Chris Jericho On Proving He's A Money Draw With NJPW Ticket Sales And New Subscriptions
Chris Jericho recently appeared on Busted Open, joining Dave Lagreca and Bully Ray, to discuss the success of NJPW's Wrestle Kingdom 12 "Alpha vs. Omega" match. The event took place inside the world-famous Tokyo Dome on January 4, 2018. During his appearance on Busted Open, Jericho talked about how his captivating battle with Omega was the biggest example in his career of him being able to draw money.
"You have to draw money. And this to me, is probably the biggest example of Jericho drawing money," Jericho said on the increase of ticket sales for this year's Wrestle Kingdom. He elaborated, "WWE and WrestleMania for example — that's a brand. People are going, no matter what. I think in this day and age, WWE is the biggest draw. With Wrestle Kingdom, that wasn't the case. There was certain goals that New Japan had that were blown out of the water with the announcement of 'Alpha vs. Omega.' And that was completely on me. I'm a numbers guy, I was calling every day. 'What's the updated tickets? What's the updated tickets?' We sold, 35,000, paid. Last year, they did 26,000."
The former multi-time world champion took on Bullet Club member Kenny Omega in what many fans considered a dream matchup. Bullet Club became a part of pop culture in America, with their merchandise often being one of the top-sellers for the retail company Hot Topic. The popular group, headed by Omega, constantly makes headlines for their rebellious behavior in the professional wrestling world.
The subscription numbers for NJPWorld.com went up significantly; in addition to thousands of foreigners who traveled to the Tokyo Dome to see the match in-person.
"I'm taking it credit for it. I don't think the subscriptions would have been there," Jericho stated. "That's 2,500 people that flew from America, England, wherever. Show me any independent show in the United States that draws 2,500 people in your home country, nowadays. It's pretty rare."
You can listen to Jericho's full comments in the tweet below.
"There were certain goals that @njpwglobal had that were blown out of the water with the announcement of #AlphaVsOmega " @IAmJericho talks to @davidlagreca1 & @bullyray5150 about the success of #NJWK12 pic.twitter.com/75CvmzmF7b
? SiriusXM Busted Open (@BustedOpenRadio) January 9, 2018
Busted Open with Dave Lagreca & Bully Ray can be heard weekdays from 2p-4p Eastern Time only on SiriusXM Rush Channel 93 and is available any time on demand on the SiriusXM App. If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Busted Open with an H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.