Csonka: The Surprise of Jericho, Drink It In Man

Back at NJPW Power Struggle 2017, one of the biggest surprises of the wrestling year happened when Chris Jericho appeared via video screen, and the free agent made the grandstand challenge to IWGP US Champion Kenny Omega. But it wasn’t just any challenge for any ordinary match; Jericho set the challenge for January 4th, 2018 at WrestleKingdom 12.

Jericho had no plans in returning to WWE unless it was right, and something that interested him. He was planning his Cruise of Jericho, and tour dates with Fozzy when Don Callis made an off hand remark that Jericho should have a match with Kenny Omega, since he was free and clear to do so. From there phone calls happened, the NJPW brass came to the US and met with Jericho and made him a offer that truly interested Jericho.

Jericho had long said that he would never work for anyone but Vince McMahon and WWE, because why go somewhere else when he’s already at the top. But NJPW and Kenny Omega offered him something new, something fresh, and a chance to not only grow his own brand and make his name bigger, but to also prove that while Kenny Omega may be having an all time great year, that he was still Chris Fucking Jericho.

It was the genius of Jericho, parlaying his Twitter feud with Omega, using his troll abilities (a compliment), to set the stage and get people talking about “what if” and then making it come true. Jericho teased something cool, he teased something most thought wouldn’t happen and then he took that tease and delivered a genuine surprise.

The one thing about Jericho is that the dude never half asses anything. He’s been all over the place, doing interviews and hyping this match and getting NJPW some much-needed attention in the US ahead of their biggest show of the year. Ticket sales and interest for the show were already ahead of last year, and following the Jericho announcement, that continued to be the trend for the company. Jericho has been great at hyping up the match, and not only that, has made some great in character remarks, running down Naito and others.

Jericho has repeatedly stated that his NJPW deal is an old “one shot deal,” but not everyone believed him. He has the deal with Omega rolling, is setting up other possible matches through media, and has a concert set the day of WrestleMania, and the date open for NJPW’s return to the US. Now I tend to be a bit of a conspiracy theorist, but it feels that Jericho may be setting up more than one date, being smart and keeping things open ended.

And his appearance at the NJPW World Tag League Finals may prove that to be correct. Jericho had continually said it was one appearance, the dome, and to his credit, he seemingly kept every one off balance and again, delivered a great surprise, delivering a tremendous attack and beat down of Omega. The distraction of the video, appearing in the ring and not only beating down Omega, but leaving him bloody in the ring and even laying out a friend of 25-years and known Omega cheerleader Don Callis worked to perfection.

Jericho’s appearance was a huge surprise, and delivered a great angle to help build to the January 4th dream match. The fans in attendance didn’t see it coming, the fans watching didn’t see it coming, and while I speculated on a possible appearance, I certainly didn’t see it coming. They took a seemingly basic angle and made it feel special, important, and again got people talking. It’s also safe to say that Kenny Omega never saw…

IT…

…coming.

But in all honesty, this attack is about more than just an awesome surprise and a great angle; it completely changes the tone of the match they are going to have. While Jericho never half asses anything, I think that we can agree that at age 47, Jericho can’t keep up working a traditional Kenny Omega match. Omega is on a different level right now, some love him and some hate him, but the guy is having an outstanding year in the ring. You don’t have to believe in “6 star ratings” (no offense to Dave Meltzer), but to discount Omega’s year simply because you may not like him or the Young Bucks is ridiculous.

Jericho is a smart guy, and I think he knows at age 47, despite him being in great shape and a smart worker; but he can’t have a Kenny Omega match in January. Look back a few years ago, he had trouble trying to keep up with AJ Styles, and I think that is because he tried to be the old Chris Jericho when he wasn’t. But like I said, he’s a smart guy, and this attack turns a “dream match” into something more serious, it changes the tone and allows for the match to be something different for Omega, a match where his priority isn’t stealing the show, but instead, he’ll be going for revenge. He’ll be looking to prove Jericho wrong, to prove that he is the true alpha and to prove that NJPW is his territory, and that in his territory, business is good.

Changing the tone of the match to blood feud/brawl I think is for the best and will not only provide a different style of match for the card, but one I feel has the biggest chance for success. It’s The Surprise of Jericho, Drink It In Man. Lets just hope Jericho has some tricks left in the bag for January 4th…

– End scene.

– Thanks for reading.

“Byyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyye Felicia!”