Chris Jericho: A Match With Mike Tyson Is Secondary To The Pomp & Circumstance Of Telling The Story

Chris Jericho created a moment that transcends pro wrestling when he had a standoff with Mike Tyson on the May 27 episode of AEW Dynamite.

When asked what excites him most about the potential of a long-term program with the boxing legend and WWE Hall of Famer, Chris Jericho said the mere thought of a program with him is exciting enough.

“What excites me most? A program with Mike. We didn’t have a script for Mike; we’re not giving him cues. He’s going to do what he wants, and you saw that on Wednesday night,” Jericho told Sports Illustrated. “There were guys in the ring that I didn’t even know were going to be in the ring. Mike wanted them to be in the ring, so OK. That’s Mike Tyson. He’s a loose cannon, he can go off at any time and he’s dangerous. I don’t care if he’s 53 or 33 or 23, he looks crazy and he is crazy. That’s why we love him.”

Jericho would continue by saying that he doesn’t care what kind of match he has with Mike Tyson as long as the story to get to the match is a strong one.

“I loved the concept of Piper-Mr. T, but the actual execution was not good. We’ll never do a boxer vs. wrestler. Either we’ll do a straight-up boxing match—I’m not kidding. So what if I’m knocked out by Mike Tyson? I’ve been knocked out by worse—or we’ll do a street fight,” Jericho continued. “Right now, the match is secondary to the pomp and circumstance that we will have in getting to the spectacle of the pay per view. That’s what wrestling is all about, it’s the story. People are so focused on the in-ring, which is great, but if there’s no story, there’s no match. Whatever we decide to do, it’s the buildup that needs to be great. We don’t know what’s going to happen. We have ideas; his people have ideas. And if we’re able to work something out where Mike isn’t just the enforcer, and he’s in the match, then people won’t know what to expect. You’ll have two loose cannons, because I’m just as crazy as Tyson is, putting on a great performance for everybody that wants to see it.”

You can read the full interview at this link.