Chris Jericho on ‘Part-Timers,’ ‘Wrestle Kingdom 12’ and Keeping His Character Fresh

Chris Jericho was interviewed by Sports Illustrated where he spoke about staying fresh. his upcoming ‘Wrestle Kingdom 12‘ match with NJPW and compared his feud with Kenny Omega to a previous feud.

Jericho first talked about staying fresh with his fans:

“I feel a great responsibility to my fan base. I am a fan, and I don’t want to see the same thing over and over again. I refuse to settle and stay in the same box. I want to create excitement and that, to me, is what it’s all about. There is no one in the world like Chris Jericho, but there is no one like Kenny Omega, either. That’s why this match really intrigued me: Kenny is the top guy in New Japan, and he is a best-bout machine with some of the best matches ever, but I think I’m better. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime match that you won’t see again, and it’s happening in Tokyo.”

Jericho spoke at length about his match against Omega at ‘Wrestle Kingdom 12’ being the main event despite what Tetsuya Naito said:

“That’s like when people b—- and complain when Brock Lesnar and The Rock wrestle at WrestleMania, saying, ‘These part-timers come to steal our spots.’ Part-timers, full-timers, single-timers, whatever the f— you want to call it, they’re money-makers. I’m not the one calling this a double main event, it’s New Japan calling it that–and they’ve already sold more tickets this year, with three weeks before the show, than last year. I’d say it’s a smart move to bring Chris Jericho in and a smart move to make Alpha-Omega a double main event. If Naito doesn’t like that, then tough luck. That’s pro wrestling. Naito, don’t worry about what I’m doing, just worry about what you’re doing. You’re going on last, but just because you’re last doesn’t make you the main event. See WrestleMania 18 if you want to know more about that. I don’t give a s— who’s on last. If Naito is pissed off at me, then go out and prove it. It makes me want to work harder. Worldwide, and I’m just telling the facts, Alpha-Omega is the main event.”

He then compared his feud with Omega to his feud with Shawn Michaels from back in 2008:

“My goal is to steal the show. The match started as one thing and changed to another. This is going to be more of a fight. It has an organic feel to it. After 27 years of doing this, I know that you have to follow the path of the match. The last time I had a match like this was against Shawn Michaels in 2008 with our unsanctioned match. This has the same feel to it. It’s the two best in the world, but it is going to be intense, angry, and violent.”

If you want to look back at the history between Jericho and Michaels, we have featured a full match between the two while in London a few years ago.

FULL-LENGTH MATCH - Raw - Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho - Last Man Standing Match

Are you excited for Omega vs. Jericho? What do you believe the main event will be?

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