10 Reasons Why Chris Jericho’s Post-WWE Run Is His Best Ever
6. The Draw
The fictional Chris Jericho persona that took over New Japan Pro Wrestling by going knowingly rogue. It was if he'd tripped the wiring in his head when he deemed Kenny Omega his first target, and never sought to address the issue in the aftermath of their match. But the psychopath that dominated and destroyed Tetsuya Naito at Dominion wasn't just over with gasping live crowds. He was actually doing business for the company the old fashioned way.
Most ticket sales for events centred around his appearances were the healthiest in years, New Japan World Subscriber counts boasted record rises much in the way Tokyo Dome attendance had spiked for his first semi-main event at Wrestle Kingdom earlier that year. Jericho was a star attraction and draw in the era such things were quashed by the WWE branding machine.
By gambling on himself mostly for the creative fun of it, Jericho won big for his new bosses, and banked the bulk of the winnings himself in the aftermath. Not that he needed more than his name to impress Tony Khan (more on that later), but the currency from his newfound currency was something he couldn't have come close to sticking around for another tepid WWE run.