It’s been just over a month since Chris Jericho took an extended hiatus from the WWE to tour with his band Fozzy. But the veteran superstar Y2J made his surprise return this week at WWE international tour live events from Singapore and Tokyo, Japan.
Despite Jericho’s own recent comments that he wouldn’t be returning to the ring in the near future, it was previously confirmed he was scheduled for these select few international tour dates– which just happened to coincide with a conspicuous short gap in Fozzy’s touring schedule.
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Jericho made his first comeback appearance on June 28th at a WWE live event in Singapore, where he faced Hideo Itami. The Japanese NXT-star prevailed over the returning legend, hitting the GTS to seal the win. However, Itami has been rumored to possibly be making an exit from the WWE soon himself.
Jericho then scored a win in Tokyo on June 30th, defeating Itami via submission with the Walls of Jericho. Y2J thanked the crowd after the match, announcing that this marked his 50th tour of Japan.
Tonight was a good night. We got what we wanted. We got what we needed. That is the Gift of Jericho. Drink it in maaaaaannnnn! #WWESingapore pic.twitter.com/C6pW9veoAS
— Kashvinder Mann (@KashMann27) June 28, 2017
Up Next: Chris Jericho Proves WCW’s Worth
But some described this being Jericho’s return as a heel. In the opening match of a second Tokyo date just earlier today, he lost to rising young star Finn Balor (no stranger to Japanese audiences himself)
Once again, Jericho remained in the ring following the match to deliver a message to the crowd… Only this time, he put the entire city of Tokyo on the infamous “List of Jericho” (as you can see in the video below)
@IAmJericho puts one of his favorite places in the world on THE LIST! 📝 @FinnBalor #WWETokyo pic.twitter.com/nlf7IHRAyF
— WWE (@WWE) July 1, 2017
More: Chris Jericho Reveals Why He Knew It Was Time to Leave WWE
These touring dates mark Y2J’s first appearances in the ring since receiving a vicious send-off from his former “best friend” turned foe Kevin Owens during the “superstar shake-up” back in May.
Could this spell an impending return to WWE television for the 46-year old 9-time Intercontinental Champion? Don’t count on it. In a WWE-exclusive interview earlier today, the former WCW legend called these Japanese tour dates a proper farewell to his career-defining last run with the company.
“I took the whole year, 2016, away from Fozzy to come to the WWE. Had a great time, one of the best runs of my career, and then it was time to go back to the band and focus on music for a while. So this was kind of like the last hurrah for the WWE for this time, this run, but once again I can’t pass up a trip to Japan, because I love Japan so much. But it was a job well done and I feel like I can take off the boots and go back to music for a while knowing I left on a really high note.”
