Jericho Appreciation Society Make Surprise Appearance At Top Independent Event

Chris Jericho shocked the wrestling world this past weekend when he and the rest of his Jericho Appreciation Society faction showed up at Pro Wrestling Guerrilla's Battle of Los Angeles 2023 event.

The second night of the popular tournament took place at the Globe Theater in Los Angeles, California, and while the focus was on BOLA itself, there were several non-tournament matches taking place as well. One of these featured the JAS, as the male members of the faction, including 8-time world champion Jericho, competed against Player Uno (AEW's Evil Uno), Kevin Blackwood, Jonathan Gresham, SB KENTo, and Michael Oku, with Tay Melo and Anna Jay at ringside. It was an appearance that took fans in attendance by surprise. Jericho rarely makes appearances like this — when posted the question on Twitter, he guessed that 1996 was the last time he had performed in southern California at an independent show. The former AEW World Champion secured the pinfall to win the match for his team, defeating Blackwood after nailing the Judas Effect. 

Jericho also addressed the fans in attendance after the match, admitting the JAS "had a f***ing blast" performing at the event before teasing that PWG might see them again, though he added a "maybe" at the end. 

"This really is the modern-day ECW. The same passion, the same fanbase, the same lack of guardrails in the f***ing front row," Jericho quipped as the crowd broke into "PWG" chants. "But most importantly, the same atmosphere of giving young wrestlers a chance to work in front of great crowds, to work on their skills, to become the next generation of main event wrestlers, of wrestlers that will be at The Forum on Wednesday. It all starts in places like PWG."