Vampiro Praises Chris Jericho As An Influencer And Wrestler, But Believes He's A Poser

Vampiro and Chris Jericho have never faced in the ring, but the two have run in similar circles throughout their careers. Both men wrestled in CMLL and WCW at the same time in the '90s, though their careers ventured in different directions heading into the 2000s.

Speaking to Chris Van Vliet, Vampiro was asked about Jericho when discussing Jericho's current influence on wrestling today.

Tony Khan Says Jesse Armstrong Was 'Very Kind' Regarding Young Bucks Using 'Succession' As Inspiration

"We were never the best of friends, but I personally never had any ill will towards Chris. I'm sure he didn't towards me. I think there were some things that happened in Mexico that bother him to this day and I agree with those things. We were two young guys. They play you against each other. Chris, image-wise, was very similar to what I was doing. That didn't go very well with anyone. People wanted to see him and I not get along."

He continued, "Talent-wise, he's a ten and I'm a negative eight. He's ten times the wrestler I ever was. But I think I'm one of the better of being able to adapt to somebody and tell a story. Chris Jericho is a template for the complete person at that level in wrestling. Chris is an example of, it's not easy, you need to commit and be driven. If you chip away at the stone, you'll come up with a great statue. He set the bar quite high. Chris is in a position to be an influencer on the business end, not just the ring."

Later in the conversation, Van Vliet mentioned that Jericho and Vampiro had music in common. Jericho is the lead singer of Fozzy while Vampiro is part of Droch Fhoula. Though Vampiro praised Jericho for his work in the wrestling industry, he is not a fan of his music.

"Fuck Chris Jericho. I think he's an awesome role model for so many things. But me, as a person, who knows Chris. I think he's a poser in a lot of things. I don't believe in him as a musician or as a rock n roll guy. He was the cool kid in school that I didn't want to be apart of. And that bothers him," he said.

Vampiro also hinted that he'd work with Jericho in AEW, believing the backstory between the two would be an easy sell for fans. Vampiro only wrestles a handful of matches a year while Jericho is the reigning AEW World Champion.

Elsewhere in the interview, Vampiro said AEW wouldn't exist without Lucha Underground. You can find his full comments by clicking here.

If you use any of the quotes above, please give a h/t and link back to Fightful for the transcription.

Get exclusive pro wrestling content on Fightful Select, our premium news service! Click here to learn more.