Chris Jericho : Exclusive Interview "Alpha vs Omega" WK12 January 04 2018

so for the first time ever I spent my New Year on a plane over the ocean on my way to Tokyo but it's worth it because I didn't want to come with you On January 2nd or 3rd because January 4th is a very big day Russell kingdom 12 at the Tokyo Dome I wanted to get here as soon as I could so it's a fresh way to start the new year here in Tokyo here in Japan with the mental preparation for Tokyo Dome it's the blinders are on all I'm thinking so you know I'm not thinking about a New Year's party I'm not thinking about good times and having a drink I'm thinking about Kenny Omega Alpha versus Omega Tokyo Dome January 4th that's all that matters to me so it was necessary for me to forget about the New Year's celebration everyone's wishing me happy new years I don't give a about happy new years I care about alpha versus Omega I care about January 4th the Tokyo Dome that's my New Year celebration ok that's my New Year's Day that's my New Year's party that's what I'll be excited and happy and having a fireworks and having a drink after January 4th because to me that's when the new year starts that's when 2018 starts January 4th the Tokyo Dome the moment that alpha versus Omega is finished um I knew this match was going to be big just by the fact that it was announced in the first place it's very much the pro wrestling version of McGregor vs. Mayweather a match that nobody would ever think was going to happen so as soon as it's announced becomes a big thing it's become the biggest buzz of any wrestling match not just in Japan but in the world that's one of the reasons why I enjoyed the idea of this match I knew that Jericho versus Omega Alfred versus Omega would be something for wrestling fans not just in Japan but all over the world to be excited about so to me that's the reason why I decided this match had to had timewise this match couldn't have happened last year it probably couldn't happen next year this year was the perfect time and maybe the only time you could ever see this match being in the wrestling business for 27 years it's very rare to find somebody in the world with the stature and the name value of Kenny Omega that I haven't wrestled against so it was a new challenge for me I knew it would be a big exciting match for the fans not just in Japan but worldwide it's big for New Japan Pro Wrestling it's big for Kenny Omega it's the biggest match of his career and for me it's an exciting challenge for me which is the only reason why I still wrestle in this day and age I'm still better than I've ever been I'm still the best in the world I'm still the greatest of all time but I pick and choose my matches now because I've done it all so to do something new and have a match against somebody for the first time it's very exciting to me and that's what I've been thinking about since since I got on the plane 15 hours ago in Tampa Florida until I landed here in Tokyo an hour ago is how exciting this match is going to be and how it's very symbolic that the New Year is today first day of 2018 and the new match is alpha versus Omega the first time ever you'll never see this match again if you only watch one match this year in Japan or in the United States on new Japan world this is the match to watch you don't want to miss this because it's once-in-a-lifetime well I mean people always want to put different names on a match give it to different tag lines and you could say yes New Japan versus WV you can say alpha versus Omega you could say Winnipeg versus Winnipeg I mean think about this how how amazing is it that the main event of the Tokyo Dome and it is the main event there's no doubt about it it's not a double main event this is the main event on a worldwide basis it's the match that everybody is excited to see and is paying to see is taking place between two Winnipeggers Kenny Omega from West st. Paul Winnipeg Chris Jericho from st. James Winnipeg commentated by Don Callas from Charles would want to beg in Tokyo fighting for the United States Championship it's a little bit faithful to me it's it's it's it's a match that was meant to happen and that's one of the reasons why I was so excited by it like not only is kenny omega the biggest star in New Japan Pro Wrestling but he's also from the same small Canadian Prairie town as I am in one of paid Manitoba that's exciting for me I'm proud of that do I like Kenny Omega absolutely not do I respect him of course I do in do I respect the fact that he's made a huge name for himself the same way that I have coming from a city that nobody would ever expect you to make a name for yourself so you know WB versus New Japan I guess if you really want to say that but to me it's Chris Jericho versus Kenny Omega I mean I've been around the world I worked in Japan this is my 53rd tour of Japan 53 times I've been here this is my first tour was in 1991 for fmw that I worked I don't know 30 tours for wer 410 Rahsaan that I worked New Japan ten tours with New Japan then maybe a dozen tours with the devil to me coming to Japan so I understand Japanese style I understand what the Japanese fans appreciate so I guess you could say devil to me because I'm known for the devil movie for the last 17 years but if you look at the career for Jericho it's very Japanese influence it's very Mexico influence is very European influence so I think the reason why people consider me to be a WWE guy is because I haven't worked in another ring anywhere for 17 years since August of 1999 when I first made my debut with Debbie Debbie and that's another reason why this match is so big it took a lot for me to leave David of Ian come to New Japan it's something I said I would never do I said I would work for Vince McMahon for the rest of my life but you never say never because when this opportunity came up I was a free agent I was under contract at WB he once again Kenny Omega being the most exciting performer in the world today Chris Jericho being one of the most legendary performers in the world today just came off the biggest year of my career it's a perfect match and it's a big match it's a match to me I felt it as a responsibility to all the people that follow me all the friends of Jericho all the jerichoholics that live vicariously through me to wake up in the morning on October 6th 2016 and find out that Chris Jericho had challenged Kenny Omega Indonesia Penry knew he could nobody could believe it and that's one of the reasons why I decided to do it wonder is why I thought it was so important to do so yes I guess you could say it's definitely versus to Japan to me it's Kenny Omega versus Chris Jericho it's alpha versus Omega it's two guys who are both the best in the world and now we're gonna find out who would the real best in the world is he thinks he is I know I am and we'll find out January 4th the Tokyo who's right and that to me was enough for me to come to Japan twice in the last two weeks that was worth it for me I mean it was a smart idea for New Japan to make this match happen I mean they're making a big mark in the United States they're making a big mark worldwide they have a great product it's the best company in the world that's not inevitably let's be honest but for them to raise their profile in the United States they did the smartest thing they picked one of the biggest stars in wrestling history and brought Chris Jericho to New Japan and that's why on a worldwide basis Jericho versus Omega is by far the main event at the Tokyo Dome you go to Los Angeles and at the Staples Center the biggest arena in the in the country on the marquee it says alpha versus Omega Chris Jericho versus Kenny Megan January 4th the Tokyo Dome how does this happen how does a match from the Tokyo Dome get advertised on them on the digital video marquee at the Staples Center is because Chris Jericho is involved so it's a big deal that's why they're yeah there's a lot of foreigners coming I know a lot of people that are coming to Japan for the first time to see alpha versus Omega so not only is Chris Jericho good for New Japan Chris Jericho is good for the tourism in Tokyo people are coming to Tokyo they have to buy hotel rooms they have to buy food and they're going shopping they're taking taxis all the revenues coming in from around the world from America and Canada and England and Germany Ireland Scotland all these different places where people are coming to watch this match so Chris Jericho draws money Chris Jericho sells tickets and we've seen that the tickets for this year's don't show far-out shadows last year's dome show and it's still four days before we could have 40,000 people in that venue last year they had 25 26 thousand what's the difference the difference is Chris Jericho's on the show and like I said this is the main event I am the Alpha but I'm also mr. main event that's what I want to be referred to mr. main event Chris Jericho nobody else on this show is the main event other than Jericho versus Omega no matter what they say no matter what kind of type of they're talking so it's very exciting for me to be here knowing that this match made a difference knowing that I made a difference and knowing that the main event box office appeal of Chris Jericho translate all the way over to Tokyo Japan so it's exciting for me because if there's a thousand foreigners coming from all around the world to attend the Tokyo Dome a thousand people's a lot of people and if they're all chanting for Chris Jericho that could be more than if there's 40,000 people on a thousand people are chanting my name that's going to make a difference it's going to be loud and it's going to be infectious so who knows what's going to happen I mean Kenny Omega is a New Japan superstar me I'm almost an invader you know I'm almost an outsider coming into the Japan there for the first time since 1998 there's a lot of the fam bees that's never seen Chris Jericho Japan it's no idea what my history is they just know I'm one of the biggest names in WB history they don't know my history in Japan so you have a thousand people coming from the United States from North America from wherever chanting my name I mean that's going to make a big difference so we don't know what's gonna happen this is going to be a match unlike any other at the Tokyo Dome on January 4th are the fact that it's a no-disqualification match makes it different it doesn't mean we're going to do some kind of a garbage fmw you know fluorescent light tube match or anything like that no it just means that this is a very serious serious angle very serious situation a very intense situation between myself and Kenny Omega we didn't want it to play by the rules I requested at no DQ match two of the new Japan officials so dekenia manga both unbeknownst to each other so that's a big deal once again this match is going to stand up from anything you've seen in the last 20 years and that's why the advance on the tickets for the Tokyo Dome are bigger than any of the Tokyo Dome show for the last 20 years think about that 20 years the advance ticket sales for this show or bigger that's amazing to me that's because Chris Jericho's on the show so yes there's a lot of foreigners coming yes there's a lot of people in all around the world more specifically in North America they are going to buy the new Japan World streaming service specifically to watch this match there's gonna be a lot of people waking up at 4 a.m. 5 a.m. 6 a.m. to watch alpha versus Omega because they don't want to miss it that's a very that's a very special thing you don't see that happening very often in Pro Wrestling you have to see this match the moment that it airs to the point where you're going to drag yourself out of bed to watch it it's exciting to me it's a big responsibility there's a lot of pressure but it's also very gratifying and it's very smart I'm making a lot of people in New Japan look like geniuses right now for booking mr. main event on the Tokyo Dome Alpha Omega if you watch one match this year and go to one show this year or watch one streaming service and you should ban global this is the match to see you don't want to miss it because it's never going to happen again alphas Omega January 4th of the Tokyo Dome

Channel: NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING

Views: 55,269

Rating: 4.9617748 out of 5

Keywords: young bucks, nick jackson, matt jackson, kenny omega, the elite, bullet club, njpw, new japan pro wrestling, roh, ring of honor, wrestling, tna, impact, wwe, nxt, codyrhodes, rhodes, cody, being, the, elite, beingtheelite, theelite, Chris Jericho, Alpha vs Omega, Wrestle Kingdom, Wrestle Mania

Id: c7JSyNHK41s

Length: 14min 43sec (883 seconds)

Published: Wed Jan 03 2018

Reddit Comments

[u/Gotosleep1986]

I am so invested in this match it’s insane. Seriously shaking with anticipation