Chris Jericho Says TNA Recently Looked Bigger Than AEW In Since-Deleted Comments

Raving over the recent "One Final Table" showdown between The Hardy Boyz and The Dudley Boyz at TNA Bound for Glory, Chris Jericho didn't mince words in describing his perception of the event, with which he was beyond impressed, especially when it came to the Hardys/Dudleys match itself. So blown away was Jericho, in fact, that he may have gone just a bit too far in bestowing accolades, to the point where he had to have his own podcast edited after the fact.

On "Talk Is Jericho," with all of Jeff and Matt Hardy, Bubba Ray and D-Von Dudley as his guests, Jericho relayed that he was taken aback by the presentation of the match, but in sharing his praise, may have gone a bit too far from the perspective of his current employer. "That crowd looked huge," he said. "It was like a WWE-level crowd, you know? I was watching this and, not saying anything out of school here, but comparing it to watching Dynamite when they were at the ECW Arena, which looked like a Tony Condello taping. Sorry, it did. TNA looked like the second biggest company in the world."

AEW's recent run at the ECW Arena, where they reportedly drew an intimate crowd of 916 people, pales in comparison to the announced TNA record crowd of 7,794 at the Tsongas Center for Bound for Glory. The specific reference to Condello, best known for promoting lightly-attended shows across the Canadian province of Manitoba (with which Jericho would be quite familiar), likely struck an uncomfortable chord with Tony Khan's promotion, perhaps influencing the decision to delete this particular section of the audio and video from Jericho's podcast platforms. The internet never loses, of course, with the original quotes living on here, in Sports Illustrated, Newsweek, and at several other outlets.

The edited version of the interview reads far less scathingly as far as AEW goes, with Jericho's laurels centering around the presentation of the event overall and the hype leading up to the match itself. "I was so impressed," he said. "It wasn't even the match. It was the beginning part, before you guys even locked up. It was the end part, after it happened. I'm getting literal goosebumps. That's pro wrestling in its ultimate form. That's all that matters is that emotion and that reaction."

Comparing the look and feel of it all to WWE's landmark event, Jericho didn't hold back whatsoever. "The presentation was amazing," he opined. "I mean, it looked like a WrestleMania. It really did."

The timing of the comments, of course, line up perfectly with speculation on Jericho's future with AEW, and in wrestling as a whole. Wrestling Observer's Dave Meltzer reported in August that his AEW deal would run out in December, fueling all kinds of speculation that a WWE return is inevitable. The first-ever AEW Champion hasn't been seen since losing the ROH Championship to Bandido at AEW Dynasty in April, and voices across the wrestling landscape are earmarking WWE's Royal Rumble in January as a plausible return date for the former "Y2J." His annual Jericho Cruise, which has traditionally been heavily-attended by AEW talent, currently has no current members of the roster listed as scheduled to be on hand, and clearly, the recent comments surrounding Bound for Glory, especially now edited out on account of AEW comparisons, will only exacerbate rumors of a WWE return for the six-time recognized world champion under that company's umbrella.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Talk Is Jericho" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.