It was just a few months ago that rumors were flying around about Chris Jericho maybe returning to WWE for one final run leading into a Hall of Fame induction. He initially played coy when asked about it, then outright said he was always going back to AEW because he has “skin in the game” with that company.
Still, questions about a potential Hall of Fame induction persist. The reality is he is a worker, a longtime industry veteran, and it sounds like he doesn’t really even care all that much.
As he
told TMZ’s Inside the Ring (via Wrestling Observer):
“Once again, I had a great career in WWE. It was almost 20 years, with a few years here off. It was always my dream to be in the WWE. And did I create enough memorable moments and matches and characters and creations and rivalries and moments to be in the WWE Hall of Fame? Absolutely. That’s all I need. If I’m in, if I’m not in, if it’s tribalism, if it’s politics — I get that too, man. I’ve been in this business 36 years. I understand how it works. It’s not personal. I’m not insulted.
“And if I finish my career with AEW and [am] the first inductee or the second inductee or the 10th inductee into the AEW Hall of Fame, that’s great too. But I’m in the Hall of Fame in my head and in the heads of anybody that appreciates the work that I’ve done. That’s good enough for me, man. Like, it really is. I don’t need anything else than that. That might sound a little bit like — but it’s really true. I’ve had a real blessed life in that I’ve got a chance to travel around the world doing what I always wanted to do. And making people happy by doing it — or getting people angry by doing it, which is the same thing. That’s Hall of Fame all across the board.”
This tracks with statements he’s made in the past, like one time in 2017 claiming he probably wouldn’t even show up to his own WWE Hall of Fame induction. Time tends to soften us all, and things change in a hurry in an industry like this, so who knows what the future holds.
But maybe it doesn’t matter either way.
Hey, we know he’s a Hall of Fame guy no matter what company we’re talking about.
Right?
