For many professional wrestlers, a WWE Hall of Fame induction is a lifelong goal. The prestigious enshrinement ceremony is meant to honor those who have contributed to the growth and value of the Stamford-based company. However, one wrestling legend with a Hall of Fame-worthy career is not interested in being inducted.
The star in question is AEW's Chris Jericho. With a career spanning over three decades, the former WWE Superstar is one of the longest-tenured full-time wrestlers in the business. He is also one of the most highly decorated stars in history, having claimed championship gold in WCW, ECW, NJPW, IWA, ROH, AEW, and, of course, World Wrestling Entertainment.
The Ocho has won nearly every championship in WWE – including six world title reigns – and still holds the record for most Intercontinental Championship reigns in history. However, the 53-year-old recently scoffed at the idea of being inducted into the company's prestigious Hall of Fame.
Speaking on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, Jericho claimed there was no "real Hall of Fame."
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"I always like going against the grain, said Jericho. "Like, I loved it when Axl Rose didn't show up to the Hall of Fame and sent a note saying not only am I not showing up, but you're not allowed to say my name. I love that s**t. Like, that's f**king rock and roll, man. So, I don't really understand the point of a Hall of Fame. If you think I'm in it, that's great; there's no real Hall of Fame. It's all kind of in WWE’s mind – in their chambers of the mind. And, I mean, it doesn't really matter if I'm in it or not."
The inaugural AEW World Champion then criticized the format of the ceremony, citing The Undertaker's limited time in his 2022 induction:
"You go up there and give some approved speech where you have five minutes to f**king encapsulate 33 years. Because I was at the Hall of Fames when you had Hillbilly Jim talking for 45 minutes... Yeah, he's a cool guy, and he deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. And then you get the frickin' Undertaker, and he gets 15 minutes. I'm not interested in that at this point. And like I said, it's not a disrespectful thing. It's just like, I don't really see the benefits of it. And I kind of like doing the opposite things."
Chris Jericho believes his last WWE run should have been a main-event program
Jericho has been a foundational star in All Elite Wrestling, becoming the company's first world champion and main-eventing several pay-per-views. He's also been able to stretch his creative wings with appearances in NJPW, ROH, and even the infamous Japanese promotion DDT.
It's been a roller coaster career resurgence for a man many considered a WWE lifer. Jericho hasn't been shy about his frustrations with the Stamford-based company during his last run from 2016 to 2018, and he reiterated to Chris Van Vliet that his angle with Kevin Owens should have been featured as a main-event program:
"It's been well documented that that my last run in WWE was still not a main event program, which in my opinion, it should have been," said Jericho.
Despite the obvious tension between The Ocho and his former promotion, he did appear on WWE's Broken Skull Sessions with Stone Cold Steve Austin in April 2021. Only time will tell whether the legendary star will rejoin the company he once called home.
Do you think Chris Jericho will ever be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!