Chris Jericho Defending ROH Title Against Surprise Name (SPOILER)

Chris Jericho let his mouth run away with itself and now he’ll be defending his ROH World Title against someone not even signed to Tony Khan’s companies.

Chris Jericho won the ROH World Championship for the second time in his career when he defeated Mark Briscoe for the gold in a Ladder War on the 23rd of October edition of AEW Dynamite. Jericho has already defended his title against NJPW’s Stone Pitbull, Tomohiro Ishii and now he’ll be looking outside AEW and Ring of Honor for his next challenger as well.

At the tapings for ROH TV held after the 4th of December edition of Dynamite, Chris Jericho fronted a TV Time segment where he noted that at Final Battle he wanted to defend his title against someone from New York. After listing off the likes of Frank Sinatra and Tony Soprano, Jericho wasn’t ready for the surprise that was in store for him.

Chris Jericho Better Be Alwayz Ready For ROH Final Battle

Former WWE star Matt Cardona made his way to the ring with Chris Jericho harking back to his past as he began to say “If it isn’t Zack…” Cardona quickly cut him off before telling Jericho “Zack is dead. The man who’s going to beat you at Final Battle is Matt Cardona.”

Since leaving his Zack Ryder days behind, Matt Cardona has made a name for himself on the independent scene, mainly in GCW. The timing of his return to a promotion under Tony Khan’s ownership is interesting, as AEW pulled Ricky Starks from GCW shows following controversial comments made by GCW star Effy.

Cardona appeared on AEW Collision back in March 2024 when he challenged his old stablemate Adam Copeland for the TNT Championship.