Bully Ray Talks Chris Jericho and NJPW/AEW Relationship

WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of Busted Open Radio Bully Ray had some interesting comments regarding Chris Jericho and his appearance at New Japan’s Wrestle Kingdom 14 this past weekend. There had been speculation that AEW and NJPW had worked together in some form before the show. As Tanahashi claimed that he would “open the forbidden door.” And challenge for an AEW Championship shot if he beat ‘The Painmaker’ Jericho. ‘Le Champion’ responded to the challenge; stating that he would take on Tanahashi for the AEW title if he were to beat him at Wrestle Kingdom. Interestingly NJPW mentioned AEW several times during the Wrestle Kingdom broadcast, and Jericho appeared wearing the AEW Championship.

Bully Ray and Busted Open co-host Dave LeGreca were discussing the Wrestle Kingdom event and how AEW/Jericho fit into the equation. “If AEW does come into the conversation today it will probably based around Jericho’s comments of him trying to bridge the gap between AEW and New Japan” Bully began. “Trying to get them on the same page, see if they can get a working relationship. I like what Jericho was trying to do by saying ‘hey Tanahashi if you beat me you know you can get a shot at the [AEW] championship.”

Bully continued, saying “they took us down one road thinking ‘well maybe Tanahashi gets a shot’ but [in the end] Jericho goes over. But now they’re saying the [forbidden] door is closed.” Ray also talked about Jericho’s press conference following Wrestle Kingdom, where the former WWE Superstar stated that he wants to see ‘egos put aside’ so that AEW and New Japan can work together. “Chris Jericho does the press conference talking about how he’d love to see bad feelings and egos; all this stuff get put aside and try to bring them together.”

Ray also talked about how the likes of Jericho and even CM Punk wrestling outside of WWE is such a big deal to the industry as a whole. “Do you remember how we talked probably about a year ago? When we were talking about guys like CM Punk coming back wresting? How Jericho came back wrestling? About how it’s bigger for these guys to come back and go work for other companies other than the WWE? Because what it means to the business on the whole. Globally. Big picture wise I think what Jericho is trying to do is like what we talked about a year ago. Jericho is trying to bring the biggest Japanese pro wrestling company; and the hottest wrestling company right now in America together to maybe form a super alliance.”