Action Andretti on beating Chris Jericho, his start in wrestling, more

[Chris]

Action Andretti shocked fans everywhere when he upset Chris Jericho on last December's Winter is Coming edition of AEW Dynamite followed by Tony Khan announcing Andretti was signed to a deal.

Since then, the young talent has gone on to main event AEW Rampage twice, once against Daniel Garcia and most recently against Sammy Guevara.

Ahead of this weekend's Revolution festivities in San Francisco, California, I talked with Andretti about the Jericho match, the AEW contract, and his goals for the future.

Being #AllElite

He said he has adapted to his new travel schedule and commitments in AEW in addition to indie dates.

"I am starting to get very used to it and it's been a great time. I have been loving traveling the world seeing different places, just getting to do as much wrestling as I have been able to do. It's been really cool."

The Jericho win

Andretti had everyone talking about him after his shocking win over Jericho. That win, and that moment, was the catalyst for kicking his young career into a whole new level.

"It's something that I will remember for the rest of my life. I get fired up just thinking about that night right now."

One of the things that made the match extra special to him was how the fans in Garland, Texas, really got behind him which he said was a "dream."

"I had never performed in front of a crowd that was that energetic...that many people. It was really cool. I was really happy that people were behind me, because nobody knew who I was. To have the fans have my back like they did that night, it was very special because moments like that don't happen very often."

Andretti admitted at first that the thought of not only facing Jericho but defeating him seemed to good to be true.

"I really didn't think that's what I was gonna be doing that day. I just randomly got called to be there. I figured it had to be for some reason because they were flying me out. Any other time that I have been to AEW, it's been fairly local to me and this was in Texas which wasn't at all.

"When they told me, it felt too good to be true. I was very grateful: first to find out that I would be wrestling Chris Jericho, like that's a huge thing itself, and then when I found out I was going over, it just felt really too good to be true.

"A lot of things were going on in my head. I started to get a little bit of nerves but excitement. I wanted to tell everybody, but I couldn't.

"Me and Chris (Jericho) made magic happen out there and we made a very special moment. He's the one that made it for me, and I can't thank him enough."

Jericho had previously noted that after seeing Andretti wrestle QT Marshall on an episode of AEW Dark, he decided he wanted him to get a win over him. I asked Andretti about how he felt knowing someone like Jericho picked him for this unforgettable moment in Dynamite history.

"It definitely told me that I was putting in the right amount of hard work in wrestling and doing the right things. There's a lot of good benefactors to being a good wrestler. I took my craft very serious. For me, (it was) being at the right place at the right time in a way. That match that I had with QT (Marshall), the fact that Chris even had the time to take and watch some of that, because he's a guy that can be backstage doing several different things in AEW, I was just very grateful that he even took the time to check me out. It's a very cool thing to know that he was looking at me like that."

When it comes to feedback, Andretti says that everyone has been telling him to enjoy the moment.

"One of the biggest things I have honestly been told is to enjoy everything that is going on. I have been told that a lot. Don't take any of this for granted right now, don't get too caught up in all the other stuff that comes with this. Just have fun and enjoy what is going on. When it comes to wrestling-wise, it's just keep getting better, keep learning because in wrestling the learning never stops."

His goals in AEW are to keep getting victories, keep the fans behind him, and to simply keep displaying what he can do in the ring. He also mentioned that his dream opponent is Bryan Danielson.

Getting his start

Andretti got his start training at Maryland Championship Wrestling, making his professional debut in 2019. He said that he was motivated to get into wrestling after realizing he didn't want to work a normal job.

"I was working a job and every day that I would clock in, I knew I wanted to do something else. I knew I had the physical capability to do athletic stuff. I didn't know what it was at the time (laughs). I typed in 'wrestling schools' near me one day, and took a nice little drive to the wrestling school I went at in Maryland called MCW. Long story short, I saw a show that weekend and I knew I wanted to be part of it and started training two weeks after. The first day I was in there, I fell in love."

His biggest challenges while pursuing a career in wrestling was the financial side of it. However, he knew he couldn't give up.

"I just knew whether it would take two years or ten years, one day if I put in enough work and give enough energy into this, that one day it will pay off. I always would tell myself 'One day, this will happen.' You just have to tell yourself that you can't get too into your head. You can't give up and I am glad it happened. I am glad it happened now. Like you said, it did happen pretty fast for me, but I am super grateful for that and I don't take for it granted."

Andretti referred to himself as a "SmackDown guy as a kid."

"When I was growing up, I watched a lot of Jeff Hardy and Rey Mysterio. Those two were huge for me. John Cena, I was a big fan of Batista and The Undertaker. But when it comes to my style, (Hardy and Mysterio) are my guys right there. I would always have their merchandise on and stuff. I was a very big SmackDown guy as a kid."

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