Chris Jericho receives unlikely challenge at AEW Dynamite

Chris Jericho learned the hard way that he should watch promo videos beforehand.

The Learning Tree and his followers, currently allied with Big Bill and Bryan Keith, were recently challenged by Samoa Joe, Hook and Katsuyori Shibata to a six-man match at Forbidden Door. However, on the June 22 episode of AEW Collision, the match seemed to be in doubt as Keith appeared to have sustained a triceps injury.

During a live appearance on the June 26 episode of Dynamite, the group appeared with Kieth’s arm in a sling and confirmed that The Bounty Hunter would be unavailable for the upcoming pay-per-view. When Bill implied that a Forbidden Door would be opened, Jericho initially claimed that “he was here for the young guys” before stating that they had found a replacement and introduced Minoru Suzuki via video package, with whom Jericho had worked several times before.

Jericho explained that he hadn’t watched the video beforehand, and his night went from bad to worse as Suzuki declined the invitation and instead wanted to challenge him for the FTW Championship. A shocked Jericho looked on as the NJPW legend taunted Jericho for being afraid of him.

Hook, Joe and Shibata interrupted The Learning Tree and mocked Jericho for the events that unfolded. A brawl ensued, with the babyfaces getting their feet up and Jericho at a disadvantage going into the pay-per-view. At the time of writing, Keith’s replacement has not been named.

Chris Jericho will not retire anytime soon

Ironically, “The Learning Tree” persona was created in response to recent hostile audience reactions calling for Jericho’s retirement, which the FTW Champion accepted as an enthusiastic veteran. Despite being in the industry for over 30 years, Chris Jericho recently explained why he has no timetable for his retirement from the ring.