Unlike most other wrestling legends from his era who work for, or are most closely associated with WWE, Chris Jericho has never been affiliated with the company now known as Impact Wrestling. However, the latest rumors suggest that might be changing soon, as there are a few factors that could reportedly influence Jericho to make his first-ever jump to WWE’s top North American rival.
In the latest issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter , Dave Meltzer wrote that most people in the wrestling business now believe that Jericho, 47, is “destined” to end up in Impact Wrestling. According to Wrestling Inc. , which cited Meltzer’s report, there’s a chance Jericho might have had a change of heart in recent times, as his desire to avoid upsetting WWE owner and chairman Vince McMahon “isn’t nearly as strong as it was a month ago.”
Another factor that could influence the chances of Chris Jericho signing with Impact Wrestling is the fact that the company is now based in his home country of Canada and run by a longtime friend of his. Wrestling Inc. noted that Jericho “used his Winnipeg connection” when he spoke with Leonard Asper, owner of Impact’s parent company Anthem Sports, and recommended his friend, wrestling veteran Don Callis, for an executive role with the promotion. At that time, Jericho reportedly stressed that Impact needs to be run by someone trustworthy instead of the “snakes” who were previously in charge of the company.
Chris Jericho Could Be Heading To IMPACT Wrestling – https://t.co/1Oj2c1mow4
— Cultaholic Wrestling (@Cultaholic) August 9, 2018
In another sign that Jericho might have plans to join Impact Wrestling sooner rather than later, Wrestling Inc. mentioned a tweet of his from last month where he replied in the affirmative to a Twitter user who asked him if he would consider signing with Impact despite his commitments to New Japan Pro Wrestling and his heavy metal band Fozzy.
Although Chris Jericho has not directly worked for Impact Wrestling in nearly three decades as a professional wrestler, Cageside Seats noted that he had “worked closely” with the company in October, when he launched a rock music and wrestling-themed cruise. Jericho, who began competing in NJPW at the company’s Wrestle Kingdom 12 event in January and is now the company’s IWGP Intercontinental Champion, was most recently a WWE regular in 2016 and 2017 and enjoyed an entertaining run fueled by his “List of Jericho” gimmick and his friendship, and later on rivalry, with Kevin Owens. He last competed for WWE in April, when he was the last entrant in the titular main event of this year’s Greatest Royal Rumble pay-per-view in Saudi Arabia.
