Chris Jericho Reflects On His Match With Kenny Omega At Wrestle Kingdom 12 Helping To Form AEW

Chris Jericho says his match with Kenny Omega as Wrestle Kingdom 12 paved the way for the formation of AEW.

On January 4, 2018, Kenny Omega defended the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship against Chris Jericho at New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s Wrestle Kingdom 12 at the Tokyo Dome in a match that captured the attention of fans around the world.

Speaking to Spencer Matthews on UNTAPPED, Chris Jericho reflected on his bout with Kenny Omega and underlined its significance in demonstrating that there was clear demand for the eventual formation of All Elite Wrestling.

“We changed the business when we had our match at the Tokyo Dome, which at the time was crazy because nobody ever thought it would happen. We’re both from the same small town in Canada called Winnipeg and we pretty much packed the Tokyo Dome. The digital streaming was through the roof for New Japan Pro Wrestling, which then led to Tony Khan seeing and deciding that he could form AEW because there was so much demand for wrestling that was not WWE.”

-Chris Jericho

All Elite Wrestling was officially announced on January 1, 2019, with Chris Jericho going on to become the promotion’s inaugural AEW World Champion. Kenny Omega would later hold the title as well.

Despite initial reports that Chris Jericho’s contract with All Elite Wrestling was due to expire at the end of 2025, subsequent reports suggest his deal may have been frozen amid speculation surrounding a potential return to WWE. You can read more about that here.

Elsewhere in the interview, Chris Jericho stated that Shawn Michaels is the greatest professional wrestler of all time. You can read more about that here.

As always, we’ll aim to provide any further updates on Chris Jericho’s future as soon as we hear more.

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