NJPW News: Chris Jericho insults Japan in non-PG post-match press conference
What’s the story?
Now, it's no secret that Chris Jericho has been working as a heel in the build-up to his match with Kenny Omega, but many people assumed that, as soon as the match was over, that curtain would drop.
We've now seen that Y2J seemingly isn't done with Japan after attacking Naito at New Year Dash, but this post-match press conference following his match with Kenny Omega shows just how good a heel Jericho is, completely staying in his lane and insulting the reporters and the country of Japan!
In case you didn’t know…
Jericho has previously praised Japan as an incredible wrestling country, stating that as one of the reasons why he returned to Japan to face Omega, stating that the Japanese audience still appreciate wrestlers protecting the business - and this is proof of Jericho giving them exactly that, completely staying in character for the full press conference.
The press conference followed a match that has undoubtedly already set the bar for match of the year between Alpha and Omega at NJPW's Wrestle Kingdom 12 event where Jericho's entrance theme was "Judas" by his own band Fozzy, and where he repeatedly flipped off the audience and used underhand tactics against The Cleaner.
The heart of the matter
NJPW is famous for it's incredible in-ring work and consistently having matches end with clean finishes, however the lack of in-ring promos is balanced with these pre and post-match press conferences - which makes a lot of sense as Japan's press does cover pro-wrestling.
For that reason, it's not surprising to see Y2J stay in character here, although it is very impressive that, after such an incredible match, Jericho can come right into the press conference and not even break into a smile.
Jericho expresses his displeasure at being dragged out of his dressing room repeatedly demands that reporters ask him a question or he's going to leave, and when one eventually does ask what he thought about the match, he asks how they thought it was then said it was "one of the greatest matches in the history of Japan" but he lost because it was an unfair crowd who booed him.
The same reporter then tries to ask another question and Jericho said he will only answer one question per reporter, calling him greedy.
The most shocking thing about this interview is probably thanks to the fact that this was Jericho's first match outside of WWE since 1999, meaning we haven't even heard him swear in the context of a promo for the best part of two decades. Jericho drops F-bombs immediately before flipping off the crowd and saying that's his message to Japan for booing him.
What's next?
Well, everyone thought this would be a one-off appearance, but all signs point to another Jericho appearance in Japan to face Naito. Jericho's schedule this year is already pretty full with a full Fozzy tour on the cards and his own cruise - the Rock and Wrestling Rager At Sea - scheduled to take place with a wrestling tournament on board, and Y2J even hinting at a rematch with Omega in the middle of the sea.
Author’s take
Well, it's not exactly an unpopular opinion that Jericho is one of the greatest of all time - both in terms of in-ring performance and on the mic - and this only further proves that point. Jericho has constantly reinvented his character and this new heel Jericho seems yet another reincarnation of that.
From disregarding Omega on Twitter as not even being the best wrestler in Winnipeg never mind the best in the world (even tagging the wrong user), to walking down the ramp to his own band's song, to flipping off an entire country - Y2J has cranked it up to a whole other level - and we can't wait to see what's next.