Chris Jericho has unfinished business in New Japan Pro Wrestling.
After departing the WWE in 2018, Chris Jericho started becoming more involved with NJPW. In June 2018, he defeated Tetsuya Naito to become the new IWGP Intercontinental Championship. He would eventually drop it back to him at Wrestle Kingdom 13, just days before making a surprise appearance at a media event hosted by the then newly formed All Elite Wrestling.
Two and a half years later, Jericho remains a focal point of AEW's programming, but with 'The Forbidden Door" being opened and talents being shared between AEW, NJPW, and IMPACT, Le Champion still has hopes for returning overseas. Speaking with TSN, he said the following:
“There’s a lot of unfinished business for me in New Japan. Jay White is one [potential opponent], [Minoru] Suzuki is another one that would draw big money. Kota Ibushi and [Will] Ospreay, those four guys I’d love to work with. I’d love to do a ‘Golden Jets’ team – Kenny and Jericho – versus [Kazuchika] Okada and Ibushi or [Hiroshi] Tanahashi and Okada or Tanahashi and Ibushi. I think that’s a Tokyo Dome main event right there. So there’s a lot of stuff I’d still like to do in New Japan and as soon as we can start going over there again, I’m more than agreeable to doing more work there. I really enjoyed the six matches that I had there in 2018 and 2019 and think there’s plenty of room for more.”
Jericho and Omega, both from Winnipeg (hence the Jets name) feuded in New Japan and in AEW to become the promotion's first-ever World Champion. While Jericho won that first encounter, it's Omega who holds the belt now. He will be defending it against PAC and Orange Cassidy at Double or Nothing.
Jericho will also be in action at AEW's Double or Nothing this Sunday, May 30th, as he and The Inner Circle face The Pinnacle in a Stadium Stampede match. Fightful will have live coverage of the event tomorrow beginning at 4 p.m. PST.
On May 28th, AEW President Tony Khan responded to reports that WWE and NJPW have been in talks about WWE being the exclusive American partner of New Japan Pro-Wrestling. You can find his comments here.