Chris Jericho Offers Hiroshi Tanahashi AEW Championship Match
Wrestle Kingdom clash to be for future title opportunity.
Chris Jericho has offered New Japan Pro Wrestling icon Hiroshi Tanahashi a shot at the All Elite Wrestling Championship if he can defeat him in their Wrestle Kingdom 14 clash.
'LeChampion' will become 'The Painmaker' one more time on January 5th as the two compete in one of the biggest matches on the second consecutive night at the Tokyo Dome.
The story follows Tanahashi's request for this exact stipulation last week, with the wider implication (and hope) being that AEW and NJPW have formed some sort of working relationship beyond Jericho and fellow All Elite performer Jon Moxley's presence on the card.
Neither side has made overt gestures regarding the other since AEW's January formation, though rumours of Kenny Omega's struggles to return to Japan as well as the complete removal of The Elite and Jericho's belt from NJPW storylines events since last year's Wrestle Kingdom has suggested that relations are less-than cordial.
As is almost always the case in wrestling, working together would suit both parties more than the current splintering, though this ethos rarely adhered to without fiscal proof. The actual result of Tanahashi/Jericho could determine if this was merely set-up to sell subs rather than incubate some level-headed optimism.