Chris Jericho Vs. Jungle Boy Will Not Be A Title Match, Why Some Fans Were Confused
On the most recent AEW Dynamite, AEW World Champion Chris Jericho said he was contractually obligated to have one more match in 2019, but he would get to pick his opponent. Many fans assumed that Jericho would be defending his title, as AEW has not had any non-title matches yet. Also, while reading through a list of potential opponents, Jericho mentioned Cody Rhodes and said that he wouldn't face him because "he can't", a reference that Cody could not wrestle for the World title again following his loss to Jericho at Full Gear last month. If the match is non-title, then there is no reason that Jericho couldn't face Cody.
The official AEW website seemed to think that Jericho was referring to his next match as being a title defense, as in their recap of the episode they wrote, "Le Champion said AEW is forcing him to have one more title defense this year."
As Jericho continued listing names that he would not want to face, Jurassic Express came out to the ring and it was Jungle Boy who wanted Jericho. Jungle Boy ended up breaking his silence, saying he could hang with Jericho and would "kick his ass." The challenger then slapped the champ in the face.
Sitting currently at 0-8, it would make sense for Jericho to take on someone with one of the worst records in AEW. However, it would not make sense for AEW to allow for a situation to occur where a winless wrestler could get a title match given the importance of wins and losses in the promotion. During the build up for his match against Jericho at Full Gear, Cody noted that he could be pulled from it if he suffered a loss.
While it wasn't specified that if the match was for the title or not, Cody clarified on Twitter that it would be a non-title match.
"It's not a title shot. Gonna be a great match though, friend," Cody wrote to a fan who questioned why Jungle Boy (with his poor record) was getting a crack at the championship.
Jericho will face Jungle Boy on December 18 at the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, Texas.
It's not a title shot. Gonna' be a great match though friend.
— Cody Rhodes (@CodyRhodes) December 7, 2019