Chris Jericho Warns Matt Cardona Ahead of ROH Final Battle, I'm Crazier Than Ever!

TMZ

Chris Jericho is set to defend his Ring of Honor World Championship Friday in NYC ... and the self-proclaimed "King of New York" tells TMZ Sports he is prepared to go all out in his main event match against Matt Cardona!!

Transcript

00:00I'm excited.

00:03It's been great to be in New York City for basically the better part of the week and

00:06actually feel the vibe here.

00:08I feel like Macaulay Culkin and Home Alone 2 kind of lost in New York, enjoying all the

00:15sights and services that are here in the city and it's going to be a great way to kick off

00:20three nights at Hammerstein with Final Battle tomorrow night.

00:24So it's a rock and roll party for sure.

00:28It's a fun time, obviously Christmas time in New York City is a great time to be in

00:32the city.

00:33You're obviously a guy, Chris, and maybe people don't know this, but you've got a million

00:37connections from living there as a kid to your dad with the Ranger.

00:42You have so many connections to New York City.

00:45I see Cardona saying that he's kind of the New York City guy here.

00:49What's it like fighting back home?

00:51Well, we have fun with this because the whole weekend is based in New York.

00:57So I started with the King of New York persona, which is a lot of fun because obviously I

01:03do have a lot of connections to New York, but I've never once really claimed to be from

01:08here because I'm not really, other than actually birthright wise.

01:12But you know, we're treating this as a very special weekend of shows.

01:15So there's a lot of local focus on it with the King of New York being one of those focuses

01:22and me going to buy as much New York merch as I could, you know, because I'm the King

01:27of New York wearing things and doing things that no actual New Yorker would ever do.

01:33But that's wrestling.

01:34And the idea is just to create the biggest buzz for the match that we can and create

01:38the most anticipation for the match that we can.

01:42And I think we've done a great job of that.

01:43I know that all three of the shows are fairly sold out, almost sold out, a few tickets available

01:49here and there, but that's what you want.

01:51And that's kind of what we're doing.

01:53So it's all about creating a fun environment and a fun match for people to look forward

01:57to this weekend.

01:58Chris, do you ever think about it?

02:01Do you feel like to me, like you're like, you know, like the Kansas City Chiefs or whoever

02:05the, you know, the Lakers with LeBron, that you're always going to get your opponent's

02:09best because you're a legend and people want to perform against you.

02:15How about that aspect of this, that this is probably Matt Cardona's biggest match of his

02:19career.

02:20It's important to him as it's important to you, of course, too, but, you know, you're

02:25the guy.

02:26How about that aspect?

02:27Well, I mean, there is a lot to that, but it works both ways.

02:31You know, when you've been doing this for a long time at the level that I have, there's

02:36pressure on both sides.

02:37Obviously Matt Cardona wants to do well against Chris Jericho, but Chris Jericho wants to

02:42do well against Matt Cardona also.

02:45So you know, I always put a lot of pressure on myself as well, because if you're going

02:49to continue to do this, uh, be in the wrestling business, you have to be at the highest of

02:54levels because there's so many other guys that are, that are waiting their opportunity.

02:58So to be the ring of honor champion, um, here for the second time and be the nine time world

03:04champion, there's still a lot of targets on my back too, and a lot of reputation that

03:09I want to withhold and hold up to.

03:11So I was really excited about this match when it first came to be, because I've never worked

03:16with Matt Cardona and, um, basically never worked in Hammerstein ballroom.

03:21I did 20 years ago, but I don't really remember it.

03:24So it's a first on both accounts for me.

03:27And um, you know, like I said, there's a lot of pressure, but in a good way and we want

03:32to make sure to deliver something special on a very special night here in New York city

03:36for final battle, a ring of honor.

03:38So, uh, all of the, the die has been cast and you know, this is your mission if you

03:44choose to accept it.

03:46And I think both of us are accepting it in a very big way.

03:49So, um, it's, it's going to be, you know, it's, it's going to be a really exciting night

03:54tomorrow with a lot at stake.

03:57You mentioned the nine championships, what, what is left to accomplish, Chris, what, what

04:03is the goal that you have for yourself here as you've accomplished everything in this

04:07sport?

04:08I mean, it's just to continue to do memorable things, you know, and, and to, to create new

04:16memories for people and continue to, to, to evolve in, in this business that I, that I've

04:24been in love with since I was a teenager.

04:25So if you're looking at facts and figures, there's really nothing left to accomplish

04:30for me.

04:31Um, if you're looking for just continue to enjoy what I'm doing and, and, and create,

04:35like I said, cool moments for people to, to remember and cheer for, or boo for whatever

04:40it may be.

04:41Um, that's basically what I have left to accomplish.

04:43And that's on a, on a nightly basis, um, you know, cause I don't take anything lightly

04:48and I don't phone anything in or half ass anything.

04:51So anytime I accept, like I said earlier, if this is your mission, if you choose to

04:55accept it, well, you better give a thousand percent cause that's what people are paying

04:59their hard earned money for, especially before Christmas, you want to give them, you know,

05:03an early Christmas present and a show that they can remember knowing that just in a couple

05:08of days, they're going to have to spend more money for other gifts or whatever it may be.

05:12So there's so much to do in this day and age, and there's so many ways for people to get

05:17entertainment that when they choose us, we want to make sure that they leave very, very

05:22happy.

05:23And that's always been my goal.

05:24Yeah.

05:25What can a fan expect out of the show tomorrow and specifically out of your match with Matt

05:30Chris?

05:32Well, once again, I mean, ring of honor was always known for a certain high impact style

05:36of wrestling, but that's kind of the way wrestling is gone.

05:38I mean, AEW does it, uh, on a, on a finite basis as well.

05:42So once again, I think that what they can look forward to in our matches is a really

05:46well put together story, uh, that created a lot of anticipation and buzz for this.

05:53And um, you know, we, we know what's at stake.

05:55It's a title match going on, you know, in the main event in a very hot crowd, as we

06:02call it, it's going to be a very loud and energetic crowd.

06:05So all of the, all of the elements are there.

06:09It's just us to kind of go out there and deliver.

06:11So I'm looking forward to it.

06:12It's going to be, like I said, it's going to be a special night, uh, just from an atmospheric

06:16standpoint.

06:17I feel that people are just going to be going crazy and it's going to be very, very loud

06:21in there.

06:22So that's always something that drives you to, to, to, to do more and do better.

06:26We mentioned AEW a minute or two ago, Chris, uh, I know big news here with, uh, you know,

06:32starting first day of the new year, I believe it is, which is obviously now what, like 11,

06:3612 days away or so only, uh, the move to, to max and how, uh, how, how big that is you've

06:42been with AEW since the beginning, you've watched the promotion grow.

06:45How about, uh, how about max?

06:49I mean, it's very exciting.

06:50It's the first time ever that a streaming platform is simulcast with a wrestling company

06:55on a weekly basis, biweekly basis in our case with, with dynamite on TBS and a collision

07:00on TNT.

07:01So it's just the next huge step in the growth of, of AEW.

07:07And just to show, you know, how, how far we've come in a very short time.

07:10I mean, I can't think of another, you know, corporation that's worth, you know, $2 billion.

07:16I believe is what they said.

07:17It was worth, that was able to accomplish that in, in, in five years.

07:22And that I think is something that gets lost in the shuffle.

07:25Sometimes, um, imagine where we'll be in 10 years, imagine we'll be in 15 years, but for

07:29right now, this is kind of the next step.

07:31I feel this is kind of the end of era one here in, in AW and we're heading, you know,

07:37headlong with both feet into, into era two, which is this simulcast, which is going to,

07:44you know, double, triple our, our viewers who knows, I mean, there's once again, the

07:49more ways you can get people to see your product, the better it is.

07:52And I can't think of a better way than to be on max as of January 1st.

07:56It was a heck of a first era.

07:58Last thing.

07:59If Matt Cardona is watching this right now, what's the message to him?

08:03Listen, once again, much respect to Matt Cardona.

08:06He's done something that I've kind of perfected in, in reinventing himself and evolving.

08:12And listen, man, this is your biggest opportunity, uh, win, lose or draw.

08:16I think this is the biggest stage he's been on in a long time and I'm expecting a great

08:22match from him, but you know, he knows what to expect from me, which is one of the greatest

08:26of all time as the world champion in the main event.

08:30That's a motivated Chris Jericho.

08:31That's a dangerous Chris Jericho.

08:33And I think I'm a little bit crazier now than I've ever been.

08:36So all bets are off Matt.

08:38I think, uh, I think once this match is done, I know you're going to be feeling it and I

08:41expect the same from you.

08:42So bring it on, kid.

08:43Let's go.

08:44Let's do this.

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