Editor’s Note: Thanks to Akhilesh Gannavarapu and our friends at SportsKeeda.com for providing us with his interview with Y2J himself, Chris Jericho.

Recently, my colleague Ratish Menon and I had the honor and privilege of interviewing Chris Jericho exclusively for the wrestling fans and Jericho-holics in India, and below is an excerpt from the interview.

Ratish Menon: You have been able to transition to many aspects of the entertainment game, right from your band to hosting TV shows to having your own podcast. No other wrestler has been able to do that while staying active. What do you attribute that kind of a work ethic to and how do you manage to keep your focus on the task at hand?

Chris Jericho: I never really considered myself to be just a wrestler; I am an entertainer and so you eliminate the boundaries of saying you are this or that. I just enjoy what I do and there are a lot of elements – things I like to do and things I want to try in that world of show business. So it makes it a lot easier when you don’t put boundaries on yourself, so I am not afraid to try different things.

RM: But how do you keep your focus and be really good at everything that you do?

CJ: I don’t know about that, but I give it a 100% and that’s the only way to do it. It’s probably the easiest answer I can give. I don’t accept every project that I am offered and I don’t do every single thing that people want me to do. I only do one thing at a time. Even if it may seem like I am doing many things at the same time, I am not. I begin a task, finish it, and then take another task and so on. By doing things that way you can stay 100% focused on what you are doing.

Akhilesh Gannavarapu: You’ve wrestled almost all over the world, and as you had previously said, you’re the last of a dying breed of wrestlers. Who do you think that hasn’t been signed yet by the WWE, should have been with the company?

CJ: I don’t really think I am the last breed, because there has been a resurgence of guys who have travelled the world before they came into the WWE. It wasn’t always like that, but guys like Sheamus, Drew McIntyre, Cesaro and the new ones like KENTA; all those guys have travelled the world and worked in different places. Guys like Sami Zayn, Tyler Black, Ambrose and those guys too. I’m not too familiar with what’s going on outside of the WWE. I don’t watch any independent wrestling at all. I follow it sometimes online or in different newsletters but as far as who should be signed to WWE, I can’t even begin to tell you because I don’t know anybody that is not in the WWE system. So if they are good enough to be signed, then they will be signed. When they are, you know, I’ll get a chance to check them out.

AG: You’ve wrestled many great matches and faced some of the biggest names such as Shawn Michaels and Kurt Angle. Here’s a hard one for you – What has been your best match so far in your career?

CJ: Well I mean, yeah it is a hard one, but sometimes, if I have to tell you one, the one between Shawn Michaels and myself at Unforgiven 2008 – it was a match for the world title. It was a great match and the culmination of the angle that basically grew organically on its own for over 5-8 months. It was a perfect example of really good storytelling.

AG: In recent years, you have come back and put over talents such as Fandango and Bray Wyatt. Do you think WWE has dropped the ball with them since?

CJ: I mean, put them over, beat them or both. It’s just a matter of working with new characters and new guys. WWE doesn’t drop balls; your career goes in waves, it goes in cycles. I know that more than anybody else. Sometimes you work on top, sometimes you’re not and when you’re not, it’s upto you to make your mark and get back on track again. I think that WWE has a plan and never tries to sabotage anybody on purpose. Why would they do that? It costs them money. Someone like Bray Wyatt has a huge potential, huge upside. He’s got a long way to go, so there are no worries and no rush. Fandango – I thought was kind of a one trick pony as far as his character and gimmick go. There is only so much you can do with it. I think it’s time to update that character and take it to another place because you can only do so much with a character like that.

RM: A lot of the wrestlers in their interviews have mentioned about how snug you are with your work, which in my opinion is what makes it all the more believable. The working style in the WWE, especially in this day and age, is a lot less physical except for a couple of people. Have you had anybody complain about your style or have you toned it down over the years?

CJ: No, not at all. I mean I just worked the way I work. Maybe when I first came to WWE back in 1999. There must have been complaints from certain people but I think those people were complaining about everything I did. Whenever I worked with people like Chris Benoit, Bob Holly, Bradshaw or any of those guys, they worked hard. That doesn’t mean you are stiff, it means you are working solid. I don’t ever get complaints for the way I work and nor would I expect any. I am not hurting anybody, either Sheamus or Cesaro or anybody who works the general hard style, you are just working, trying to get the best possible match you can make it. No one’s breaking any bones or losing any teeth. I just work hard and that’s what it’s all about.

RM: Who are some of the most physical guys you have been in the ring with?

CJ: Bradshaw, Benoit, Cesaro, Sheamus, Austin. Everybody works a physical style you know. Van Dam (RVD) works a very physical style.

AG: How was the atmosphere on the first night after you jumped ships to the WWE from WCW?

CJ: Well it was pretty electric. People kind of knew that I was coming or expected that I did. Not everybody but a lot of people did. It was a really cool night; that countdown start was a good idea and to have it end in the middle of The Rock’s promo, it was a real genius idea that Vince came up with. It was one of the greatest debuts of all time as far as excitement, as far as the gestation, as far as the payoff as well. It is still one of the favorite moments of my career.

AG: How was the atmosphere backstage with the other talents?

CJ: It was pretty cool. I didn’t really have much interaction with anybody. I was just wondering about my own thing, it was kind of a secret. I worked a little bit with the Rock, with Vince Russo to put the promo together and it just grew from there. Everybody was really excited about it.

RM: Your old buddy Bill Goldberg has a podcast of his own and minces no words in his criticism of the WWE. Given your history with him, do you think he has another run in him and could he be the box-office attraction he once was?

CJ: I don’t know man. Does he have another run in him? It is up to him. I don’t really know the circumstances how he left the WWE or what his mindset is for wrestling now. He was huge star in the late 90s’; when he came into WWE he wasn’t that huge of a star but he is still a very big and intense physical presence. It wouldn’t take much to heat him up, if he wanted to do it. Like I said, I can’t speculate on that.

RM: Have you considered having him on your podcast? You 2 would have so many things to talk about.

CJ: Oh yes, sure. It’s just a matter of timing. We have only had 30 guests so far already and there are a lot of people coming up. I would be open to it for sure, why not? Of course.

AG: There were also a lot of rumors at one point before your second run in the WWE about you joining TNA, and TNA even used Fozzy’s theme “Enemy” for the BFG PPV in ’06, adding fuel to the fire. Were there any negotiations between you and TNA, and if so, how serious were the talks?

CJ: No, not at all. I mean they asked me if they could use the theme, so I said okay, and the band said okay. As far as if I ever considered going there, it’s great to have the option, but until Vince McMahon tells me I don’t work for him anymore; I worked for nobody but Vince since 1999, and I won’t work for anybody else but Vince till the day I retire. Working for another company does not interest me, and it’s not only TNA. It’s the same with New Japan and Ring of Honor, it’s the same for anywhere else around the world. If I’m putting on the boots and getting into the ring, it’ll be for the big leagues, and that is the WWE.

RM: Eric Bischoff and you had bad blood in the past, which was also evident when Eric said you couldn’t headline in TNA in 2010. Although Eric and yourself are professionals, how was it working with him a decade ago when he was the on – screen GM of RAW?

CJ: It was great; WCW was a different world. Everybody kind of had a different attitude, and it was more of a stifling kind of atmosphere. But I didn’t really know Eric when he came to the WWE, and I’m glad that he did because I got to see the real Eric Bischoff, and he was a pretty nice guy and we had some fun together.

AG: I had the opportunity of interviewing Barrett, who was also your rookie on season 1 of NXT, which he won. Nexus was the hottest topic of 2010, but it fizzled out quickly. What were your thoughts of Barrett, and how the whole thing played out with Nexus and John Cena?

CJ: I knew Barrett was going to be a big star from the moment I met him. He had all the attributes – He had the physical presence, the character, the personality, the ring – work; so I knew it was just a matter of time before he would get a chance to shine, and as far as Nexus goes, it was a great idea because it put together 7 rookies, and got the maximum impact out of them. You say it fizzled out quickly, but it didn’t have the legs to go because the guys who were involved were very very green. So to go as far as it actually did was pretty genius. He took the absolute most out of guys with not a lot of experience. I think it was a great idea, and I think it worked out beautifully. And it ended when it should’ve ended.

You can’t have Justin Gabriel, Darren Young and Michael Tarver headlining PPVs for too long because they just don’t have the experience, and they didn’t know how to do that at that point of their career. I was talking to them and I said, “This is going to be the highlight of some of your careers, and it’s never going to get bigger than this.” I wasn’t being a jerk about it. It’s just the way it is. You guys just don’t know any better. Some of you will go to greater heights, and some of you – We’ll never see you again. So it just depends on how you work and how you adapt, and some of them did that, and some of them did not.

AG: When you returned for your recent run, did you work with Triple H or Vince? And how different is it working with Paul Levesque than working with Vince McMahon himself?

CJ: I worked with both. I mean, Vince McMahon is still the boss but Paul (Triple H) does a lot of the office stuff now, and at this point, I’ve been in the business for so long that it’s easy working with both of them, because we’re all friends. I still consider Vince as my boss although Triple H takes care of a lot of the details, and so it’s that intimidation and the intensity when you talk to Vince, because it depends on how long you’ve been and how long you’ve worked with him. He’s a very intimidating guy, and I don’t have that relationship with Paul (Triple H) because we came up through the ranks together.

I’m sure there are a lot of people just as intimidated by Triple H, but I know him from working together with him. So it’s a different environment. It’s a lot easier to work with Triple H, because you don’t have the same intimidation factor. But I still work very close with Vince every day, so when people say that, “Oh Triple H has taken over now”, it’s not true. I mean, Vince McMahon is the boss, he’s still the boss and he’ll continue to be the boss till probably the day he dies, and people should know that.

AG: Talking about people you’ve worked with, and I’m sure you must have heard it a lot of times, but what do you make out of Punk’s walking away from the WWE and professional wrestling, and do you think he will ever come back to the WWE?

CJ: Questions like that, you can’t really ask me because I don’t know. You have to ask CM Punk. I have no idea what he’s thinking, and I have no idea what his mindset is. I have no idea why he left; I wasn’t there when he did. Obviously, it was a decision that he felt he needed to make, and he made it. That’s basically all I can say about it, I don’t know.

As you know in 2005, I had the same thinking. I was burned out on wrestling and the world of wrestling, and I had to get away, and I was gone for two and a half years, and a lot of people forget that. I know how it feels to get burned out and do I think if he’ll ever come back? I don’t know, man. I have no idea, I haven’t heard from him, I have no idea what he’s doing, what his plans are, what his plans aren’t. I’m sure if he decides to come back, you guys will be the first to know, because you’ll see him on the show.

RM: You have always been very complimentary of Vince McMahon and gone on record saying he is the best boss you ever worked for. Could you tell us a bit about working with him and what are the things you have learnt from him that you have been able to apply in your own life that has helped you become such a multifaceted success?

CJ: It’s quite some personal stuff. I’ve been working for him over the years – he’s a very smart businessman. He’s very driven and very calculated. He’s a great guy. He’s fun to be around, he’s a fun guy to work for, and I really appreciate what he has done.

RM: Is he the hardest working guy you’ve ever been around?

CJ: He’s one of them. I think he’s up there with me. I got my work ethic from him, and he sticks to his pattern and you work just as hard as he does. So it was a great experience working for him, and I look forward to having many more.

RM: Recent reports suggest that you’ll be returning in November to the WWE, but no one’s quite sure about your schedule. Can you please update your fans when you will return to in – ring competition?

CJ: I haven’t heard any of those reports. I know that we’re on tour with Fozzy until the end of October, and then I go back again (to WWE) till the end of November. So depending on my schedule, you can see if those reports are true. Even I’m not too sure really about any of the reports you may have heard of. I’m sure I’ll come back at one point when the schedules work out.

AG: WWE recently made an announcement that they’re going to come to India with a live event next year. You’ve traveled all over the world, and there are millions of Jericho-holics in India. Can we see you down here next year?

CJ: I was in India in 2002. I had a great time there, and it was a very very cool experience. I don’t know, as of right now, I have no future plans with the WWE, so as of right now, I probably won’t be there. But when I was there, I had a great time. They were very very nice people, and a really cool experience. So, hopefully I’ll get the chance to come back to India someday.



Audio and voice recording >>

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