Chris Jericho returned to New Japan Pro Wrestling at the Power Struggle event in Osaka, Japan. The IWGP Intercontinental Champion defended successfully against EVIL after locking him in a Walls of Jericho that transitioned into a Liontamer.

When Jericho would not release the submission Tetsuya Naito appeared and forced Jericho to retreat to the back. Naito then issued a direct challenge to Y2J for the Intercontinental Championship.

Jericho appeared in a backstage interview following the win and declared that he would not face Tetsuya Naito. Chris Jericho stated that as he already beat Naito at Dominion earlier this year that there would be no rematch. Jericho even went as far to say that it definitely wouldn’t happen at “Wrestle Kingdom, Madison Square Garden or anywhere.”

Chris Jericho’s next appearance for New Japan could be some way off. With the Tag League usually dominating the December scheduling we could be waiting for January and the Wrestle Kingdom show. Whilst it is very likely that the bout will happen at Wrestle Kingdom an opportunity to bring the match to Madison Square Garden might be too good to miss. There is some uncertainty as to the star-power that ROH and New Japan will have come April 2019. There have been several rumors and reports that WWE will be looking to ‘poach’ the likes of the Young Bucks and Kenny Omega before the huge event in MSG. Having a marquee match with Y2J against Tetsuya Naito for one of NJPW’s top titles could be a big draw if the company decide to opt for an iPPV offering.