jericho attacked the champion after the bell.
Jericho draped a chair around Okada’s neck and tossed him into the steel post on the outside. Hiroshi Tanahashi, who was at ringside doing commentary, made the save and prevented Jericho from delivering even more punishment.
Jericho then cut a promo critical of both Tanahashi and Okada. Okada was unable to deliver his usual post-match promo due to Jericho’s attack.
This is Okada’s 5th reign as IWGP Heavyweight Champion and his title defense against Jericho was his 27th combined. He is now just 1 behind Tanahashi’s all-time record of 28 total title defenses.
Okada already holds the record for most combined days spent as champion (1580+), longest single reign (720 days), and most title defenses in a single reign (12).
Upcoming NJPW Schedule
Up next for New Japan will be the Kizuna Road tour from June 14th to 25th. The promotion will then be in Australia for a show in Melbourne on the 29th and Sydney on the 30th.
The G1 will then kick-off in Dallas on July 6th before returning to Japan for the rest of the tour beginning on July 13th.
An unforgettable night of action in Osaka Jo Hall!
We're aware that fans will want to experience #njdominion unspoiled, and will not post match results on global SNS until noon JST Monday.
Chris Jericho believes that by the time the summer is up, he’ll hold both the IWGP Heavyweight and AEW World championship belts. Jericho faces Kazuchika Okada tomorrow in Osaka at NJPW Dominion for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. On August 31st, he’ll take on Adam “Hangman” Page for the inaugural AEW world title at All Out in Chicago.
Jericho took part in a recent NJPW press conference to promote tomorrow’s Dominion event.
“Think about how big of a name Chris Jericho is right now,” Jericho said at the press conference. “Just one week ago I headlined in the very first AEW show and beat Kenny Omega, Okada’s greatest rival, beating him with the Judas elbow. Here I am 10 days later, headlining Dominion with New Japan. Nobody else can do that. Nobody else is a big enough star to headline Las Vegas and Osaka within two weeks.”
“Kenny Omega – I beat him. Okada – I’ll beat you, I’ll be the IWGP Champion and at All Out I’ll beat Hangman Page and be the AEW champion,” he continued.
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Osaka Jo Hall sees the annual kickoff to the summer!
Five title matches atop a phenomenal star studded card!
Jericho also spoke about unifying the WCW and WWE championships in 2001 during the press conference.
“I’ll be double champion just like when I beat The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin both on the same night to become WWE and WCW double champion,” Jericho continued. “That was a lifetime ago now here we are in 2019, Okada versus Jericho; a dream match, one of the biggest matches you could ever have.”
Awesome to see the legendary #RikiChoshu today!! Last time I saw him he made me drink dark @AsahiBeerUSA until I barfed…. @ NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING?OFFICIAL/ENGLISH? https://t.co/J7HXoYJuld
Okada had the following to say to his challenger at the press conference:
“Finally I could get to meet Chris Jericho. You call yourself the Painmaker, I guess it means you’re going to make it pain?!” Okada asked about Jericho’s new nickname in NJPW. “But surely Pro-Wrestling is painful anyway no? You’ve had IC championship matches, no DQ matches and other sorts here in New Japan, but this is the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. This is something quite different to what you’ve experienced before, please allow me to teach you.”