WWE News: Was WWE's tour of Japan Chris Jericho's 'last hurrah'?
What’s the story?
Chris Jericho isn’t exactly shy when it comes to making grand statements, and Y2J made another one on WWE’s recent tour of Japan. Jericho faced off against Finn Bálor at a WWE live event in Tokyo, but in an interview after the show, the future WWE Hall of Famer referred to the trip as something of a ‘last hurrah’ for the WWE.
Well, for this time at least. Are Chris Jericho’s wrestling days over?
In case you didn’t know...
After bringing his feud with former best friend Kevin Owens to an end this spring, Jericho left WWE once again to head out on tour with his band, Fozzy. Jericho’s last WWE run was arguably one of his best to date, leading to many fans wishing that the record nine-time WWE Intercontinental Champion would be back sooner rather than later.
That enthusiasm was stoked further when it was announced that Jericho was to wrestle on WWE’s 2017 Asian tour.
The heart of the matter
In an interview taped for WWE’s YouTube channel. Jericho remarked how this was his 50th tour of Japan, some 26 years after his first in 1991, referring to the Land of the Rising Sun as his ‘second home’.
Jericho spoke fondly of the nation, stating that despite wanting to focus on Fozzy right now, he couldn’t pass up a trip to Japan. Still, the Ayatollah of Rock ‘n Rolla was quick to clarify that he wasn’t returning to WWE anytime soon.
“I took the whole year of 2016 away from Fozzy to come back to the WWE, I had a great time, one of the best runs of my career, and then it was time to go back to the band and focus on music for a while. So this was kind of like the last hurrah for WWE for this time”
Those fans hoping to see Jericho return to WWE in the near future are almost certain to be disappointed, but Fozzy fans will rejoice at this news.
What’s next?
Jericho returns to frontman duties with Fozzy soon, with a UK tour planned for October and November. Jericho mentions in the interview that the band’s song ‘Judas’ is doing extremely well, which will surely lead to more attention for the heavy metal quintet.
Never say never when it comes to Y2J, but at 46 years of age, it would be no surprise if his wrestling matches became few and far between.
Author’s take
Chris Jericho is a bonafide future Hall of Famer, and as such has free reign to do exactly what he wants and when he wants. Whilst I and many others would love to see Jericho inside the squared circle, if the man wants to head off around the world and play rock star then he has earned the right to do so.
If you are heading to a Fozzy show over the next six months, make the most of it.