AEW's Chris Jericho Credits Lucha Libre For Teaching Him Wrestling Psychology

Across Chris Jericho's career, he made a name for himself in WCW and WWE, but he's also enjoyed success in both Japan and Mexico. Jericho recently paid homage to his Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) run by competing at AEW Grand Slam: Mexico in his Corazón de León gear, and according to the veteran, the Lucha Libre style was what taught him wrestling psychology.

"Lucha Libre is — yeah, if you don't understand it, you think it's a bunch of flips and flops; it couldn't be [more] opposite," he proclaimed during an interview on "Wrestling Observer Radio." "I learned so much about psychology, pro wrestling psychology, which translates to Japan, America, England, Germany, Mexico, whatever, from guys like Negro Casas, and Silver King, and Texano, and Emilio Charles, and Dandy."

While Jericho noted that many of the Mexican wrestlers he learned from have since passed away, CMLL and especially Arena Mexico remain special to him. "It was one foot in the past and kind of one foot in the present," he said while recalling how it felt to be back in Arena Mexico for Grand Slam. "There's so much history there and they really promote the history. ... It's not only a historical place for Lucha Libre, it's a historical place for me — for Chris Jericho, and for Corazón de León."

At the event, Jericho teamed up with Místico and Darby Allin in a Trios match against The Don Callis Family's Kazuchika Okada, Kevin Knight, and Hechicero. According to Jericho, the match felt like a genuine return. "This is why I do this. This is why I still love wrestling, and I still love being in the ring, and I still love the challenges of working with new people," he explained. "There's just something exciting about that, and that's why I loved how Tony [Khan] booked that match. ... You'll never see it again!"

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "Wrestling Observer Radio," and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.