Chris Jericho Talks Serial Killer Infuence On His "Painmaker" Gimmick

Chris Jericho's "Painmaker" gimmick was largely inspired by wondering what a serial killer would like if they were a professional wrestler.

That's according to Le Champion himself, who shed further light on the origins of his savage alter-ego during a recent conversation with Movieweb to promote his appearance in upcoming slasher flick The Terrifier 2.

First debuting back in 2019 during his programme with NJPW's "Rainmaker" Kazuchika Okada over the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, which culminated in a match at NJPW Dominion, Jericho's "Painmaker" gimmick has since made numerous appearances over the years; most recently rocking up during Jericho's Barbed Wire Everywhere match with Eddie Kingston on AEW programming earlier in 2022.

As far as what heavily influenced the character in the first place, though, Jericho would confess when asked whether he thought he'd be able to take Terrifier 2's Art the Clown in-between the ropes:

"I don’t know if Jericho could but The Painmaker might be able to. The Painmaker was conceived as what a serial killer would look like if he was a pro wrestler… There’s your crossover, The Painmaker versus Art the Clown, a graphic novel waiting to happen.”

Forget the graphic novel, could this particular crossover actually make its way onto All Elite programming somewhere down the road? You wouldn't put it past Tony Khan booking a Clash of the Clowns brawl for a special Halloween edition of Dynamite, would you?