Chris Jericho discusses Swerve Strickland, the Learning Tree, more

[Chris]

Chris Jericho on Swerve Strickland: ‘He Has Star Written All Over Him’

Jericho discussed John Cena, Samoa Joe, The Learning Tree, and Swerve Strickland’s run as AEW world champ

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On Swerve Strickland:

“This is only his first time as champ and look what he’s doing,” said Jericho. “Wait until the second time and the third time and the fourth time. He has star written all over him.”

“I don’t know how you could ever let that guy go,” said Jericho. “Swerve and MJF are two guys I watch and always think, ‘How did he pull that off?’ Swerve’s still not even at the peak of his character, and he already has this great connection with the crowd.

“His persona is larger-than-life, he works extremely hard, and he’s a good f------ person. His energy is amazing–the man can tear the house down. Swerve is our team captain right now, and I’m proud to be on that roster.”

On the Learning Tree:

“I’m a big proponent of letting the story lead you, not the other way around,” said Jericho. “That allows me to evolve. The whole Learning Tree is taking negativity from social media and getting a reaction out of it. That’s what wrestling is all about–getting people to react to what you’re doing. There’s a serious side, too–look at the vicious beatdowns we’ve given Samoa Joe and Hook and [Katsuyori] Shibata.

“It’s something I made a career out of, and it’s one of the reasons I’ve been doing it for so long at the highest of levels, which makes some people mad. This is what I do. I’ve never wanted to be a nostalgia act, I’ve never wanted to rest on my laurels. I’ve also never been afraid to take chances and do something different, and that’s what we’re doing right now.”

“I think Big Bill is great–I loved him as Cass and I wanted to work with him,” said Jericho. “Tony Khan suggested Bryan Keith, and the bad apple character was born. The chemistry is great, and we’re putting a spotlight on something new–and that gives us some great stories to tell.

“I’ve been accused of burying young talent. Even go back to my last run in WWE, I was working with Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn and Seth Rollins. I wanted to give them another way to learn, and I learned from them, too. That’s all I’ve done in AEW. Working early on with Hangman and Darby and Scorpio Sky and Jungle Boy and Orange Cassidy and MJF–who became a smarter and better wrestler, this is what I love to do.”

“If I listened to people tell me I couldn’t do something, I wouldn’t have joined wrestling school at 19,” said Jericho. “I’ve been hearing my whole life what I couldn’t do. But it’s led to people enjoying and appreciating what I do. I want to continue doing this for them.”

On Samoa Joe:

“I don’t think you’ll ever find anybody who loves wrestling more than me,” said Jericho. “I love doing this, and I love the chance to wrestle Joe.

“We had two matches on Raw in 2017, and if my recollection is correct, one of them was about three minutes long with a bullsh-- DQ finish. Our Stampede Street Fight was literally our first proper match. It reminded me of being in the ring with The Undertaker. We’d been in the wrestling business for decades, but we’d barely touched. So we decided to do something together. F------ A man, Joe is great. I can’t wait to continue the story.”

On John Cena:

“John is a WWE man through and through,” said Jericho. “I would be so surprised if he ever did anything outside of WWE. Congratulations to him on his incredible career. I loved our matches. It’s not like he’s riding off into the sunset–he has a lot of projects going on, and I wish him all the best.”

On Fozzy:

“Once we got a gold record for Judas, once that came in the mail, that’s when we became undeniable,” said Jericho. “We’ve got a gold f------ record. I’m really proud of the way the band has connected with people.

“We’ve become a radio band, too. We’ve put in a lot of work, and I’m really excited to work on new Fozzy material. It’s very rewarding and gratifying to see where we are now.”