Chris Jericho almost quit wrestling.
Speaking with ET Canada’s Carlos Bustamante, the Canadian-American pro wrestling legend opens up about how he nearly hung up his hat before joining All Elite Wrestling in 2019.
“I think the dream has been lived, but I think what’s been great about AEW is if AEW hadn’t started, I don’t know if I’d still be wrestling right now,” he said. “Because I was already thinking about doing other things.”
He continued, “Obviously working for WWE for 20 years is amazing, but they have a certain way of doing things. I just wasn’t getting the same vibe from it.”
Describing the unique stories being told at AEW, Jericho said, “They kind of reinvigorated my passion for pro wrestling,” adding, “I have no interest in ever wrestling anywhere again, and I love being where I am with AEW and seeing the company grow, and to still be able to perform it at a high level, and knowing that I have a lot of creative influence in those stories that I’m telling. It’s just a win-win.”
Of course, at 52-years-old, Jericho is getting up there in age for a professional wrestler, but he still makes sure to look the part in the ring.
“I think it’s one of those things where you’re in show business, you have to look…. Like, I have to look like Chris Jericho,” he explained. “You know, like you go to [see the Rolling Stones]. Mick Jagger still looks like Mick Jagger.”
He went on, “That’s kind of part of your responsibility when you have longevity in this business and wrestling is show business. Don’t ever deny that. So I just really kind of changed things over the last few years to get in better shape to be smarter in the ring and still be able to put on matches that some nights could be the best match in the show.”
Jericho added, “I think when you have that mindset, it’s like…. You know, people will sometimes bag on me just because I still exist. ‘Chris Jericho, go away Jericho! Evil! Go, go! And that’s fine. I don’t have a problem with that.”
But the wrestler is mindful of his age and when it might be time to hang things up, only that time isn’t right now.
Now, if I thought maybe that I was losing a step or wasn’t living up to the kind of the value that I think I’ve created as Chris Jericho, then I would maybe listen to that stuff,” Jericho said. “But I know that I’m not. So to me, I have a lot of confidence there and once again, a lot of passion.”
Finally, he added, “You always got to keep going to the next level. I don’t care who you are. Like you’re never at the top of the mountain. Ever, ever, ever. So you just got to figure out a way to keep climbing. I think that’s the best attitude that I have: always evolve, always reinvent and always keep climbing to continue to better yourself.”
