Chris Jericho Discusses The Fans, Vince McMahon, WrestleMania And More
WWE's first Undisputed champion, Chris Jericho was interviewed by BetweenTheRopes.com today and discussed a number of topics. Topics included; WrestleMania, what fueled his return, his relationship with Vince McMahon, his relationship with the fans and more. Here are some of the highlights:
On how this WrestleMania feels different than previous WrestleManias: "I figured this out earlier; this is my tenth WrestleMania and there's only been two (matches) that I've been involved with that I felt had the potential to be the show-stealer. One was with Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania XIV and this is the next one. So, you can never say for sure what's going to happen and there's a lot of big matches on this show. I just think — with the story line and the chemistry and the work style that we have and the anticipation from the fans — that are match has the potential to be a very special one.
"So, I'm excited about this WrestleMania. Not that I'm not excited about every WrestleMania, but this has a little bit of a special twist to it."
On what fueled his return: "[The] time and going against C.M. Punk. I was fine. I was doing a lot of touring with Fozzy and we were doing a lot of work. We were getting ready to do a break and start working on a new record. So, I knew the window of opportunity was there but for me, I have to have a mindset of something that I think I can really make a difference with.
"When Punk started going on the rise and calling himself the best in the world, I thought, 'Well, there's your natural story line right there.' I actually flew to Stanford last August to pitch this whole idea and story line to Vince."
On his relationship with Vince McMahon and the trust Vince has in him: "I think in this day and age, the experience I have — I think I've been working here longer than anybody else besides a few guys. I've been in the business longer than everybody except The Undertaker.
"I've been in the business longer than Triple H, longer than The Rock. I think my track record speaks for itself with my relationship with Vince. All the stuff that I fought for with him with the HBK angle in 2008, with the Mysterio angle in 2009. [There] wasn't an argument but you had to pitch it and have Vince buy into it and believe it. I think he knows that when I come to him with an idea, he has to listen to it because I've never steered him wrong."
On his relationship with the fans: "It pisses me off. People are always wanting me to come back. When I was off this last year and a half — 'When are you coming back? When are you coming back? When are you coming back? When are you coming back?' Finally, I come back. 'When are you going to talk? When are you going to talk? When are you going to talk? When are you going to talk?' Then, I talk. 'When are you going to wrestle? How long are you staying?'
"People just need to sit back, relax and enjoy the ride. When I go watch a great movie, I don't say, 'When is it over?' I just go, 'Man, I hope it never ends. I don't want it to end but I'm going to enjoy every step of the way.'
"I just read Under The Dome by Stephen King and it's 1,100 pages long. At the 1,100th page, I was like, 'I don't want this to end.' But it's over. It was done and it was great. That's why people need to relax and just enjoy the ride. I can't stay in WWE until I'm 60. What do you want? Honestly, what do you want me to do?
"I come, I do the best work I can possibly can. Give it my all, give it more than other people do as far as creating story lines (and) playing a character. Sacrificing things to make it work. That's all I care about. I don't care what people want as far as [how long] I'm staying or when I'm leaving. I'm here now. Just shut up and enjoy it. [Laughs.]"
On the Hall of Fame: "The Hall of Fame every year is a blast. My favorite part is the packages they have. You'll see this amazing five minute package on the history of the Four Horsemen or the history of Edge. You realize just how much stuff these guys have done. It's a really cool thing that we have it.
"No matter who guys in, I enjoy it. I enjoy watching it and when there's a personal relationship with the guy, it's even more special. So, this will be a good year, for sure."
You can watch the entire video below.
Source: Between The Ropes