Chris Jericho Talks AEW's Origins In Winnipeg, Praises Canadian Wrestling Fans

As has been mentioned by AEW many, many times, tonight's "AEW Dynamite" will be taking place in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, a first for the promotion. This is a big deal, especially to Chris Jericho, who will be wrestling in his hometown, opposite fellow Winnipeger Kenny Omega, in a three-way match for House of Black's AEW World Trios Championship. In an interview with ET Canada ahead of the big broadcast, Jericho revealed his belief that his match with Omega at Wrestle Kingdom 12, one brokered by fellow Winnipeg native Don Callis, proved to be the genesis of AEW by showing Tony Khan there was a market for an alternative wrestling product.

Jericho also cited Winnipeg's strong history as a wrestling city as another reason tonight's show will be special. But the biggest reason Jericho is looking forward to tonight's "Dynamite" is because it will, surprisingly, be his first chance to have a big match in his hometown. "The last time I was on TV from Winnipeg was "Raw" in 2004, and I was in a musical chairs match of all things, which I won," Jericho said. "So for me to be in a title match, and also, this is Kenny's first arena show in Winnipeg, and it's my first arena show match in Winnipeg ... I think we wanted to put together something special, not just for Winnipeg, not just for Canada, but for everybody that watches AEW."

"It's one of those special nights where you have not just one, not just two, but three hometown heroes who are very much involved in AEW, between myself, Kenny and Don Callis," Jericho continued. "So I'm excited for it. I think it's going to be, like I mentioned, one of those magical nights, not just for AEW, but for wrestling fans in general."

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit ET Canada and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.