Florida Man Explains How He Found Chris Jericho's Missing AEW World Championship

Chris Jericho said in a promo on Wednesday night that he had nobody to thank but himself for [...]

Chris Jericho said in a promo on Wednesday night that he had nobody to thank but himself for recovering his stolen AEW World Championship belt. But it turns out there's one other person he does need to thank — 41-year-old Tallahassee native Frank Price.

In an interview with Jeff Burlew of the Tallahassee Democrat, Price explained how he found the championship on the side of the road. While driving back from scalloping in Port St. Joe Bay, Price spotted a bag sitting in the middle of a turn lane on Highway 20. He quickly grabbed the bag and took it back home, unaware that it contained a title belt worth roughly $30,000.

"I think I said something like, 'Whoa, it's a huge wrestling belt, check this thing out!' " Price said. "I never would have guessed that if I had a lifetime of guesses."

Price assumed the championship was a replica given that others were being sold online (and the news of the title being stolen wouldn't make the news for another two days). He then posted a photo of the championship on the Lost & Found section of Craigslist Tallahassee. He finally saw the messages that the police were looking for the title on Wednesday morning and promptly turned it in to the Tallahassee Police Department, who officially confirmed the title had been returned via a statement later that afternoon.

Burlew reports that Price was questioned by police department, but he had witnesses, GPS data on his phone, texts, emails and receipts that all proved he was nowhere near the airport or the Longhorn Steakhouse where Jericho initially lost the title.

Price also got a little reward for returning the belt. Mike Vaughn, the owner of the limousine company that drove Jericho, gave him $200 for returning the championship. He confirmed that he's no longer a suspect in stealing the championship. As of Thursday afternoon, the culprit has not been found.

Once Jericho and the championship had been reunited, the reigning AEW World Champion went right back to being his old self in a video promo.

"In less than 24 hours after I launched a worldwide investigation to find my missing championship title, it has been returned to me," he said. "And it's not because and law enforcement agency that was too busy with posting pictures on Twitter and then deleting them and then posting them again, or a funny meme or a clever gif. It's because of me. It's because I put the fear of God into the hearts of those who robbed me, who committed grand larceny. I told you I hired the best private investigators in the world today, and as a result I got back the most coveted prize in professional wrestling today."

1comments