Action Andretti appeared on Busted Open Radio to talk his big upset win over Chris Jericho on AEW Dynamite:
“I just felt grateful,” Andretti said. “I couldn’t believe that that was the situation that I was going to be in, and just to have that many eyes be on me, like Chris right now is doing excellent things in AEW, and he has been for the past couple of years. So the fact that, you know, I had the opportunity to go up against the former World Heavyweight Champion, just lost the Ring of Honor World Championship, you know, so coming off of that great run that he had with that title, it was a lot, but I was super, super ready for it, and I just knew that I had to show up and show out and I feel like that’s what I did this past Dynamite. It was a really cool opportunity. I’m just super grateful that I got to get that opportunity and that I made the most of it and even got the victory over Jericho.”
Andretti said he did work a Dark match in the past for AEW:
“I got called in for one of my first Darks about a year ago. I had a one on one versus Dante. AEW was my goal and this is where I want it to be, especially after wrestling there once and just being in the back and seeing how the guys are in the locker room and stuff. It was definitely a place I wanted to be. So, super happy that it was able to happen.”
“But yeah, I grinded for a good year. I started building a little bit of buzz, like pre- pre-pandemic, and then the pandemic hit. That’s when everything kind of stopped for me which was really hard because I was just getting a little bit of a ball rolling for myself, but prior to the pandemic is when I started realizing how much more I need to get out on all these other independent shows. That’s when, you know, prior to pandemic is when I think things started really picking up for me a bit and I started getting really big opportunities. I had chances to get in there on the Indies with some really big names that I was able to work with and learn from. That really helped change me as a person and as a wrestler a lot of good things happened for me on the Indies to help me get here.”
On if he was nervous going into the match with Jericho:
“The nerves were definitely there. The butterflies are always there, but the butterflies are a good thing. I knew I couldn’t be nervous once the bell rang. I can let it all out in the back. But once I was in that ring, and I heard Jericho’s music going and the people singing and the flames going off, I had my game face on through all that. I still knew it was time to get down to business and put on my best performance for everybody watching at home and the fans in the arena. I knew I couldn’t let this opportunity pass where I don’t give it my all, give my best out there. So I was nervous, but I was super, super prepared and ready for this. I felt good going into it. Very good.”
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit Busted Open Radio with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription. Busted Open Radio can be heard on SiriusXM’s Fight Nation (Channel 156), Monday through Saturday from 9 am to Noon eastern.
