Chris Jericho Says Backlash Over Stadium Stampede Drowning Spot Is Not Unnecessary, Says They Didn’t Think About It

Chris Jericho has addressed the criticism of the “drowning” spot during the Stadium Stampede match at AEW Double or Nothing, saying that the backlash over it is “not unnecessary.” As previously reported, the spot drew some criticism as it came less than a week after Shad Gaspard’s death from being caught in a riptide on a California beach, and Reby Sky fired back at critics saying it wasn’t a “drowning angle” and pointing out that Matt’s been doing that spot for years.

Discussing the situation on his Saturday Night Special last night, Jericho said that the backlash was “not unnecessary” and referenced the commentary that said Santana and Ortiz were trying to drown Hardy. He also noted that they never thought about the implications and would have done it differently, though he added that he thought Gaspard would have appreciated the match as a whole. Highlights and the video are below:

Chris Jericho on the backlash over the drowning spot: “You know, what? There was — that backlash was not unnecessary. Of course, we’re talking about Shad Gaspard, I mentioned him. He passed away from drowning in the ocean. And there was the big chunk of Santana and Ortiz kind of ‘drowning’ Matt Hardy under the water as he changed his personas. None of us ever even thought about it. I never even thought about it once.”

On the context of the spot: “Looking back on it, there’s a couple of things that were said they we shouldn’t have said., But the spot itself, I mean, Matt’s bee doing that for a long time. And it’s not like we maliciously set out to do anything disrespectful. Of course, anybody who knows anything about me would know that. So, something that [we] didn’t notice until after and in the future, obviously we should be more cognizant of it. But, I actually think that Shad would really appreciate that match ’cause he enjoy kind of those goofy sides of that sort of thing.”

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Chris Jericho’s Saturday Night Special a h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.