AEW's Chris Jericho Makes Shock Appearance at Indie Show

By Liam Crowley

Once upon a time, Chris Jericho proclaimed that the only promoter he would wrestle for in the United States was Vince McMahon. He emphasized this in 2017, as Y2J's arrival in New Japan Pro Wrestling was exclusive to the far east, as he neglected to compete on any of NJPW's western shows. Things changed in Fall 2018, as Jericho made a surprise appearance at the Chicago-based ALL IN pay-per-view, attacking Kenny Omega to set up an upcoming match they were having on his cruise. From there, Jericho inked a deal with All Elite Wrestling upon the company's inception and has called Tony Khan's promotion his home ever since.

Aside from some sporadic New Japan shows, Jericho has been all but exclusive to AEW since January 2019. That changed on January 8th, as Jericho and the entire Jericho Appreciation Society made a shock appearance at Pro Wrestling Guerrilla's Battle of Los Angeles Night 2. Unlike 2018's ALL IN, Jericho actually ended up competing at the show.

Teaming with Matt Menard, Angelo Parker, Daniel Garcia and Sammy Guevara, Jericho and company took on Evil Uno, Kevin Blackwood, SB Kento, Michael Oku, and Jonathan Gresham in 10-man tag action. Jake Hager, Tay Melo and Anna Jay supported the JAS from ringside.

Jericho is no stranger to the independent circuit, as he made a name for himself wrestling across multiple smaller promotions throughout the 1990s. That said, this is The Ocho's first time wrestling inside a PWG ring.

Founded in 2003, PWG is a Los Angeles-based independent wrestling promotion owned and operated by a handful of wrestlers. AEW's lead play-by-play announcer Excalibur is credited as a founder, alongside the likes of Disco Machine, Super Dragon, Scott Lost and others. The likes of AJ Styles, Bryan Danielson, Drew McIntyre, Kevin Owens, the Young Bucks, Will Ospreay, Seth Rollins, and Sami Zayn have all competed for PWG in the early days of their careers.

PWG is most known for its annual Battle of Los Angeles tournament, a single-elimination bracket-style competition that has boasted many of professional wrestling's top names in its history. Past winners include Kenny Omega, Adam Cole, Kyle O'Reilly, Ricochet, Zack Sabre Jr., Bandido, and Daniel Garcia. This year's BOLA was won by Impact Wrestling's Mike Bailey, as he defeated AEW's Konosuke Takeshita in the finals.

0comments
Start the Conversation

of