Chris Jericho did sign with AEW, but he has a clause in his contract that he is allowed to work for NJPW. It took a little bit of time to hammer out a deal, but Jericho apparently arranged something with New Japan.
Y2J made a rather shocking return to NJPW last night hours after appearing for another company where he was jumped by Kenny Omega. Needless to say, Jericho knows how to make a gig happen.
Jericho appeared via video for NJPW following Okada’s successful IWGP Heavyweight Title defense against SANADA.
Y2J referred to himself as “The Painmaker” to coincide with Okada’s Rainmaker nickname. It was a clever use of word-play, but the pleasantries didn’t last long,
Jericho then challenged Okada for his IWGP Heavyweight Title at Dominion. As the video ended, Jericho repeatedly said that he will win the match.
Dominion is set to take place on June 9th in Osaka-jo Hall.
This was a pretty bold move for Jericho, but Okada was one of his chosen few that he wanted to face in NJPW so it looks like that match is going to happen. It will be a totally different story if he’s able to pull down the biggest title in New Japan in the process.