"I did give them a chance" - When Vince McMahon thought top star was bluffing about leaving WWE for AEW
WWE has lost quite a number of notable names to AEW since the promotion first established itself in 2019. However, one of the most significant losses was arguably Chris Jericho, and in an interview a few years ago, he addressed the process behind his jump.
Jericho's 1999 debut in the Stamford-based promotion remains highly praised online today and would open the door to his Y2J run. By 2008, the veteran would establish himself as a main eventer and had many memorable bouts by 2019.
During a now-unearthed interview with Inside the Ropes, Chris Jericho revealed that Vince McMahon initially believed he was joking about the jump to AEW. He even asked Y2J to get out of his agreement:
"I did give WWE a chance, though. I did give them a chance and said, ‘Here’s the offer that I’ve got from this new company,’ and Vince says, ‘Take it.’ I think he thought I was bluffing, and when I took it, then about a week later, he’s like, ‘You took it?’ I’m like, ‘Yeah,’ and he goes, ‘Can you get out of it?’ I’m like, ‘No! You told me to take it; why would I try and get out of it?’ You know?" (02:02 onward).
Check out the full interview below:
During the same interview, Jericho also noted that it seemed like McMahon proposed that he should be a "covert agent spy" in AEW after the WWE Executive Chairman began probing into the ins and outs of the fledgling promotion.
Missed out on last week's AEW Rampage? Catch up with the results right here.
The former WWE Champion claims he'll never have his dream match with Sting
Sting's WWE run has been largely criticized by fans, especially since he never had dream matches with The Undertaker, and his bouts were largely underwhelming. However, many have wanted The Icon to go up against Chris Jericho since WCW and continue to promote the dream match online.
In response to Twitter user @LazRuiz2 claiming that there's still time for Jericho and Sting to clash in AEW, The Ocho shockingly shot down the speculation.
"It’ll never happen. Not interested," Jericho commented.
It's currently unclear whether or not Chris Jericho was being sarcastic or not. The clash between him and the WWE Hall of Famer would obviously be a high-profile match, and Jericho has shown interest in facing Sting in the past too.