Image: WWE
AEW star Chris Jericho is set to make his first appearance on WWE-produced programming since 2018.
WWE announced today that Jericho will be the next guest on Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Sessions. The episode will premiere on Peacock in the United States and the WWE Network everywhere else on Sunday, April 11. It will air on the live stream following the second night of WrestleMania 37.
The WWE Network’s Twitter account had teased the announcement yesterday by posting a 24-hour Austin-themed countdown clock with audio from the countdown clock that was featured in Jericho’s WWE entrance music.
In an interview with Sports Illustrated, Austin said the idea of having Jericho on Broken Skull Sessions came after Jericho texted him following a previous episode with The Undertaker.
“I was having a beer one night after my Broken Skull Sessions interview with The Undertaker aired, and out of the blue, Chris Jericho reached out and said, ‘Man, that was a great interview,’” Austin said. “I sent him back a couple of those emojis, one of a beer mug and the other of an eagle, and then he called me right then and there.
“We got to talking. I’ve always respected the hell out of his career, and I’m glad they’re around — it gives the guys and girls in professional wrestling more places to work. I said, ‘I’d love to have you on the show.’ And he said he’d love to do it, so I checked with Vince about it.”
Austin told Sports Illustrated about Vince McMahon approving the interview with Jericho: “I texted Vince and said we had this badass idea about Jericho coming on the show. Vince goes, ‘It’s cool. Go ahead.’ But me and Vince don’t always do well with phones and texts and all that, so I texted one more time, ‘Are you sure it’s OK to have Chris Jericho on the show?’ Vince gave me the thumbs up, and Chris came out to do the show.”
Sports Illustrated noted that AEW’s Tony Khan also gave his approval for Jericho to appear on Broken Skull Sessions.
Austin has interviewed Undertaker, Goldberg, Kane, Big Show, Bret Hart, Ric Flair, Mark Henry, Jerry Lawler, Kurt Angle, Drew McIntyre, Bayley, Sasha Banks, and Randy Orton on past Broken Skull Sessions episodes, with The Undertaker appearing on the show twice.
Jericho had his final match for WWE at the Greatest Royal Rumble in 2018. He joined AEW when the promotion launched in 2019.
On this coming Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite, The Inner Circle (Jericho, Sammy Guevara, Santana, Ortiz, and Jake Hager) will appear live for the first time since MJF turned against them three weeks ago and formed his Pinnacle stable with Wardlow, FTR, Shawn Spears, and Tully Blanchard. The Inner Circle laid out The Pinnacle in a backstage angle on the most recent episode of Dynamite.