Chris Jericho spoke with IBTimes.com to promote The Jericho Network on PodcastOne. Here are the highlights.
On his current run in WWE: From the moment I came back this was always the plan. So everything that I did, me turning on AJ, that was kind of already written. It was fun for me to go out there as a babyface, knowing that the character is kind of stale, knowing that when I’m leading a rooty-tooty-booty chant it’s not very cool. I don’t know what rooty-tooty-booty means, but I also planted seeds to eventually turn heel. So it is one of my favorite years. It’s definitely my best year since 2008, 2009, no doubt about that. And you never know what’s gonna stick. If I was a band to have two late career top-10 hits, so to speak,cwith “stupid idiot” and “drink it in, man,” who would have ever expected that? Who would ever expect that I would make “stupid idiot” a catchphrase?
But that happens, so it really has been a lot of fun from a character standpoint, from a work standpoint, and getting a chance to kind of lock horns with this whole new generation of guys who all have the same mindset that I do. Just wanting to have a great match and just wanting to make their mark in the business. So it’s up there for me for sure. I don’t think anybody expected it, including me, but now that it’s the case, I’m riding it.
On if he has any more goals in WWE: Not really. Just to continue to compete at a high level, work with some of the younger guys, which is fun for me to do. And it’s not with the sole intention of just putting everybody over. When it’s time for me to win, I f—ing win. Don’t worry about that. But winning and losing–that’s not putting somebody over. Having great matches and working together and exchanging ideas, and exchanging experiences, concepts and thoughts, that’s putting somebody over. That’s what working together is all about, and for me right now still to be working at a high level, character-wise, in the ring, psychology-wise. Give me a chance to work with these guys who are like 10 years younger than me. From Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens to (Seth) Rollins and (Dean) Ambrose, (Roman) Reigns and those type of guys. And a guy like AJ Styles, even though he’s almost my age, to help him learn what the WWE is all about, he picked it up very quickly. So that to me is the fun part, and that’s why I’m really enjoying this run.
Fozzy, we made a concerted idea to not do anything in 2016. We’re gonna do a new record, it’ll be released early 2017, then it’s full-time back in Fozzy. Until then, I’m having so much fun in the WWE. I plan to continue for the next who knows how long it is. I’d never say, but suffice it to say it’s going to be for a little while longer for sure.
On The Jericho Network: Over the course of the last few years with the success of “Talk is Jericho,” being one of the biggest podcasts in the world and airing that twice a week, I started thinking “how can i expand what ‘Talk is Jericho’ is all about?” I’m very interested in the podcasting medium. I think there’s a huge, huge future for that. And just knowing how many podcasts I listen to throughout the course of the week, it really has become something that’s replaced listening to music a lot of times. I think the world’s finding that. This bite-sized, hour-long conversation that you can listen to on the way to work, on the way to the gym, at the gym, when you’re mowing your lawn, whatever it may be, very much appealed to me. And obviously looking at the No.1 podcaster in the world being Adam Carolla, how he’s kind of done his business and how he’s grown his podcast empire. One of the things that he does is his own network, something that I started to think about.
It’s going to be a roster of very interesting people that I know are going to be entertaining, that are very good at the medium. Some have done podcasting in the past, some have not. But it’s all about the hosts for me. I don’t care what they talk about. I don’t care what the format of the show is. I just know the people I’m bringing on are very interesting, entertaining people. And it’s not just going to be wrestling, or just music, or paranormal, or pop culture. It’s going to be a mix of all those things. So what I’m trying to do, much like “Talk is Jericho,” whether you know who my guest is or not, if you enjoy the show, trust me. You’re going to like every one of my episodes because I don’t have people on that aren’t interesting, no matter whether you’ve heard of them before or not. And it’s the same thing with who I’m choosing to bring aboard as hosts for the people that have their own shows on the Jericho Network.
Jericho also talked about being a heel, Roman Reigns being suspended and more. You can read the entire interview here.
