EXCLUSIVE: Chris Jericho: 'WWE Hall of Fame NEEDS to induct Macho Man for credibility'
The Fozzy frontman says Randy Savage's induction into the Hall of Fame this year will give it some legitimacy
WWE legend Chris Jericho says that thecompany's Hall of Fame will finally reach a level of legitimacy by inducting the iconic Macho Man Randy Savage this year.
The late wrestler - who died in a car accident in 2011 -is the first confirmed inductee into this year's Hall of Fame and Jericho, 44, feels it's been a long time coming.
"Well, absolutely it’s one of the guys that needed to go in there to make it a legitimate Hall of Fame," he exclusively told Mirror TV.
"They’ve done a great job over the last few years, putting in those last few guys like Bob Backlund, Bruno Sammartino, Bret Hart, and now Savage, those were the holdouts that needed to be in there to give that Hall some semblance of credibility.
"Now that Savage is going in, it’s kind of closing the book on the outstanding that needed to be in there - like the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame needs to put Deep Purple in there before I can ever take it seriously. Until they do, it’s kind of a joke to me. The fact Savage is finally going in is great."
While he only spoke to Savage a handful of times,Jericho admits he was a huge fan growing up.
He said, "The first wrestling T-shirt I bought was the purple Macho Man shirt in 1986 or 1987 and everyone thought I was a Village People fan. I never worked with Macho Man or barely talked to him over the years, but still a very big influence on me. I’m excited to see him finally get his due."
As for a fan campaign to have Macho Man's former valet Miss Elizabeth - who died in 2003 - the superstar isn't convinced the former real-life couple should both go in this year.
"She should be in there, but she’ll probably go in on her own in another year," he said. "To put them in at the same time kind of diminishes one or the other. There’s plenty of time to put them both in."
The multi-time WWE Champion is back on the road with WWE for a handful of live event appearances, but insists he has no desire to perform on TV or on pay-per-view events due to his touring commitments with rock band Fozzy, who will tour the UK in March.
Quizzed about his new contract, which he first teased on Twitter, he said: "Just for January and February, working the live events - no TV matches, no pay-per-view matches. I happen to have January and February off because in March I’m going back to the UK with Fozzy, so it was a good time to go back to WWE for a few matches.
"It’s based around Fozzy’s schedule, and it’s been that way since 2010. You see me come and go for a month here, a month there, that’s why I didn’t want to do any TV this year in January or February because it’s too short of a timeframe.
"Considering it’s WrestleMania time, there’s really no reason to come back [on TV] because I’m not available for WrestleMania, nor do I want to be around just for a couple of months. It’d be too quick."
Speaking about Fozzy's upcoming UK tour, Jericho admitted that Great Britain is like a "second home" for the rock band.
"The first country we ever made a real name for ourselves was in England, and that’s where we’ve toured extensively over the years and not just in the big cities - we’re going all over the place to Exeter, Margate, Middlesborough and everywhere in between. We believe in that. We don’t think you should be punished because you don’t live in a big city."
Jericho also commented on WWE Chairman's Vince McMahon's recent criticism of the current talent pool. Speaking on Stone Cold Steve Austin's podcast, he challenged his roster to 'grab the brass ring' - saying the current crop of "millennials" are less ambitious than the likes of John Cena, Austin and The Rock before them.
On the subject of brass rings, he said, "I grabbed it so I don’t really have … he’s right, it’s all up to him, and whatever mood he’s in and whoever he decides has it at the moment will get a chance. It’s Vince, he says things and whatever is in his head.
"When I’m not in WWE, I don’t watch a lot of WWE. There’s guys there grabbing the brass ring and others will over time, and there’s people you never expected to make it huge that will make it huge - that’s the nature of the business.
"Look at Daniel Bryan, the company never expected him to get as big as he got and probably didn’t even want him to get as big as he got, but some guys just do."
Fozzy are touring the UK from the 4th and 15th March, tickets are available now at FozzyRock.com.
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