Chris Jericho doesn’t have time to stop and think about his legacy in professional wrestling, or his future in it for that matter.

The wrestler/podcaster/actor/rock star/author is, quite frankly, too busy:

• Too busy adding to a surefire hall of fame wrestling career that has seen him win more than 30 championships, including becoming the WWE’s first undisputed champion. He’s also the single greatest WWE Intercontinental champion of all time, having won a record nine IC titles.

• Too busy growing his wildly successful podcast, Talk is Jericho, in which he and guests from all walks of life talk about everything from wrestling to music and more. To date, Talk is Jericho has been downloaded more than 170 million times on iTunes. Jericho is hosting a live Talk is Jericho as part of Survivor Series in Toronto later this month.

• Too busy spanning the globe with his bandmates in Fozzy, a heavy metal band he formed in 1999 that has released six studio albums and one live one, with a seventh album on the way.

• Too busy forming his Chris Jericho brand, which has also seen him author three best-selling books, with a fourth on the way, star on TV shows, in movies, and on the wildly popular Dancing With The Stars reality show, among other things.

So you’ll have to forgive the Winnipeg native, who was born Chris Irvine (the son of former NHLer Ted Irvine) in 1970, for not having time to look anywhere but at the present. And who could blame him? He’s in the midst of another great run with World Wrestling Entertainment, he’s in the best shape of his life, and his brand is expanding daily.

“I don't ever think about anything as far as what the future holds,” Jericho said in a television interview to promote his Talk is Jericho show in Toronto on Nov. 20 at the John Bassett Theatre in the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. “I just kind of go and do it, just make it happen.”

Pressed, Jericho stopped to consider his journey thus far.

“When I first started wrestling when I was 19, I think maybe I thought by the time I'm 30, I'll want to stop doing this, but that wasn't the case,” he said. “I just kept going.”

Jericho credits several things for his longevity in wrestling, not the least of which is listening to his just-turned-46-year-old body (on November 9th).

“My schedule with the WWE over the last five or six years hasn't been full time,” he said. “This year's been full time and probably the longest stint I've had since 2010 or so. I think that's one of the reasons why I have longevity, is I can kind of pick and choose when I come and go, pick and choose the shows that I want to do, and I always listen to my body and I think it's very important when you're in this business to do that. If I'm ever hurting or something's not feeling right, then you just have to pull back a bit.”

Jericho has made it no secret that help from his friend and retired wrestling icon Diamond Dallas Page, and his DDP Yoga program, helped him extend his career.

“That really made a difference for me as far as still being able to still be very physically comfortable in doing what I do. (I’m) never really sore, never really have any aches and pains, (I’ve) been really fortunate not to get injured. You know, I could explode into a puff of dust tomorrow, but for today, I feel great and I'll continue to do what I do as long as I can stay at a top level.”

Occupying a spot on the WWE roster in a highly competitive time in the business is something Jericho doesn’t take lightly.

“I've set a very high standard for myself over the last 26 years in this business and I don't ever want to feel that 'Now I'm just here just for the hell of it.' I don't want to be like when (hockey legend) Guy Lafleur came back that one year and he was just kind of there. I don't ever want to do that. The fact right now that I'm still one of the top guys, and in the main event storyline, that's pretty cool. I never expected that. I think this whole year has been very organic. Sometimes you start out at A and end up at C and have no idea really how you got there. You've just got to ride the wave and enjoy it as it's happening."

As Jericho cements his place among the immortals in pro wrestling, it is suggested to him that he has already overtaken the title of greatest pro wrestler to hail from north of the border, a notion he said is high praise, but one he quickly dismisses.

“Anytime you can be mentioned in that rarefied air, as far as being one of the quote-unquote greats, Canadian or not. It's cool, man,” he said. “I don't ever really look at stuff like that. That's something for other people to decide. If people think I'm the best Canadian or I'm the worst Canadian or the best wrestler, or the shittiest wrestler, that's up to you. All I know is how I feel about my performances and how I feel about what I’m doing. Like I said, as long as I'm enjoying it, as long as I feel I'm at the top level, I'll continue to do that.”

Still being at that top level comes with its share of questions about how he still does it, Jericho said. He takes those doubters with a grain of salt, citing luck, genetics and maintaining a good pace.

“Every time I come back from a match, someone will go, 'Oh my God, I can't believe you can still do all that stuff at 45.’ To me, it's like, 'Well why shouldn't I be able to do it?' How can Mick Jagger still be putting on great concerts at 75? What difference does it make what your age is? Either you can do it or you can't. I've always had good genetics, I've always been very fortunate to never really get hurt in the business, which is ridiculous when you think about our business. I've never missed any time other than breaking my arm back in ’94, where I was out for like seven weeks. Other than that, I've never had any issues so I just continue to do what I do. Like I said, as long as I can keep this pace for myself that I set so many years ago, I'll do it for as long as I want."

The Winnipeg native prepares to return to Canada with WWE this month as the company brings Survivor Series to Toronto for the very first time. NXT Takeover Toronto and Raw will also be hosted in Toronto, along with Talk is Jericho, during which Jericho will interview the WWE World Heavyweight champion AJ Styles, live for those in attendance. Smackdown is in Ottawa on Tuesday night.

Returning to Canada is always nice, Jericho said, but the truly special visits are those to his hometown of Winnipeg, which he was able to do earlier this year during a WWE tour.

"It's always great man. You only have one hometown and Winnipeg is mine. I think that was the first time I'd been there performing since 2011 or something like that, maybe even earlier, so it's special. Every time I appear at a venue or in a city, it could be my last. Or I could be there another 10 times. The Winnipeg one was special because it was really monstrous and that might be the last time I ever wrestle Winnipeg, and if it is, then it was a great way to finish off."

Talk is Jericho is a lot like the man himself. It’s diverse, it’s entertaining and it’s captivating. Precisely, Jericho said, what he had in mind when he launched it in 2013.

“I never had any intentions of doing a wrestling podcast,” Jericho said of his vision from Day One. “That doesn't interest me in the least. You might as well as be doing a podcast on barn animals or something, I have no interest in that. (Wrestling is) part of what I do, and I enjoy it, but there's so much more to me than just wrestling.”

Jericho makes no apologies for that approach either.

“I think at first, a lot of die-hard wrestling fans kind of got mad at my choice of guests, but what I always wanted to do was turn it into a forum and if you like me, trust me, and every guest that I have on, you'll appreciate. I don't have anybody on the show that I don't personally approve. I don't have anybody on the show that I don't think is interesting. There have been a lot of different episodes where people were like, 'Well, I've never heard of this guy or this girl, but I listened anyway and it was amazing.' Right from the start, I think my first guest was Steve Austin, my second was Edge, and my third was (radio icon) Eddie Trunk talking about KISS.”

Jericho likens his approach to that of The Tonight Show.

“That was always the goal for me, was to just make it very diverse and make it like The Tonight Show. When I watch The Tonight Show, I don't care who the guests are because I love Jimmy Fallon. I know that it's going to be fun show no matter who's on. Obviously there are some guests that I want to see more than others, but I'll watch it no matter what. I think it's the same thing with Talk is Jericho, why I've been able to build it to where there's been over 170 million downloads at this point and my minimum is 250,000 and those were very obscure people. My best friend was on once because I knew he'd be interesting. You never know what you're going to get when you turn on Talk is Jericho and that's the way I like it and that's the way I want it to be.”

That said, Jericho knows a large percentage of his listeners are wrestling fans, so he tries to appeal to them as well.

“I always give the die-hard wrestling fans what they want and I'll usually do 40% wrestling guests. But even that, I don't go with the typical ones. I was the first guy who had James Ellsworth on, or Cheeseburger, these very kind of obscure guys who, to me, I want to know their stories. It's interesting to me. You could have Shawn Michaels on, but he's been on 15,000 podcasts. I'd rather have the guys who have never been on a podcast. Brooklyn Brawler, guys like that. No one would ever think of having them on. I want that. It's different, it's unique and it's fun for me to do and fun for my guests.”

Jericho’s show is entirely unscripted, he said.

“I just have a conversation. I think that's the reason why the show does so well. I never have a list of questions. I never have anything written down. I just do a talk and whatever comes up comes up and it doesn't matter who that is. That's what we're doing live in Toronto. It's just AJ and I in front of the audience and we'll just talk. Whatever happens happens and kind of let the conversation dictate where we go and what we talk about. Then afterwards, people will ask their own questions and have a little Q&A. It's a pretty fun vibe. I've done a few of them already and people enjoy it, and I enjoy it, too, which is the most important thing."

The Survivor Series weekend is a big opportunity for fans to experience the WrestleMania-style formula WWE continues to perfect, Jericho said.

"(WWE) kind of came upon this formula for WrestleMania where it's a destination weekend. They have Raw there, they have an NXT show and then WrestleMania. I think they're doing that now, they're kind of making it a destination for Royal Rumble, for Survivor Series and for SummerSlam. I think people enjoy that and it's a smart idea by WWE to take advantage of that and that's why we're doing this live Talk is Jericho because there are a lot of fans looking for something to do until the show starts and we're giving you something to do and something that is fun and you'll enjoy it and it's kind of a one-of-a-kind experience."

Jericho praised his scheduled guest, Styles, who since debuting at the Royal Rumble in Florida some 10 months ago has taken WWE by storm.

"It doesn't surprise me,” Jericho said of Styles’s quick ascention in WWE. “I think any time you get a guy of his stature -- there's a reason why he was headlining the Tokyo Dome in Japan, for example -- I knew he would get over.”

Jericho was the first to be involved with Styles following his WWE debut.

“There's always a little bit of a transition period. I'm happy that I was able to help him with that,” he said. “I think the WWE might not have known how good he was when he first came in and why would they? He hadn't performed in a WWE ring and therefore they wouldn't know how good he is. And after a month or two months of seeing what this guy was capable of, I don't think he had anybody denying the fact that he is one of the best in the world. And now he's the champion on Smackdown, as he should be. He's a great performer, he's a great character … I think he's a better performer now than when he first got here because he has adapted, he has learned and he's gotten better. He's a joy to work with, he's a funny guy, he understands the business. All across the board he's A-plus, A-plus, A-plus. I'm proud of him, happy for him and like you said he's only just begun. My goodness, it's only been nine months. Imagine where he's going to be next year at this time."

On the subject of greatness, the topic turns back to Jericho, specifically to his legacy, something he hasn’t given much thought to, for several reason, the fact that he’s still carving it out being chief among them.

"To talk about legacy, I think it is kind of the answer to that question you just asked me,” he answered when asked how much fun he’s had being Chris Jericho. “I've been very fortunate to have this great life doing what I love doing. I love being Chris Jericho as a person. I love being the WWE version of Chris Jericho, the Fozzy version of Chris Jericho, Chris Jericho the podcaster, the author ... I never put any limits on myself of I could, can and can't do.”

Though no one would have blamed him if he had.

“It's easy for you to ask that question (now), but when I was 19 and told everyone I wanted to go into the wrestling business, people boldface laughed at me,” Jericho said. ”I've always kind of had that (hanging over my head) where people would judge what I wanted to do and what they thought I could and couldn't do and I never listened.”

Chris Jericho, then, now and forever, did things his way.

“I always wanted to be in a rock and roll band, I always wanted to be a wrestler, those were my two goals, my two dreams, and I made them both happen so it has been fun. I do enjoy it. I think this past year in the WWE has really cemented my, not legacy, but cemented Jericho as one of the top guys in the business 26 years later. Being 45, I mean shit next week I'll be 46, doesn't really strike me. I'm sure there's going to come a time when that's done but I have been very fortunate to do this and do it at the highest of levels for so many levels and then all these other ancillary successes with Fozzy and with the podcast. Now to me it's not just about Chris Jericho the wrestler, it's Chris Jericho the brand. I try and continue my career the same way that I do my podcast. It's not always about wrestling. There's a lot to me. There's a lot of layers and I think I'm able to show all of my fans that and continue to show that and I'll continue to do that until the day I day in a lot of different ways.”

Jericho, in short, has no regrets.

“It's been a blast and I can't really think of anything that I would change."

Tickets to Talk is Jericho live are available at Mark out Moments, www.MarkOutMoments.com

jmmurphy@postmedia.com

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