During a recent edition of Talk Is Jericho, Chris Jericho said that the average career in WWE for a performer is four years. Jericho, who has been with the company for the better part of the last 17 years, feels his endeavors outside of the ring have contributed to his longevity.
“You look at my WWE activities since 2010 — and when I come back I’m not a part-time performer – but if you look at the overall schedule over the last six years, it’s part time. I’ll never be a full-time performer again and who knows how much longer I’ll do it for,” he said in an interview with For The Win.
“Ten years ago, I foresaw my own future and didn’t want to be at the mercy of the wrestling business. I wanted to come and go as I pleased and so I found ways to do that. Fozzy is bigger than it’s ever been before. I think the Jericho Network has the potential to be huge.”
“I’m 45 years old and pretty soon, I’m not going to want to take any more bumps. But if you look at the arc of entertainment, you can go until you’re 75 years old or beyond. There’s no limit to what you can accomplish in the world of entertainment. It’s all I’ve ever known since I was 19. I’m writing my fourth book, I’m doing more acting. I’m keeping all those balls in the air. It was a smart move on my part and I’m not going to stop. If I stopped wrestling tomorrow, I’d still be out there providing things for you guys to do to enjoy your lives.”
Jericho also offered his thoughts on Roman Reigns’ 30-day suspension for his first violation of WWE’s Talent Wellness Program.
“Reigns is a great guy and a great worker. That he was suspended shows there is no BS or (messing) around when it comes to the policy. There are things on (the banned list) that are not anywhere but on the WWE list. You see the things that happened 10, 15 years in the past that don’t happen anymore. You don’t see guys dying young,” Jericho said.
“Reigns is a cool cat. He’ll own it, come back and be a bigger star in the future. I’m a huge Reigns fan and continue to be.”
Jericho also discussed his latest venture with PodcastOne, the upcoming WWE Draft, Brock Lesnar at UFC 200 and more. You can check out the interview here.
Chris Jericho is teaming up with America’s largest podcast network to take his podcasting game to the next level.
On Wednesday it was announced that Jericho will be teaming up with Podcast One to launch The Jericho Network. The deal was formulated due to the success of his Talk Is Jericho podcast. PodcastOne will handle Jericho’s production, distribution, and product marketing. The first host on the network will be former WCW star Konnan, who will have his own recurring podcast.
According to PodcastOne founder Norm Pattiz, Talk Is Jericho is one of the most popular podcasts on his company’s lineup. All podcasts on the new Jericho Network will be available exclusively on PodcastOne.com and their mobile app.
In an official statement released on Wednesday, Jericho said he’s stoked to bring some of the most talented, interesting, and “hilariously ridiculous” hosts to PodcastOne via his new network.
“My overall plan is for TJN to be an extension of the diverse array of subjects and guests I already feature on Talk Is Jericho twice a week,” Jericho said. “Get ready to be amazed, amused and entertained by ALL of the hosts and programs that will be added to TJN over the upcoming months…and don’t forget to wear a helmet!”
WWE’s Cruiserweight Classic tournament kicks off tonight with the first set of tapings from Winter Park, Florida at Full Sail University. The 10-week tournament premieres on the WWE Network Wednesday, July 13th. The show will feature 32 of the top Cruiserweight wrestlers from around the world, with a live two-hour finale scheduled for Wednesday, September 14.
Check back later tonight for Spoiler Results of the first set of tapings.
Earlier this week, WWE held weigh-ins for the tournament and we’re told the 205 weight limit is legitimate. WWE had several wrestlers on hand as fill-ins in case anybody missed weight and we’re told one performer actually didn’t make the cut and will be replaced.
WWE has published a video of Cruiserweight Classic host Daniel talking about the tournament, including participants like Kota Ibushi, Zack Sabre Jr. and Drew Gulak. Bryan also gives his pick for who he thinks will win the tournament.
– MMA journalist Ariel Helwani says the latest plan for CM Punk’s UFC is for the fight to take place at UFC 203, scheduled for September 10th. However, the fight date is “far from a done deal.” In recent months, it was reported that Punk would likely debut at UFC 202, which takes place during SummerSlam weekend. Punk will [eventually] fight Welterweight Mickey Gall (2-0).
Current plan at the moment is CM Punk vs. Mickey Gall at UFC 203, per sources. Far from a done deal but that's the direction as of this AM.
Punk signed with UFC back in December 2014, shortly after his WWE departure and his controversial appearance on Colt Cabana’s Art of Wrestling podcast. His planned debut has been pushed back multiple times, most recently when he underwent back surgery in February to repair a herniated disc. UFC and Punk are still adamant that he’ll fight this year, but much of the excitement that surrounded his initial announcement has dissipated.
Visit our partner site MMANews.com for daily coverage of UFC and the world of Mixed Martial Arts.
– With Jerry Lawler serving an indefinite suspension from WWE as a result of his domestic assault arrest from last week, David Otunga filled in the the King at Tuesday’s SmackDown tapings.
– Nancy Benoit’s sister Sandra will be Chris Jericho’s guest on his Talk is Jericho podcast this coming Friday. The episode will focus on the Benoit family tragedy.
– WWE has announced Chris Jericho, Kevin Owens & Alberto Del Rio vs. Dean Ambrose, Cesaro & Sami Zayn for this week’s SmackDown. Join us here later tonight for our weekly Live Coverage of the SmackDown tapings.
– WWE has registered to trademark the term “Legion of Doom.” The timing is curious, since LOD’s former manager Paul Ellering just returned to the company last week at Takeover. He will be managing the new Authors of Pain tag team, comprised of Sunny Dhinsa and Gzim Selmani.
– Chris Jericho will be Jonathan Coachman’s guest on tonight’s ESPN “Off The Top Rope” segment.
– David Otunga is no longer working the weekly WWE RAW pre-show on the WWE Network. He did commentary at last night’s WWE Superstars tapings and in the video below, confirms his new role. Otunga will now be doing weekly commentary for Superstars and Main Event with Tom Phillips.
– “Macho Man” Randy Savage’s brother Lanny Poffo shared this awesome story on Facebook this week:
Randy rescued a one-armed kitty about six months before he died. His wife still owns the cat who was named JYC, in honor of his fallen friend, JYD (Junkyard Dog)
– The GoFundMe started by Kevin Owens and Tyler Breeze to benefit the victims of the Fort McMurray fires in Canada is about to wrap with right at $71,000 raised of their goal of $100,000. They have 2,277 people that have donated in 16 days.
– Chris Jericho appears in this backstage Raw Fallout video and reveals he had 69 tacks removed from his body after Extreme Rules on Sunday. Jericho also talks about winning at MITB and going on to become a 7 time World Champion.
– Below is a new vignette for John Cena’s Memorial Day Raw return:
– WWE stock closed at $16.64 per share today, down 2.29%.
– Mark Henry has been announced for the WLW Night of Champions 2 event on August 7 in Troy, MO. WLW is owned by WWE Hall of Famer Harley Race, so that’s why Henry is working the event.
– Here’s video of Chris Jericho getting thumbtacks removed after The Asylum loss to Dean Ambrose at Extreme Rules last night:
As seen at WWE Extreme Rules tonight, Dean Ambrose beat Chris Jericho in the first ever Asylum Match and used thumbtacks to get the job done. Below are some photos and a clip from the match:
As seen below, Chris Jericho vs. Dean Ambrose will happen at WWE Extreme Rules on Sunday, in the first-ever Asylum Match. Extreme Rules takes place this Sunday, May 22nd from Newark, NJ.
– WWE stock closed at $17.89 per share today, down 0.22%.
– Bruno Sammartino’s final signing appearance has been announced for The Big Event in Queens, NY on November 19th. Recently released WWE stars Hornswoggle, Damien Sandow and Zeb Colter have also been announced.
– In the video below, Chris Jericho arrives to the arena for tonight’s Raw and talks about Dean Ambrose destroying his jacket last week. The WWE reporter mentions Ambrose wants to speak with Jericho on tonight’s show, and Jericho says Ambrose better choose his words wisely.
After Dean Ambrose destroyed Chris Jericho’s light-up jacket on Monday Night RAW, Jericho was heard yelling that the jacket cost $15,000. It turns out the jacket is much more expensive when one tries to purchase it online. At online retailer Jonathan A Logan the jacket will cost you ten thousand dollars more than what Jericho paid, with a price tag of $25,000. A replica retails for $400 at Famous Movie Jackets.
Jericho started wearing the light-up jacket as part of his ring entrance back in 2012 when he returned to WWE after a two-year hiatus.
After last night’s RAW went off the air, Chris Jericho called Dean Ambrose to the ring to apologize for destroying his $15,000 jacket. Ambrose came out and faked an apology and left Jericho laying with Dirty Deeds. Ambrose then elbow dropped the jacket to end the show.
@TheQueenHEEL Dean came back out to apologize only to hit Jericho with Dirty Deeds to send everyone home happy pic.twitter.com/qPGF1ccWkN
– Following last week’s “Black Friday” that saw the release of 8 WWE performers, PWInsider reports that more releases are expected before the end of this month.
Ryback appears to be on his way out of the company, but its possible WWE will simply allow his contract to expire in a couple months. In light of his recent Wellness policy violation (and subsequent doctor’s note post, deletion and re-post), Adam Rose is another Superstar that could be on thin ice. Additionally, Dave Meltzer noted on Wrestling Observer Live that another Diva was supposed to be released last week, but Cameron was released in her place as a result of her publicly supporting Ryback.
– Kofi Kingston is scheduled to appear at tonight’s RAW after missing this past weekend’s live events. Enzo Amore is not scheduled for this week’s TV tapings.
– Chris Jericho was asked on Twitter what the most physically enduring thing he’s had to endure as a WWE Superstar. In typical Jericho fashion, he replied:
It looks like we may have seen the last of Chris Jericho for now. After coming up short against Dean Ambrose last night at Payback, Jericho tweeted a farewell message to the WWE Universe on Monday morning.
Jericho returned to WWE back on January 4th to announce he’d be participating in the 2016 Royal Rumble. He went on to partner (and later feud) with AJ Styles before his short program with Dean Ambrose.
It’s worth noting that WWE has been advertising Jericho will be appearing at live events through the summer.
During his hiatus from WWE, you can get your weekly dose of Jericho on his Talk Is Jericho podcast.
– Enzo Amore and Big Cass have already made an impact on WWE’s main roster, but Carmella, the third member of the crew, has been conspicuously absent. When asked by a fan on Twitter why she had yet to appear with Enzo & Cass, she replied:
Enzo and Cass defeated The Ascension on SmackDown to advance in the tag team #1 contenders tournament. Also on the show, The Vaudvillains defeated Golden Truth. Confirmed second round matches include Enzo and Cass vs. The Dudley Boyz and The Vaudevillains vs. The Usos. It looks like the tournament winners will challenge New Day for the tag titles at WWE Payback on May 1st.
– The WWE Network has added more than 100 classic episodes of WWE RAW, including the Ruthless Aggression Era (2002-2003). Memorable angles from this era include Mr. McMahon delivering a lethal dose of poison to WWE in the form of the nWo, Goldberg’s WWE debut and subsequent rivalry with The Rock and more.
– Chris Jericho is letting it be known that certain podcasters don’t know what they’re talking about when criticizing the fact that he went over AJ Styles at WrestleMania:
Wrestlemania 32 is in the books and it is fair to say that there were some….intriguing….booking choices made by the company, probably the most notable was Y2J picking up the win against AJ Styles, a man who as far as I can recall is the only man to have ever performed at Wrestle Kingdom and Wrestlemania in the same year and lose at both events.
More confusing is that the next night on the Raw after Mania they gave the number 1 contendership to AJ in a match where he pinned Jericho following a Styles Clash, driving home the ‘parity’ booking mentality the company seems to rely on heavily. Jericho has certainly lost more than his fair share of matches and has been more than willing to put over newer talent, even if it leads to obscurity for said talent (….Fandango), but for AJ’s first PPV event he really should’ve picked up the win.
After the win against AJ I fully expected Jericho to be placed in a program with Roman Reigns for the WWE Championship, this feud would’ve been an ideal opportunity for Reigns to learn from a grizzled vet and you can guarantee that Y2J would’ve done all he could’ve to try and stop the fans cheering him in an attempt to get Reigns over. But now that AJ has been placed in this slot for the Payback match what is there left for Jericho to do? There are 4 opponents that I would like to see him face off against from here:
Dean Ambrose – After an underwhelming match with Brock Lesnar at Mania; Ambrose also appears to be a man without a purpose, I have no doubt that an eventual Shield 3 way match for the title is on the cards when Seth Rollins is healthy, but in the meantime I see no reason why Jericho can’t have a similar program to that with CM Punk back in 2012, both are good promos and have the ability to work in a variety of stipulation matches that could re-establish Ambrose as a main event contender going forward, his reactions from the live crowds certainly warrant a prolonged push and I felt he was put in a difficult position with Lesnar as there was no way that they could live up to the Street Fights of yesteryear without the ability to bring blood into their match and that Brock Lesnar should not be losing matches, especially at Wrestlemania.
Shinsuke Nakamura – Even if they aren’t willing to bring Shinsuke up to the main roster full time just yet we’ve seen plenty of examples of NXT talent having cross-over matches, Kevin Owens benefitted greatly from having a program with John Cena while NXT Champion. The storyline could be as simple as Jericho calling Nakamura another ‘Y2J-Wannabe’ as he wrestled in Japan first, you could easily bring up Jericho’s past in the Super-J cup tournament to create a bit of legitimacy as the company appears to be more willing to acknowledge accomplishments outside of the WWE these days, you could even have Jericho perform at a Takeover show, something I’m sure the Full Sail crowd would not complain about. Really I would love to see Shinsuke on the main roster and a feud with Jericho (the gatekeeper of the WWE ‘style’) could be a great way to introduce him to the RAW audience.
Cesaro – He had built up quite a lot of momentum before his injury but a placeholder feud before going for a title could be the ideal way to re-build Cesaro. I feel that this is really the time for the WWE to decide if they are going to really take a push in Cesaro seriously and if so they need to put him up against a heel that will go above and beyond to put them over to the next level, I can definitely see a feud between them working as both Y2J and the Swiss Superman are both well travelled veterans and have experience in the European style of grappling. These two could easily have a show-stealing performance at the likes of Payback and while I don’t see this as a multiple month feud it certainly warrants getting a PPV match out of them at least.
Sami Zayn – Out of the 4 wrestlers mentioned I would say that a program with Sami Zayn is definitely more for further down the road, once he has finished the first (of hopefully) many matches with Kevin Owens I would really enjoy seeing Zayn, who is probably one of the best babyface performers in the world right now, get a feud with Jericho; who could again impart a decent amount of wisdom onto Sami and help him move from the lighter schedule of NXT to the full 300+ days a year main roster workload he will have to adapt to.
Thanks for reading, you can check out the second episode of the R & J Wrestling podcast below looking at the 2008 feud between Jericho and Shawn Michaels:
On the latest episode of his Talk is Jericho podcast, Chris Jericho briefly commented on the length of his current run with WWE – essentially telling fans, it’s none of your damn business.
“For all you jack-offs that think you can predict what my future is, I’m not going anywhere.” Jericho said. “Am I going to be here next week? Yeah. Am I going to be here one more month? I’m not going to tell you. You’re just going to have to wait and see.”
WWE’s first-ever Undisputed World Heavyweight Champion got a big win over AJ Styles this past weekend, an outcome that most fans did not see coming. Jericho said he had an amazing time at the event and said it’s addictive working in front of the massive crowds WWE draws for its biggest shows of the year.
“When you actually get there, you get to that stadium and see 101,000 people, I’ll tell you what, man, it’s an experience like no other. And it doesn’t matter how many shows I’ve done, how many matches I’ve had, how many WrestleManias I’ve had, there [have] been 12, nothing beats going out there in front of that type of crowd and having a great match. And it’s what we do this for.”
Jericho thinks he and Styles had one of the top 3 matches on the show, along with the IC title ladder match and the Women’s Championship match.
“I had a great time working with AJ Styles all four of our matches and the last one at WrestleMania [32] was exactly what we wanted. And especially after the amazing spectacle of the seven-man Intercontinental [Championship] ladder match. Our mission was to bring it down a bit and then build it back up with wrestling. And we did that. It was one of the best matches on the show. I don’t mind saying that.”
You can listen to the entire episode now over at PodcastOne.com.
H/T to William Windsor of WrestlingINC.com for the transcribed quotes
This week AJ Styles sat down for an interview with Digital Spy to promote WrestleMania 32. Here are some highlights of what he said about:
The WWE Title picture & WrestleMania main event:
“I think that Roman Reigns is the guy for the job right now. I think him and Triple H are going to tear it up at WrestleMania. It’s a very exciting match that I think a lot of people wanna see.”
Not going to NXT:
“I wasn’t able to make that decision. But I’m very happy to be on the main roster…(Finn Balor) the perfect guy [to be holding the belt]. And he’s doing a wonderful job. He’s not the only reason NXT is doing so well but he’s definitely a big part of it.”
Facing Kevin Owens again:
“Then I go after a title and if it’s around Owens’s waist then I’m going to go after it. Kevin and I have wrestled before so we know each other very well, so it’s easy for us to get in the ring and do great things.”
AJ will be making his Wrestlemania debut against Christ Jericho this Sunday.
– On Wednesday, Chris Jericho called out Shinsuke Nakamura on Twitter, telling the Japanese star that he’s nothing in Jericho’s world. It’s now being speculated that Jericho is going after him to build towards a match that will take place this summer when WWE holds two showsfrom Tokyo’s Sumo Hall (July 1st & 2nd).
Shinsuke Nakamura makes his NXT debut against Sami Zayn next Friday night at NXT Takeover: Dallas.
– WWE has announced that next week’s episode of NXT will feature Samoa Joe vs. Bull Dempsey and Alex Riley vs. Apollo Crews. This is the “go-home” show before Takeover: Dallas.
– Finn Balor has renamed his Bloody Sunday finisher. It will be now known as 1916.
'1916' Named after the Irish Rising On Easter Sunday 1916. 100 years ago this week pic.twitter.com/t7oLdrUbAq
– The E! channel has released the above video which shows Natalya on an episode of Hollywood Medium. She visits a psychic to try and “connect” with her uncle, the late Owen Hart.
– Chris Jericho is being advertised for several WWE events and TV tapings after WrestleMania 32. There are currently no tour dates for Chris Jericho’s band Fozzy in the near future. Speaking of Jericho, he’ll be appearing on Sunday’s episode of Hollywood Game Night on NBC.
– John Cena gave an update on his health in the form of a cryptic tweet. Cena is recovering from a shoulder surgery in January, and says he’s currently speeding up towards his “finish line.”
Another week in the books. Speeding towards the "finish line" but first a much needed few days to regroup for the final charge #NeverGiveUp
WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has updated his blog, which you can read in its entirety over at JRsBarBQ.com. Heere are some highlights of what JR said about:
Shane McMahon’s Promo At The Start Of RAW:
“The show had its moments but it was at times challenging to watch for three hours. This could arguably be more because RAW was a 189 minute show rather than an indictment on the creative. Creative is always subjective but a 3+ hour broadcast with commercials is daunting.
The show had a hard time topping the opening segment with the continuing saga of the McMahon Family which I am enjoying. Shane McMahon is a, breath of fresh air IMO and the Shane vs Taker match at WM32 will likely exceed many naysayers cynical speculation and predictions of gloom and doom.”
Triple H’s Staredown With Bray Wyatt:
“Enjoyed the brief drama between HHH and Bray Wyatt. Wyatt is a major, character ‘face if WWE ever decides pull that trigger. The fans appear to love Bray’s presentation especially his fan friendly entrance.”
Chris Jericho Turning Heel On AJ Styles:
“Interesting turn of events with Jericho knifing AJ in the back. If it means more of Y2J vs Styles matches including at Wrestlemania Texas, I’m good with it. No, I don’t think it was too soon. WWE likely wants AJ to get a signature win in a ‘singles match’ in Texas.”
– WWE has confirmed that this year’s Payback pay-per-view will take place on May 1st from Chicago at the Allstate Arena. The Ticketmaster pre-sale is underway with the password PAYBACK.
This means that WWE will be holding two pay-per-view events in May, as Extreme Rules is scheduled for May 22nd from Newark, New Jersey at the Prudential Center.
– Following Chris Jericho’s heel turn on AJ Styles last night on RAW, the Young Bucks joked on Twitter that they turned on AJ first when they kicked him out of the Bullet Club:
– Dolph Ziggler cut a must-see promo backstage last night for RAW Fallout:
– In the opening segment of RAW, Shane McMahon talked about WWE’s underutilizing talent getting new opportunities when he takes over RAW. Emma took notice and responded: