Chris Jericho On "Great" Asylum Match, Vince Approving Thumbtacks, Taking The Bump, Crowd Response
On episode 250 of Talk Is Jericho, WWE Superstar and Fozzy frontman, Chris Jericho talked about his WWE Extreme Rules match with Dean Ambrose.
Jericho said that he enjoyed the first ever Ambrose Asylum match, though they had a hard time following the strong Intercontinental Championship match in the beginning.
"We had kind of a dead crowd though because we had that amazing four-way match right in front of us, but you still got to work the match and we built it. We built it well." Jericho added, "[it was] a great match in a different way from the four-way. The fans were going bonkers at the end and that's what it's all about. Sometimes, you've got a quiet crowd and you build it. It's like 'Stairway To Heaven'. It starts out slow and quiet and it ends up with a crashing guitar crescendo and that's what you want, so a great weekend."
According to Jericho, he and Ambrose were surprised that Vince McMahon approved of the use of thumbtacks in the match.
"We were really surprised, Ambrose and I, because we came up with the idea for the Ambrose Asylum. We were surprised that Vince allowed us to use the tacks! It hasn't been done in 10 years. It [has] been that long between tack bumps. And when the finish came in and Ambrose is going over, I have to take the bump on the tacks. I have to. He can't take the bump on the tacks and then go on and win. It just doesn't make sense. I think we have to protect this crazy bump because, in my opinion, no one really knows what a bodyslam feels like or a suplex. But everyone knows what it's like to get poked with a needle or get a thumbtack stuck in you. We've all had that happen, so people know when it happens, it hurts! And you can actually feel that and empathize with it, [or] relate to it, so I was like, 'you know what, man? We have to use these tacks and make it like it's a pit of fire, like it's the worst thing that could ever happen to you is that you fall into these tacks and you're done'.
"So, another thing too, is you want to tease this, so when he poured the tacks out and it's like, 'what if we do a bunch of spots where people think, okay, they're really screwing with us now in the fact that they're pouring out these tacks and teasing us'. Can you imagine how mad people would have been if we would have teased the tacks and never actually used them? So anyways, tease it, tease it, tease it, finally, I go for the Codebreaker and he slams me down on the tacks and goes straight to the DDT. That's the finish, the Dirty Deeds."
Jericho admitted that the anticipation of the tack bump was worse than the pain of the bump itself.
"The worst part of that bump was the anticipation of it, thinking about it during the match and [wondering] what's it going to feel like, and, finally, when I jump up there and he's holding me for three, four, five seconds, before he actually deposits me into the tacks, it's really intimidating, like, 'what's it going to feel like?'. And then, when I got slammed into it, it's more like a shock. Like, it'd be like if you were standing on the dock waiting to jump into a lake with ice on the top. Like, you know it's going to be cold and it's that first moment of jumping into the water where you're just like, 'oh my gosh!' That's kind of what it felt like and to take that bump onto the tacks that way, it was a shock like getting slapped in the face. Now, it hurt a lot, but it's not like it was stabbing daggers or anything like that. It was just weird, uncomfortable, [and] some of them went down my pants".
Of the 69 thumbtacks that had to be removed by medical staff following the match, Jericho professed that the three tacks that got stuck in his hand were the most painful.
"When I took that bump and got up, selling it and screaming, and half of it's real because you're screaming about it, and then, when he gave me the DDT, of course you put your hand down and three of those tacks got stuck in my hand. I don't know if you guys saw that. I held it up towards the camera because I was like, 'if I get tacks in my hand, I want people to see this and those hurt so bad'. My hand still hurts right now. My back is okay. My elbows are okay. Still hurting, but the hand it really, really [hurts]. I guess it's like a splinter in a lion's paw or something like that. Those are the ones that hurt the most. And then, when he turned me over to cover me, all of those tacks were down my pants and if you watch, my shoulders are down, but I'm arching my back up because I didn't want to have my back pressed down again."
Although the thumbtacks were the most memorable weapon used in the match, Jericho claimed that the indian strap was the most painful part of the match.
"That was the worst part, that indian strap. Gosh, he hit me with it a couple of times and then I had to turn and try to stop it with my legs. That was a shoot. It killed me."
Jericho concluded his discussion of the Ambrose Asylum match by saying that it was his one and only tack bump and that his current WWE run has been his favorite since 2009.
"69 tacks pulled out of my body taking my one, and I'll tell you this, only, tack bump. And worth every penny of it. Worth every moment." Jericho continued, "I'm really enjoying this run. Probably one of my favorites that I've had, probably since 2009, I'd say. So for everyone who still thinks that I'm going to be leaving next week, I'm not going to tell you how long I'm staying in the WWE, but as you see, I'm going to be in the Money In The Bank match, so there you go. I'm very excited to be here in the WWE and pulling tacks out of my ass. Doing it for you, so great time, great weekend."
Click here to check out the show. if you use any of the quotes that appear in this article, please credit Talk Is Jericho with an H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
Source: Talk Is Jericho