Chris Jericho has shared concerns about the long-term impact of today’s increasingly physical wrestling style, particularly when it comes to career longevity.
Speaking to gameshub.com, Jericho reflected on his own durability and questioned whether many modern wrestlers will be able to sustain similarly lengthy careers.
“What worries me about the guys working today is here I am at 55, 35 years in, with still some career left to go. I don’t know if it’s a year, two years, four years — I’m not sure. But I don’t know how many of the guys working now will have the option to go 35 years. Hopefully all of them. But you can already see what serious injuries do — a bad neck surgery changes everything.”
He pointed to the current emphasis on high-impact wrestling as a potential issue, especially when it comes at the expense of character work.
“The longevity may be harder to sustain when there’s so much emphasis on the physical at the expense of charisma and character.”
Jericho also recalled a pivotal early-career moment that changed how he approached risk inside the ring.
“I remember the first time I ever got hurt. I thought I was invincible. I was in León, Mexico, did a dive over the top rope, and the guy who was supposed to catch me — a guy called Masaka — he just stepped aside. I landed on old-school bolted-down arena chairs. I messed up my arm and I thought, oh, I could actually get hurt doing this. And if a guy doesn’t want to catch you, that’s even worse.”
That experience led him to become more selective with his in-ring style, a mindset he believes is key to longevity.
“After that I started getting smart about which moves were worth the risk. The guys who figure that out early are the ones who get the longevity.”
