9-time Intercontinental Champion once said he returned to WWE because he was jealous of John Cena
WWE star John Cena has inspired a lot of wrestlers, and it’s no surprise. He is excellent in the ring, gives it his all, and is great off it too. His incredible work ethic inspired fans, fellow wrestlers, and not just anyone; the man in question is AEW star Chris Jericho.
Jericho took a two-year hiatus from WWE in 2005 after his contract expired and cited that he was burnt out and needed a break. During that time, Cena established himself as one of the top names in the company and went on to have stellar matches.
John Cena defended his WWE Championship against Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 23. That match prompted Chris Jericho to want to come back to the ring.
Jericho spoke about this moment on the Broken Skull Sessions with Stone Cold Steve Austin when he said:
“When I finally decided to come back to wrestling in 2007, it's because I saw, remember when they had Shawn and Cena at WrestleMania? I remember for the first time in two years, I watched wrestling. I didn't follow it. I didn't read the dirt sheets, I didn't go online, I was done. B word - burned out. Then I heard about Shawn vs. Cena at WrestleMania. I love Cena’s work, one of my favorite opponents. I remember watching, and I was jealous, like, I wanna do that. I know I can do that because I’ve done it with both. I am really, really jealous. It’s time to come back,” he said.
It’s wild to think that John Cena inspired someone like Chris Jericho to return to wrestling. It shows how much his work is valued despite what the naysayers say.
Chris Jericho congratulated John Cena despite being in different companies
A few years ago, Chris Jericho moved to AEW, and since then, his sole focus has been improving the product's quality. So, it was a surprise when WWE included him in a video montage to congratulate John Cena for completing 20 years.
John Cena accomplished that milestone on June 27, 2022, and Chris Jericho had nothing but good things to say about his former opponent.
“Wishing John Cena congratulations on 20 years of hustle, loyalty and respect. One of my all-time favorite opponents and a man who probably hit me with the hardest slap I’ve ever been hit with in my entire life. A man who is not afraid of samsquanches and a man who knows how to carry a cooler at 2 AM, amongst many other things. So, John, congratulations on all your success both in the ring and out of the ring and hopefully someday you will slap me again, just not as hard. Still bugs me to this day, I think it cracked a crown. Good Lord!” he said.
It was heartwarming to have AEW and WWE put aside their differences and have a top star share his love for his former opponent.
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