Chris Jericho Explains How Kenny Omega Match Helps His WWE Return, Talks Wrestling Cruise Logistics

– Chris Jericho discussed how facing Kenny Omega helps him when he returns to WWE and more during his recent Rolling Stone interview. Highlights are below:

On the the Rock N’ Wrestling Rager Cruise: “That was the hardest sticking point, to decide whether this was safe and if this was engineer-ically sound. I had to have a team of engineers go onboard the Norwegian Pearl to see if a wrestling ring could be secured to the deck with no issues. To me, I was like, the fucking Kiss stage is anchored to the deck. Kiss’ stage is a lot bigger and weighs a lot more than a wrestling ring, but still you have to do the due diligence because it’s never been done before. The other issue was that I wanted to do a wrestling cruise, but how do I book the talent? I can’t put together my own card independently because I don’t know where everyone will be a year from now – heaven forbid somebody gets hurt or signs with WWE – and that’s why I decided to actually go with a company [Ring of Honor], so I could put the name value of the company on there and not have to worry about individual names because the company is the company. When the Super Bowl comes to down, you buy a ticket. You don’t care who’s in the game. You just want to be a part of the event. That’s what I’m selling, the event of Ring of Honor aboard the ‘Rock N’ Wrestling Rager.'”

On his motivations for facing Omega: “The best thing that can happen is there’s more places where guys can make a legitimate living. I always say to guys that are not having fun in the WWE or are having fun outside the WWE: The WWE isn’t going anywhere. It will be here for the rest of our lives and our children’s lives. Go experience the world. Go see what’s out there. Go make a name for yourself, which just makes you even more valuable when you come into the WWE. That’s what I did. It took me nine years to get to the WWE. I worked Japan and Mexico for years, so when it was time for me to come to the WWE, I had more name value and I was worth more money. It’s like anything else: You can make millions of dollars in the WWE, but you’ve got to be on top. You can make big money outside of the WWE, but you’ve got to be on top. Not everybody who leaves to go do the New Japan/Ring of Honor thing is going to make tons of cash like the Young Bucks do or like Kenny Omega does, but that’s just how it goes, and you take your chance. For me, of course I know what’s going on in the outside world.

“The WWE is the ultimate money machine, but if you can get to the point where you can make some big money on your own outside of that machine, do it because guess what? It just makes you more valuable to the WWE. That’s another reason why I wanted to do the Omega match. If I go back to the WWE tomorrow, I know what’s going to happen. I know where I’ll be slotted, and I’ll know who I’m wrestling. But now, I’m headlining the Tokyo Dome. That’s like being in the main event of WrestleMania. I don’t know if I’d be in the main event of WrestleMania in 2018, but if I went back tomorrow, I say the plans are probably already etched in stone. This is the only time I’ll be ever be the headliner of the Tokyo Dome. That’s a pretty big deal and that’s where I said, “This makes me even more of a draw and makes me more of an even bigger name.” And it also shows that I don’t give a fuck. I’m going to do what I feel is best for Chris Jericho and do what’s best for my creative stimulation and for the building of my brand.”