Chris Jericho is still the ROH World Champion after beating Matt Cardona at the Final Battle show on December 20, a decision that was met with a lot of negativity from the fans in the Hammerstein Ballroom as Cardona is from New York. Negativity is something that Jericho has faced a lot in 2024, with the current ROH World Champion turning negativity into the driving force behind his Learning Tree gimmick.
During a recent edition of the "Gabby AF" podcast, Jericho was asked how he has managed to deal with the fan negativity in recent years. The former AEW World Champion responded by saying thatthere is no way to change the mind of some people.
"I think that people have those types of opinions, but I know that what's real and what's not real, and I really can't worry about that," Jericho said. "People that hate you are going to hate you no matter what you do. I could have a match called four stars by Dave Meltzer and then it'll get a two on Cagematch just because it's me, they're not even watching what I'm doing. They're just like, 'We hate this guy.' I can't worry about that, all I worry about is the fanbase that I have, which is massive, and bringing in new fans. People that hate you, there's nothing you can do."
Fans jokingly called any storyline Jericho was involved in the "Jericho Vortex," where wrestlers who have gained momentum go when the ROH World Champion begins working with them. However, this phrase has since been used by Jericho multiple times on TV as a way to turn the backlash he gets from fans into an overall net positive.
Please credit "Gabby AF" when using quotes from this article, and give a H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
