@MizGurrrrl69: UGH!!! Miz got screwed, can't believe they had him lose the title already... did @ChrisJericho threaten to quit unless they put the belt on him? Lol
@TheChumpIsHere: If you thought 2021 was bad, 2022 is going to be even worse! We get to see @ChrisJericho feud with The Miz AGAIN (¬_¬)
@XtremeWrestlingFan: I am officially boycotting EBWF until @ChrisJericho is no longer World Champion. He's supposed to be "Director of New Talent Development" but he's putting himself over? #really #boycottEBWF
Having been in the wrestling business for over 30 years, Jericho knew there were always going to be people who didn't like him. He could accept that, because he knew he was loved and respected by the majority of wrestling fans and his peers. But being accused of "putting himself over" at the expense of others, of using his influence to get his own way? That was a harder pill to swallow. Jericho's attitude towards wrestling was that he didn't care if he won or lost, as long as he looked good doing it and his opponent looked good too. But being the World Champion still meant a lot to him, and whether Jericho held the title for a month or a year, he wanted to make sure the championship kept its prestige, and prove he was a worthy champ. That was why he had proposed putting himself through Three Stages of Hell in his first title defence... a decision his wife Jessica seemed a little concerned by.
Jessica Jericho: So let me get this straight... you and Mike are having a submission match, then a steel cage match, then a last man standing match, all in the same night? I thought Christmas Eve of Destruction was supposed to be the "extreme" pay-per-view? Three Stages of Hell is an apt name, you'll feel like you're in hell when you wake up Monday morning.
Chris Jericho: Jess, you know I feel like crap every morning after I've had a match. I think that's just part of being in your 50s. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine.
Jessica Jericho: You know I always worry about you, Chris. I'm your wife. Worrying is part of my job. I support you one hundred percent, and I know you'll never stop pushing yourself to the limit because that's part of who you are... I just don't want you to get hurt, or burn yourself out. You don't have to prove anything to anyone.
Chris disagreed with that last part, but he didn't want to argue. Especially because he knew how Jessica would react if she knew he'd been bothered by a few tweets.
Chris Jericho: I love you for worrying, and your support means more to me than anything in the world. I'm not going to burn myself out, I promise. To be honest, after Warfare Games, I think Three Stages of Hell will feel like a breeze. Besides, maybe we won't get to the third fall. Maybe the match will be over after the first two falls.
Jessica laughed and rolled her eyes.
Jessica Jericho: Yeah right. Even I know that's not going to happen. I just hope you're the Last Man Standing at the end of the night.
Chris Jericho: I won't be... the Last Survivor match is going on last.
Jessica hit him, playfully.
Jessica Jericho: Shut up! You know what I meant.
Chris smirked, then wrapped his arms around his wife and kissed her. Although he knew that little voice of doubt inside his head would never go away completely – it had been there his whole life – he tried to remind himself that trying to win the approval of strangers was a fool's game when the people who knew him best loved him. That wouldn't stop him from trying to prove them wrong at Last Survivor by going all out – but he promised himself that he wouldn't pay any notice to any further criticism from fans about his 12th reign as EBWF World Champion. Maybe he didn’t need the World Title at this stage in his career... but that didn't mean he didn't want it. And as long as he had it, he would fight tooth and nail to prove that he had earned it.
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There was less than an hour before EBWF's first pay per view of 2022, Last Survivor, was due to officially begin. The pre-show was underway, and most of the fans who had bought tickets to the sold-out show were already inside the arena, although a lot of the fans in FiServ Forum were checking out the merchandise stands or getting food and drink rather than taking their seats. That changed suddenly when the sound of "Judas" by Fozzy blasted through the arena. Fans suddenly rushed to their seats, desperate not to miss an unannounced appearance by the EBWF World Champion.
Chris Jericho was already dressed for his match, although in addition to the black tights and boots he would be wrestling in later, he was wearing a black and gold "Le Champion" t-shirt and a leather jacket with spikes on the shoulder pads. He had the EBWF World Championship around his waist, and upon entering the ring he removed it, climbing all four turnbuckles one by one and proudly holding up the title each time. After he had done this, Jericho stood in the center of the ring, looking around at the crowd and grinning. Almost every fan inside the arena was singing along to Judas, and as Jericho's music was cut, they kept on singing. As the noise eventually died down, Jericho grabbed a microphone and began to speak.
Chris Jericho: Milwaukee, that was beautiful. Thank you so much.
The crowd cheered, then began chanting Jericho's name. Jericho placed his hand over his heart, thanked the crowd again, then continued speaking.
Chris Jericho: You see that right there is one of the biggest differences between myself and The Miz. I've been wrestling for over thirty years, I have wrestled all over the world, from tiny bingo halls to huge stadiums. I have been inside rings just like this one literally thousands of times, but hearing you fans chant my name and sing my music still means the world to me. It doesn't mean anything to someone like The Miz, because as he said himself a few weeks ago, all he cares about is this title.
Jericho held the EBWF World Title up to the camera before continuing.
Chris Jericho: Being the EBWF World Champion means the world to me too, but dare I say it? Being loved and respected by all of you means more. I'll be honest, that wasn't always the case. There have been times in my career where winning was all the mattered to me. But I'm older and wiser now, and when you've wrestled over 2,800 matches like I have, you realise that you don't need to win every match to be the Greatest Of All Time.
The crowd began chanting "GOAT", which made Jericho grin.
Chris Jericho: You're damn right I'm the GOAT! And not just because of this title. I am the GOAT because for over 20 years, I have been the face of EBWF, the biggest professional wrestling company in the world. I'm the GOAT because even now, I can do things that no one else has ever done. I broke my own record by winning the EBWF World Title for the 12th time, and I did it on Christmas Eve of Destruction, a pay-per-view which I invented! In the first ever Rock Around the Christmas Tree match, too. I can't take credit for that idea, but I made the match better by being in it. And tonight, I don't just get to beat Miz again... I get to beat him twice. First, I'm going to make him tap out to the Walls of Jericho. Then, I'm going to escape that steel cage you see hanging above the ring...
Jericho looked up, pointing to the cage which was already in place.
Chris Jericho: ...Or, if Miz manages to escape the cage before me, we'll go to the match he wanted all along – Last Man Standing. One of us will have to beat the other so badly that they're down for a ten count. And whichever one of us wins will not only walk out of Milwaukee with the World Title, they will do so knowing that they closed the door on the Jericho/Miz feud. If Wes Ikeda had his way, that door would already be closed. He didn't want Miz and I to have a rematch, because Wes is as tired of Miz as I am. But Wes let me decide if this match would happen, and of course I had to accept. Otherwise Miz would claim for the rest of time that it was all part of some conspiracy against him, or that I'm scared of him, rather than admit the truth – that I'm better than him, and he knows it. Oh and MJF, if you have a problem with me saying that, win the Last Survivor match tonight, then we'll talk.
The crowd made an "oooooh" sound in response, clearly excited at the prospect of a future Jericho versus MJF match.
Chris Jericho: But I'm not here to talk about Maxwell Jerkoff Friedman, I'm here to talk about the guy he aspires to be, the former World Champion, The Miz. Emphasis on the former. That eats away at you, doesn't it Miz? That's another difference between you and me. When I didn't have the World Title, I wanted it... but you, you need it. By your own admission, this title is all you care about, which makes it an obsession that's bordering on unhealthy. All you care about, really? When you have a wife and kid? I won't criticise your hunger or your ambition Miz, but your mindset really does give me cause for concern. It shows what I've known for a long time... that no matter how often you yell "I'm awesome", deep down you're just an insecure little boy who desperate wants to stay relevant in a business that wouldn't miss you if you left it. Without the World Title, you're nothing more than a warm-up act – nice to have around, fun to watch, but not the reason anyone bought a ticket. Me, it doesn't matter if I'm opening the show or in the main event, the fans just love to see Chris Jericho... but all they want to see from you Miz is to see you getting beat. You used to claim to be "Your favourite wrestler's favourite wrestler", but right now you're not even your manager's favourite client! The only reason Paul Heyman is keeping you around is so that he can be on TV while Bray Wyatt figures out which side of his personality he wants to show. That's why Randy Orton didn't care about getting a rematch against you Miz – he decided getting revenge on The Fiend was more important than kicking your ass. People like myself and Randy, we don't need titles because we know how good we are. You're still young, Miz – mentally at least – so maybe you'll get there some day too. But until then, as long as you still need this title to feel good about yourself... until then Miz, that unhealthy obsession will be your weakness and your downfall. I used it against you at Christmas Eve of Destruction, and tonight at Last Survivor I'll do it again. We've got Three Stages of Hell tonight, but when it's all said and done, and I'm still the EBWF World Champion... you'll be living in your own personal hell for an eternity.
Jericho grinned, dropped the microphone and held up the World Title once more, then made his way to the back as "Judas" began to play again.
