Chris Jericho Says He Wants to Focus on His Entire Career, Not Just His WWE Work

Chris Jericho made a triumphant return to WWE at last month’s Royal Rumble, and he hopes that this weekend, he will punch his ticket for WrestleMania 29.

But if you are looking for him to stick around WWE for a long period of time, do not hold your breath. Jericho tells the Miami Herald’s Scott Fishman that he has too many things on his plate to concentrate on being a full-time WWE talent.

In addition to WWE, Jericho fronts the rock band Fozzy and is hosting a new SyFy Channel series, “Robot Combat League.” He tells the newspaper that he always has considered himself more of an entertainer than just a wrestler, a musician or an actor. Therefore, he says he sees it as “beneficial” to do everything else he loves to do, then come back to WWE for periods of time:

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That is probably going to be my career from now on. I will keep coming back as long as I feel I’m still working at the highest level that I can. It won’t be for two years, but if I come back to two or so months at a time, then I can do that. Then it gives me the opportunity to do the other projects I have going on as well.

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It is that emphasis on entertainment that does not make Jericho wring his hands over the International Olympic Committee’s decision to pull amateur wrestling from the 2020 games. While he tells the Herald that the decision is “a drag from a traditional standpoint,” he does have a suggestion—albeit somewhat tongue-in-cheek—for what should be let into the Olympics:

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Think about it. Pro wrestling as an Olympic sport would be pretty cool. Look at figure skating or gymnastics. What is it? It’s a choreographed performance that is judged. It’s whoever puts on the best performance. Why can’t you do that with different countries like a Canadian team, an American team and a German team [going] in there? Then whoever puts on the best match according to the judges wins. You take two of the best American workers in a match against each other and get scored by the judges. It’s the exact same thing as figures skating, so why not?

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Jericho is among six combatants in Sunday’s Chamber match at WWE Elimination Chamber 2013 in New Orleans. The winner gets a shot at the World Heavyweight Championship title at April’s WrestleMania 29 in New Jersey.

It’s Jericho’s eighth time in the Chamber, and he tells the newspaper that he is looking forward to the opportunity to be part of WWE history.

As for his overall well-being, Jericho tells the newspaper he feels “great.” He also says he feels the WWE matches in which he has been involved “are the best matches on the show or close to it.”

Follow Bill Atkinson on Twitter at @BAtkinson1963.