Chris Jericho Recalls His Match at Greatest Royal Rumble Being Changed, Talks Experience in Saudi Arabia

– Chris Jericho spoke with Inside the Ropes for a new interview discussing his experience during the Greatest Royal Rumble in April. Video is below, plus highlights per Wrestling Inc:

On being replaced by Rusev against Undertaker for Greatest Royal Rumble: “I called Vince to tell him about this Naito thing, on a Monday. Super cool about it, he’s really into it, a little bit trepidatious in certain ways but… three of four hours later, I get a text saying Rusev is back in the Casket Match. I’m like, OK, why? He goes, ‘Well the Prince of Saudi Arabia wants Rusev in the match.’ OK, so like, said nobody ever…I would think that possibly, knowing Vince and once again, New Japan is now an enemy. Is it an enemy that’s going to make a difference? No but to him… if they take 5 buys or 1 buy from the Network, then that’s the enemy. I think that he probably thought, ‘No, I’m not going to put Jericho in this highlight match where he has the chance to steal the show. I know he and Undertaker will kill it, I don’t want to do that when he’s going to show up on New Japan TV a week later.’ And that makes sense to me, it’s a f–king battle, this is a war. I think that’s probably what happened, and I think it was the right call in his mind, and my mind because we would’ve stolen the show. It might not have been the best match on the card but it would’ve been a f–king great match and we would’ve killed it. Would’be been so much fun. So that’s what I personally think. I could be wrong, maybe the Prince was a huge Rusev fan. It just seemed like a little bit of a coincidence.”

On his experience during the trip to Saudi Arabia: “I literally was laughing. A – watching some of the guys f**k up their spots, and B – once again, how much money are they getting paid that they paid me to be in this thing to basically do nothing? Whatever.”

On not being allowed to drink while on the trip: “I was like, ‘Dude, I need a f**king drink right now.’ They’re like, ‘You can’t have a drink until you’re an hour over airspace.’ I sat on that thing counting – 49 minutes, 48 minutes, 1 minute, 0 minutes… triple vodka right now!”

On possibly appearing atCrown Jewel: “Now what I know how much money they made from it, they’re going to have to pay me triple what they paid.”