WWE/NJPW News: One of the reasons why Chris Jericho is working for NJPW

What’s the story?

In an interview with Sports Illustrated, Chris Jericho opened up on one of the reasons behind him working for NJPW.

Jericho clarified that he has no qualms in working for the WWE, but opted to compete for NJPW, since the Japanese promotion offered him the main event slot on their biggest card.

In case you didn’t know…

Chris Jericho is a veteran of several notable professional wrestling promotions including WCW, NJPW and the WWE.

Although Jericho has been a mainstay in the WWE over the past several years, seldom does he serve as the headliner for the promotion’s biggest annual show—Wrestlemania.

The heart of the matter

Chris Jericho hyped his upcoming match with Kenny Omega; stating—

“If you want to see Chris Jericho wrestle, the Tokyo Dome is where you’re going to see me…If you watch one show this year, that’s the one to watch.”

Additionally, Y2J pointed out the main-event opportunity, as one of the reasons why he chose to work NJPW rather than the WWE—

“I could go back to the WWE, I love working for Vince McMahon…But if I showed up tomorrow, as of right now, I am not slotted for the main event of WrestleMania. I am in the main event at the Wrestle Kingdom.”

Furthermore, Jericho insinuated that despite a certain section of pro-wrestling fans criticizing part-time performers for stealing the spotlight from full-timers at the biggest shows in particular; the fact remains that part-time Superstars such as Brock Lesnar and The Rock taking the top spots is justified since they are money-makers.

What’s next?

Chris Jericho challenges reigning IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion Kenny Omega at NJPW’s biggest annual show which sees ‘Alpha’ compete against ‘Omega’.

Y2J takes on The Cleaner at Wrestle Kingdom 12 that goes down at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan on January 4th. As of this writing, the majority of pro-wrestling experts believe that Jericho is unlikely to return to WWE for Wrestlemania 34 in April of next year.

Author’s take

Chris Jericho is perhaps one of the most intelligent performers in the history of this business and hasn’t missed a step over the years.

The WWE has a ton of other Superstars right now, and Jericho headlining a show like Wrestlemania at this stage of his WWE career doesn’t quite make sense. Nevertheless, it’s awesome to see him face Omega in NJPW. Here’s looking forward to the Wrestle Kingdom 12.