Chris Jericho and Kazuchiko Okada took part in the NJPW press conference to hype “Dominion”. During the presser, Okada questioned Jericho calling himself “The Painmaker” and Jericho revealed why he is so excited about the match. Here are the highlights:
Chris Jericho On How He Expects The Match To Go:
I saw what you siad the other day, when the video played and you said ‘What is a painmaker?’ ‘What is a painmaker?’ I’m going to show you tomorrow night. It’s something like this…
Tomorrow night I’m going to break your back, I’m going to shove your teeth down your throat and show you why I am the best in the world and the best of all time. The one championship I’ve never had, the IWGP championship. I want it and I’m going to get it and I’m going to hurt you. Bad.
Okada On Jericho Not Realizing What He’s In For:
Finally I could get to meet Chris Jericho. You call yourself the Painmaker, I guess it means you’re going to make it pain?! But surely Pro-Wrestling is painful anyway no? You’ve had IC championship matches, no DQ matches and other sorts here in New Japan, but this is the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. This is something quite different to what you’ve experienced before, please allow me to teach you.
Jericho On Why He’s So Excited For This Match:
I’m really excited about this, because everyone always tells me, Okada is the best. Okada is so good, Okada is a genius in the wrestling ring. That’s why I’m here, I want to know how good are you Okada? I know you’re good, I’ve watched your matches, I’ve seen what you can do, you are amazing, but I am better. Tomorrow this (points at belt) is going to be mine and I am going to hurt you. You understand that huh? (Grabbing chairman Sugabayashi by the tie and jacket) You get it huh?
Jericho On What It’s Like To Have His First IWGP Heavyweight Title Match:
It’s very a special night for me. After all the times I’ve been to Japan, with New Japan and WAR and FMW, I think its 54 times I’ve been to Japan. This is a special time, 21 years after I was in the Best of the Super Juniors in 1997. This is the one championship I’ve never had. I’m a 6-time WWE champion a champion all around the world, Intercontinental Champion here in New Japan, but this is the big title, with the best, Okada, the face of New Japan. Tomorrow I’m going to take that face and give it a bloody nose and a broken orbital bone and a black eye and change the face of New Japan to Chris Jericho.
Okada On What He Expects From Jericho:
I know he’s a former IWGP champion and I saw him fight Kenny Omega at AEW but I don’t really know his career in New Japan in the past, but I know he had a great career in the United States. I was surprised to hear he was a six-time champion in WWE, so I’m very much looking forward to facing him in the ring.
Jericho On The Momentum He Has Going Into This Match:
Think about how big of a name Chris Jericho is right now. Just one week ago I headlined in the very first AEW show and beat Kenny Omega, Okada’s greatest rival, beating him with the Judas elbow. Here I am 10 days later, headlining Dominion with New Japan. Nobody else can do that. Nobody else is a big enough star to headline Las Vegas and Osaka within two weeks. Kenny Omega – I beat him. Okada – I’ll beat you, I’ll be the IWGP Champion and at All Out I’ll beat Hangman Page and be the AEW champion. I’ll be double champion just like when I beat The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin both on the same night to become WWE and WCW double champion. That was a lifetime ago now here we are in 2019, Okada versus Jericho; a dream match, one of the biggest matches you could ever have.It could headline the Tokyo Dome, but tomorrow night in Osaka at Dominion in front of a sold-out crowd, it’s going to be one of the biggest matches you’ve ever seen in New Japan. At the end of it I will win, I will be the IWGP heavyweight champion. I have to.
Jericho On How The Elite Of WWE Compare To The Elite Of NJPW:
Well, we’ll find out because this is the best of New japan right here yes? Okada, he is the best, he is the face of New Japan but wrestling it still boils down to the same thing: It’s all about star power, it’s all about fighting spirit, it’s all about being strong-style in the ring. I love watching Okada in the ring, it’s like watching a great artist paint his painting. He is the best in New Japan, but I’m the best in the entire world. Okada has faced them all, but he hasn’t faced Chris Jericho yet and tomorrow night he will go to a whole different level. He should thank me.
Credit: NJPW
