Chris Jericho On Working With Mike Tyson: You Don't Give Him A Script

Boxing legend Mike Tyson made two appearances for All Elite Wrestling over the past week, starting [...]

By Ryan Droste

Boxing legend Mike Tyson made two appearances for All Elite Wrestling over the past week, starting off by serving as a guest to present the new TNT Championship to Cody Rhodes at AEW Double Or Nothing, and following that up with an appearance during AEW Dynamite on Wednesday night where he had a confrontation with Chris Jericho. Jericho and Tyson original worked together in WWE a decade ago and are playing off of that by working a continuation of that story in AEW.

With this new feud that is sure to get many headlines across the media landscape, Jericho spoke with ESPN on what its like to work with Tyson.

"As far as I'm concerned, I've been working with Mike for ten years," Jericho said. "Probably seen each other half a dozen times and appeared on camera four or five of those. I know Mike. I think when the idea came for him to be involved with us at AEW, the natural pairing was with Chris Jericho.

"I know what to expect. A guy like him, he's a firecracker, man. He's a loose cannon as an entertainer, as a performer. You don't give Mike Tyson a script. You don't rehearse something with Mike Tyson. You just go out there. He's gonna do whatever the f--- he wants to do no matter what. And that's cool. I have 30 years of being in the ring and I can guide that."

It seems logical that Jericho and Tyson will have a singles match down the road which should be very lucrative for AEW, both from a PPV buys as well as TV ratings perspective. However, Jericho says the eventual in-ring encounter doesn't have to just be a singles contest.

"Obviously, the idea is to do something more," Jericho stated "That's the thought process, I think between both parties. What that is at this moment, we're thinking and discussing. Look, Chris Jericho versus Mike Tyson in a wrestling match, in a street fight, in a boxing match, would be big. I'm not Mike Tyson. I'm not 1/1,000th of Mike Tyson, but I've been boxing for six years. I know how to box. I could win fights on my own against people of my skill level. So if that's what he wants to do, that works too. Whatever he feels comfortable with, I can make it good. That's what I do for a living. That's what I've been doing for 30 years.

"But to me it's the build-up and the angle and all the things we can do. That's what wrestling is all about — the storyline. The match is the cherry on top. But it's the build that's really the most entertaining part, and the part that gets people really involved. So whatever it is that we decide to do as we move forward, it'll be great. You have one of the most iconic boxers -- and most iconic personalities — of all time against one of the greatest pro wrestlers and personalities of all time. It writes itself."

When asked about doing a story that calls back to something that happened in WWE, Jericho remained positive on the idea.

"It's a WWE angle?" Jericho questioned. "It's a Chris Jericho angle. I was there. I don't just wash away my entire 19-year history with the WWE. That's ludicrous. Anybody criticizing that this was a WWE angle and we brought it over here — this is my life. It's my story. Tyson knocked out Chris Jericho. He didn't knock out Chris Jericho and The Rock and Hulk Hogan and Triple H and Kurt Angle. He knocked me out. That's my story. It's like if I write a song and it's a huge hit and I released it on Sony records and then I signed with Warner Bros. and rerecorded the song. It's my song."

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