Chris Jericho Reveals Serial Killer Influence On His 'Painmaker' Persona

AEW star Chris Jericho has gone through many phases in his pro wrestling career. From The Lionheart to The Ayatollah of Rock 'n' Rolla to The King of The World, and many more, Jericho knows how to adapt when the time calls for it.

That's exactly what he did with his Painmaker gimmick when ahead of his NJPW Dominon match with then-IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada back in 2019, Jericho switched things up by introducing his darker side. This was, of course, in response to Okada calling himself The Rainmaker. 

Jericho is set to be featured in the slasher film, "The Terrifier 2" and during an interview with MovieWeb, was asked if he could hold his own against the film's killer clown, Art the Clown. Jericho responded by revealing what influenced The Painmaker gimmick.

"I don't know if Jericho could but The Painmaker might be able to," Jericho said. "The Painmaker was conceived as what a serial killer would look like if he was a pro wrestler... There's your crossover, The Painmaker versus Art the Clown, a graphic novel waiting to happen."

As it stood prior to the gimmick's emergence, Jericho had a more vicious style for his matches in Japan. This was evident during his feud with Kenny Omega, which saw Jericho draw blood from The Best Bout Machine. Of course, Jericho resorted to underhanded tactics, which actually earned him the IWGP Intercontinental Championship.

The Painmaker has lost its exclusivity in Japan ever since Jericho brought the gimmick stateside to AEW. He recently donned The Painmaker look for a Barbed Wire Everywhere Death Match against Eddie Kingston on the July 20 episode of "AEW Dynamite."