Chris Jericho recently spoke with Between the Ropes,
here are the highlights…
On his latest run in the WWE: The Bray Wyatt cage match in
Baltimore and then the Randy Orton – Night of Champions match in Nashville I
thought were two…whatever a five star match is. Two really really really good
matches that I would put on my list of all-time favorites. And that was good to
know because as the years go by, I feel just as good as I ever did. When I go
back I’m mentally prepared and I think I still work up to a level I set for
myself. But when you go out there and actually do some of those things and
actually get the feedback from the live audience that you know you can get and
from the critics. The fact that my last match was the best match on the
pay-per-view against Randy Orton, I take great pride in that. And if I never
work again, I know I’ll always have that. It’s still cool to contribute at the
highest level and the day — and Brian, I’m not exaggerating about this — the day
I feel I can’t compete at the highest level I set for myself and can’t steal the
show, I will not do it again. Throw it on the record, I’m the one guy who can
say that. I’m sure Shawn Michaels could say that too. You will not see me in the
ring again as a parody of myself or anything other than the absolute best and
can go toe-to-toe with anybody else on the roster.
On his relationship with Vince McMahon: I think Vince sees
a lot of himself in me. I’m a rebel. I do things the way I see fit but I do it
for the good of the company. I’m a company man through and through. I’ve
wrestled for nobody — I haven’t taken a bump in any other ring other than a WWE
ring since 1999 when I started working for Vince — and I never will. I won’t go
back to Japan for a tour or go work here or go work there. Not interested in it.
If I’m going to be wrestling, it for Vince McMahon and Vince McMahon only. And
he knows that I think he respects that. He also knows I’m not a ‘yes’ man. I
don’t have that in me. I have to tell him how I feel. I have to tell him why I
think this is better and I can tell him sometimes he’s wrong. Nobody likes to
hear that, especially a guy in his position but I think I can do it in more of a
deliberate way, more of an ambassadorial way, but I don’t have that in me and I
don’t think he wants that.
His thoughts on Dean Ambrose: I saw Dean when he first
started and there was something different about him. He has that Jeff Hardy ‘X’
factor. There’s just something about him that you can’t push on somebody. You
can teach them how to take a bump, give them a look, give them wins but certain
guys have a certain something about them that you know is going to take them to
the next level no matter what. Dean definitely has that and in my opinion — I’m
not the god of everything but I have a pretty good track record of picking guys
— I think he’s the closest that they have right now to being the next face of
the WWE. I don’t think that’s as important now with the Network and less
emphasis on pay-per-views and that sort of thing. But as far as a guy who can
come in there as the top babyface, I think Dean’s your best bet right now.
