"They punch you in the face" - Top AEW star opens up about working with UFC stars like Jorge Masvidal
UFC legends Junior Dos Santos and Jorge Masvidal will be present on AEW Rampage this Friday. Dos Santos, alongside Men of the Year - Scorpio Sky & Ethan Page - will face The Inner Circle's Chris Jericho, Sammy Guevara, and Jake Hager, while Masvidal will watch the action from ringside. Jericho recently spoke to talkSPORT about what it's like to work with UFC stars of this caliber.
The American Top Team, aided by Men of the Year, have been making a nuisance of themselves in AEW. The Inner Circle interrupted their tirades, building up to their match at AEW Rampage.
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Here's what Chris Jericho had to say about the difference he feels in working with active UFC stars like Jorge Masvidal and Junior Dos Santos:
“As you see with Jorge Masvidal, I think one of the unique things we’re doing with Dan Lambert and American Top Team here is these aren’t retired UFC fighters, these are guys still in the thick of it. Masvidal is probably one of the biggest names in MMA today. And the fact Junior is having the match with us as a former UFC champion, it’s a whole different thing for me because I’ve never really been on that side of it." Jericho continued, "When I first got to WWE a thousand years ago, I worked with Ken Shamrock briefly but this is a whole different vibe. When we started doing this story with Dan Lambert and American Top Team, I was really intrigued because it’s so different."
“It’s going to be really cool to see Jorge Masvidal in there. The knee he hit me with was vicious, but I wouldn’t expect anything different,” Jericho stated. “These guys are not trained pro wrestlers doing tackles, dropdowns and leapfrogs. They mount you, they punch you in the face and knee you in the cranium. That’s what you’re buying when you get them involved."
AEW's Chris Jericho compares working with Mike Tyson in WWE to Jorge Masvidal
Jorge Masvidal on Chris Jericho:
“I respect the f--- out of Chris Jericho. He’s done this at the highest level for 30 years. If I see him anywhere else, I’m buying him drinks all night. But.. when I see him in the ring, it’s a different story.”
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Chris Jericho was famously punched by Mike Tyson on WWE RAW several years ago. Le Champion said it was 'crazy' to wait to get punched by Iron Mike, and receiving a knee from Jorge Masvidal in AEW felt quite similar to him.
“It’s the same thing with Masvidal and his knee but I’ve seen that knock guys out in five seconds. It’s almost like Kenny’s V-Trigger, except this one has legit wins behind it. You just kind of grit your teeth and hope for the best. If it gets people more involved and invested in the story, then it was all worth it. Doesn’t feel too good the next day, but once again, there’s nobody crazier than me so I don’t mind [laughs],” Jericho affirmed.
Jorge Masvidal holds a 35-15 record in MMA and has the distinction of inflicting the fastest knockout in UFC history when he knocked out Ben Askren in five seconds.
The 36-year-old's ringside presence during this week's Rampage could act as a precursor to his AEW in-ring debut in the future.