When Chris Jericho came to New Japan Pro Wrestling for the first time in decades, it drew a lot of attention to the promotion. His first opponent was fellow Winnipeg native, Kenny Omega. That was one of the people on this iteration of a List Of Jericho. The others he wanted to face were NJPW ace Kazuchika Okada, Tetsuya Naito, and Hiroshi Tanahashi. Following Wrestle Kingdom 14, he has finished that list when he beat Hiroshi Tanahashi on Night Two of action. He challenged for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, and even had a run as IWGP Intercontinental Champion. This probably would have marked the end of his time in the company, as he has done everything he wanted to accomplish there and has to focus on All Elite Wrestling. But he has three more men he wants to face now over in Japan.
Who Is Next For ‘The Painmaker’ Chris Jericho?
The three men who Chris Jericho has set eyes upon are Will Ospreay, Kota Ibushi, & Minoru Suzuki. These are some top level talent, much like the four he initially set out to face. If we get all these matches in 2020, we could have some of the best matches of the years in front of us. A match with Minoru Suzuki is especially interesting, as they work very similar gimmicks in the company. Both are just these dangerous bullies who will strike at any moment with dangerous intent. The difference is that Jericho while uses some trickery, while Suzuki will just march down to the ring and maul whoever he pleases.
A match with Will Ospreay would let us see how Jericho can deal with a top level high flier at this point in his career, as Ospreay would even put a young Chris Jericho to shame in terms to speed. Will Ospreay was one of the best wrestlers in all of 2020, and he could get another classic match out of Chris Jericho. This one could be a Match of the Year contender for sure.
Could Jericho Break Kota Ibushi’s Spirit?
The final one is against Kota Ibushi, who is almost a perfect mix of the previous two on his list. When he enters his trance like state in a match, like we saw against Okada, he is as vicious as Minoru Suzuki is. He also has equal agility to that of Will Ospreay. With Kota Ibushi being a broken man following coming out of the Double Gold Dash with no victories, a loss to an outsider like Jericho could be all it takes to break him into an unstoppable monster.
Would you want to see any of the matches above from Chris Jericho, or should he focus on AEW when it comes to wrestling? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section down below. Stay tuned, The Overtimer will keep you up to date on all happenings within New Japan Pro Wrestling.
