Former WWE Champion clears the air about real-life heat with AEW star Chris Jericho
Chris Jericho had a all-time run during his stint with WWE. While there were quite a few low points, The Ayatollah of Rockan 'n' Rolla left a mark on the fans before his departure in 2018. He subsequently joined All Elite Wrestling a year later.
During Jericho's early days in Vince McMahon's promotion, Rob Van Dam was his contemporary. Both stars have a common link in that they were part of the ECW roster before joining the global juggernaut company.
During a recent interview conducted by Konnan and Disco Inferno on the K100 podcast, Rob Van Dam revealed that there was no animosity between him and Y2J, despite there being rumors of it:
"I don't think there was any real heat," Van Dam began. "I've shared some of my personal feelings when we were working together. Sometimes [there was] struggle. At that time of me, trying to get used to the politics. Having him be a factor where, he was already there and kind of represented the opposing side on that. But there wasn't any time that I can remember where we were going to fight." [50:16-50:42]
Van Dam added that Chris Jericho was surprised when he heard the rumor for the first time. During their time together, they have wrestled many times. The AEW star was even RVD's first singles opponent upon the latter's return to WWE in 2013.
7/15/2013
Rob Van Dam defeated Chris Jericho on RAW from the Barclays Center in #WWEBrooklyn, New York.
#RobVanDam #RVD #TheWholeFuckingShow #OneOfAKind #ChrisJericho #Y2J #KingOfTheWorld #Lionheart #YouJustMadeTheList #GiftOfJericho #DrinkItInMan #WWE #WWELegends #WWEHistory https://t.co/UWZosJONVJ
Rob Van Dam detailed also detailed why he ultimately decided to end things with the global juggernaut promotion and move on. You can read more here.
Chris Jericho has zero interest to return to WWE
The first-ever Undisputed WWE Champion, Chis Jericho, has mentioned WrestleMania 33 and his storyline with Kevin Owens countless times since he left Vince McMahon's promotion.
Y2J believed he was never going to be considered a top star by the company. The final straw was when the proposed Universal Championship match was changed at the last minute in favor of Brock Lesnar vs. Goldberg for the world title.
Earlier this year, during an interview with Daily Star UK, Chris Jericho asserted that he expects his wrestling career to end in AEW:
"Business is business and there’s always ups and downs, but I have zero interest in ever going back to WWE. That’s not out of bitterness or anger. I love Vince and I love Hunter and all the people there. But I just really dig AEW, and I have a stake in the game. I came here right out of the gate – I was the guy. Besides Jim Ross, there was nobody that had really been on television on a national basis other than me."
He continued:
"I take great pride in that. I started here, why would I want to walk away? There’s so much more that we can do. The sense of accomplishment is massive."
Chris Jericho even claimed that AEW is "the place to be." Despite having a good 20-year run with WWE, the multi-time world champion stated that wrestling in NJPW changed his vision. He simply seems content where he's at now.
Where would you rank Chris Jericho on the 'Top #WWE debuts of all time' list? https://t.co/TbfoUEozO8
As of this writing, Chris Jericho's final WWE match was in Saudi Arabia, where he competed in the 50-Man Royal Rumble Match.
If you use the quote, please credit the original source and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.