'You don't give Mike Tyson a script': Chris Jericho on boxing legend's AEW appearance

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Mike Tyson tore off his shirt and got in Chris Jericho's face. He gave Jericho a shove. Jericho shoved him back and a brawl erupted. But it wasn't just Jericho and Tyson Involved in the melee -- former UFC champions Henry Cejudo, Vitor Belfort and Rashad Evans were there to back Tyson up.

It was a wild scene, a brawl that ended AEW's Dynamite television show Wednesday night in Jacksonville, Florida. Tyson's appearance and the subsequent hot angle led to a ton of mainstream buzz and Dynamite's highest TV rating since March 18.

The segment was a direct continuation of a storyline between Tyson and Jericho that started in WWE 10 years ago. Tyson turned on Jericho on Monday Night Raw in 2010, joining forces with Triple H and Shawn Michaels.

So how did Wednesday night's angle develop? Where will wrestling upstart AEW, Tyson and Jericho go from here? ESPN spoke to Jericho to discuss those topics and more.

The interview has been edited for length and clarity.


How did this moment with you and Mike Tyson come together?

Mike Tyson flexes and yells at Chris Jericho from the top of the ramp on All Elite Wrestling's Dynamite show on Wednesday. AEW

As far as I'm concerned, I've been working with Mike for 10 years. Probably seen each other half a dozen times and appeared on camera four or five of those. I know Mike. I think when the idea came for him to be involved with us at AEW, the natural pairing was with Chris Jericho.

I know what to expect. A guy like him, he's a firecracker, man. He's a loose cannon as an entertainer, as a performer. You don't give Mike Tyson a script. You don't rehearse something with Mike Tyson. You just go out there. He's gonna do whatever the f--- he wants to do no matter what. And that's cool. I have 30 years of being in the ring and I can guide that.

Plus, we have a story. Last time we were in the ring together, he knocked me out. There's the story. Whether you're into wrestling that much or you're not, it's very cool. And you have two performers that have been in the spotlight for 30-odd years that are arguably at their biggest for drawing buzz right now.

Nobody is more talked about in the sports world than Mike Tyson in the last few months, and nobody is more talked about in the wrestling world more than Chris Jericho over the last few months. It's not just these two guys doing something cool 10 years ago. We're doing something cool now. I think there's a lot of people interested in seeing where this goes.

Ratings went up and it all created a lot of buzz, as you said. Is that the idea when a wrestling promotion does something like this?

Absolutely a home run all across the board, especially for AEW as a company. We have done so much over the past year by just being in existence. Everybody that knows wrestling knows who we are. That's why we have such a great fan base.

But what we did last night was get headlines from every major sports publication saying Mike Tyson makes his mark in an AEW ring with Chris Jericho. All of that is company branding, where people go, "Wow, we've heard of this AEW, but we didn't realize they were that big." Or, "Who is this AEW?" Mike Tyson draws eyeballs. Chris Jericho draws eyeballs. But Tyson is gonna draw the type of coverage that I can't get, because I'm not as mainstream as him.

Where could this lead? Could there be a wrestling match between you and Tyson?

After Mike Tyson pushed Chris Jericho, the ring filled with other performers trying to separate the two groups. AEW

Obviously, the idea is to do something more. That's the thought process, I think between both parties. What that is at this moment, we're thinking and discussing. Look, Chris Jericho versus Mike Tyson in a wrestling match, in a street fight, in a boxing match, would be big. I'm not Mike Tyson. I'm not 1/1,000th of Mike Tyson, but I've been boxing for six years. I know how to box. I could win fights on my own against people of my skill level. So if that's what he wants to do, that works too. Whatever he feels comfortable with, I can make it good. That's what I do for a living. That's what I've been doing for 30 years.

But to me it's the buildup and the angle and all the things we can do. That's what wrestling is all about -- the storyline. The match is the cherry on top. But it's the build that's really the most entertaining part, and the part that gets people really involved. So whatever it is that we decide to do as we move forward, it'll be great. You have one of the most iconic boxers -- and most iconic personalities -- of all time against one of the greatest pro wrestlers and personalities of all time. It writes itself.