Chris Jericho Talks Bringing Action Andretti Into AEW And Putting Him Over Clean

Chris Jericho battled rising star Action Andretti during the "AEW Dynamite: Winter is Coming" special in December 2022. It was the first time the pair had ever faced each other, and Jericho detailed how it all came together while speaking on the "Talk is Jericho" podcast.  

"I'd seen Action [Andretti] earlier in the year in Washington, DC, and he did a really good match against Q.T. Marshall," Jericho said. "I saw it, and I said to Tony [Khan], 'What do you think?' He's like, 'He's really good.' I said, 'Let me go and see if he can do a promo.' I had Sonjay Dutt, who does a lot of our backstage promos, I said, 'Take him outside and have him do a couple of promos.' 

"So he's doing a couple of promos, and I'm just kind of hiding, and then I walk out to where he can see me. I said, 'Okay. Now do a promo on Sammy Guevara.' And with no hesitation, he did this one-minute promo about Sammy Guevara with me standing right in front of him ... I said to Tony, 'We should sign him. But if we sign him, I've got an idea. Don't put him on TV. Not 'Dark' or anything.'"

"I think it was back in June or July. So he gets signed," Jericho continued. "Maybe a little bit later. Maybe I think September. He gets signed, and then he's just sitting at home. He's like, 'Hey, man.' I said, 'Just be cool. Just stay there, stay there, stay there. When the time is right, you'll know.' 

"And here we are in Garland, Texas, which I believe is right outside of Dallas, and I show up, and he had no idea what was going on, and I brought him into the office. I said, 'Here's what we're gonna do. I'm gonna have a tune-up match, and we're gonna make you look really good, and then you're gonna beat me clean with your finish.' You should have seen the look on his face. It was like a dream come true. Like, 'What?' And that's exactly what we did." 

The match itself saw Andretti kick out the Codebreaker — one of Jericho's signature moves. Jericho explained that he wanted Andretti to sell kicking out of the Codebreaker throughout the entire commercial break while he sat with a surprised look on his face. "The Ocho" said Andretti didn't quite understand his plan and started moving. Jericho said he desperately tried to tell him to stop, but they ultimately lost the moment. 

Andretti eventually picked up the win after delivering a running shooting star press on Jericho in the middle of the ring. The former AEW World Champion said it was "one of the coolest moments" of his career and believes it might have been the greatest surprise win in pro wrestling history. 

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "Talk Is Jericho" with a H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.