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Chris Jericho has stepped up to galore challenges successful her master wrestling career, and, successful immoderate situations, had nan likelihood stacked against him and succeeded clip and clip again.
The All Elite Wrestling (AEW) prima precocious brought a caller group of challengers to nan spotlight successful a documentary he produced called "Vietslam." The movie showcases nan emergence of Vietnam Pro Wrestling (VPW) and really pro wrestling fans from nan Asian state were capable to get their ain institution started to unify a organization that was starved for nan sport.
"Vietslam" follows really pro wrestling fans successful nan state were capable to person nan Vietnamese authorities to let nan athletics to beryllium featured successful nan country, starting from almost thing to building a rabid assemblage that only really watched WWE aliases AEW connected TV.
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Chris Jericho attends nan All Elite Wrestling sheet during New York Comic Con astatine Jacob Javits Center successful New York City. (Noam Galai/Getty Images for WarnerMedia Company)
"On ‘Talk is Jericho,’ I sewage a random petition done an email from a pro wrestling group successful Vietnam," Jericho explained to Fox News Digital successful a caller interview. "And I'd done a fewer episodes astir wrestling successful different parts of nan world, for illustration China and nan Inuit successful northern, bluish Canada areas, truthful I thought it'd beryllium absorbing to talk to nan guys and erstwhile I talked to them, it was a Vietnamese feline called Rocky and a Canadian feline called Carrie who had moved to Vietnam, and they had benignant of, against each odds, started a wrestling company. There wasn't wrestling successful Vietnam. There wasn't moreover a wrestling ringing successful Vietnam and nan authorities didn't moreover cognize what wrestling was because they had to get nan permits because evidently it's a very strict authorities there.
"But they went and followed their dreams and followed nan bosom and followed nan passion and started up a wrestling institution successful Vietnam that ended up becoming reasonably successful. And I conscionable thought, really absorbing is this, not conscionable from a humanity standpoint of these guys going and pursuing this crazy dream, but besides nan truth that pro wrestling connects nan cultures of nan West and nan East. We each emotion wrestling here. We cognize what it is. Most of nan country, Japan and England and Ireland and Scotland, etc., etc., etc., but Vietnam, what moreover is Vietnam successful 2026, you know, because I deliberation we still equate it pinch nan movies that we spot astir nan warfare of your ‘Platoon’ and ‘Full Metal Jacket’ and those types of things. So, I thought, really absorbing is it that pro wrestling is benignant of nan communal denominator betwixt our cultures. That is thing that we tin spot oculus to oculus on. And that's benignant of wherever nan thought came to do a documentary astir them."
Jericho said nan statement of Vietnam Pro Wrestling and nan difficult activity coupled pinch nan magnitude of activity that it took to moreover build a ringing showcased the unifying aspect of nan athletics – thing that goes measurement overlooked if anyone only knew astir pro wrestling from seeing clips and talking points being debated connected societal media.
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Chris Jericho is introduced during nan AEW Dynamite Beach Break taping astatine nan Wolstein Center successful Cleveland, Ohio. (Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
While pro wrestling has a inclination to beryllium tribalistic online, logging disconnected for a spot could do a batch of group justice. "Vietslam" showed really nan good-willed quality of group tin bring group together, capitalizing connected a kernel of an thought and turning it into thing that everyone tin link with.
"But I benignant of find that though, Ryan, is erstwhile you get disconnected of societal media, you recognize that astir fans aren't for illustration that. Those are conscionable nan vocal number that want to beryllium tribalistic and want to beryllium antagonistic astir everything and you can't really spell connected that," Jericho said. "So, I mean, yeah, erstwhile again, I'm judge there's group successful Vietnam that that dislike VPW and say, ‘This is thing for illustration American wrestling, this sucks,’ and it's for illustration they person nary thought nan magnitude of difficult activity these guys put into moreover putting connected a show. And it's nan aforesaid for anybody. Anybody that's ever stepped successful nan ring, it's very difficult to get successful nan ringing and wrestle. It really is. The different night, erstwhile again, ne'er mind nan cut, but 102 degrees outside. I mean, anybody that's bitching astir thing astir wrestling, spell do that and spot really overmuch you b----ing, right?
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"So, I that doesn't fuss me. I conscionable deliberation what it really showed maine and you know, this is simply a wrestling story, but it's truthful overmuch much than that. It's really astir nan quality desire to do awesome things and nan occurrence that we each person wrong to make thing hap and going up going up against nan government, man. I mean, this is not nan United States wherever you and I tin just, hey, let's put connected a show tomorrow night. We rent an arena, we do it. It’s not for illustration that there, It's a very strict socialist almost communist authorities successful a batch of ways and you're not allowed to conscionable do immoderate you want."
Jericho explained that those progressive pinch Vietnam Pro Wrestling had to person nan Vietnamese authorities that pro wrestling was much for illustration a creation regular alternatively than a combat athletics for illustration MMA.
"So, they had to person nan authorities that what they were doing was a show, for illustration a creation routine," he said. "So, if we tin spell to a creation workplace wherever they do creation routines to put connected a show, we should beryllium capable to person our ain show because we're conscionable doing a performance. And they're like, ‘Oh, OK. So, you're not really going to, you know, you're not really going to wounded each other.’ It's like, ‘Well, no, it's a show.’ And erstwhile nan authorities understood that, they allowed them to do it.
"But I mean, these are conscionable normal group going up against nan authorities of Vietnam to get a licence to put connected a wrestling show. That's beautiful intricate, heavy worldly that took a batch of clip to make happen. So, each of these things was 1 of nan reasons aliases each contributed to nan reasons why I wanted to do this documentary because I conscionable felt it was a awesome communicative to show connected truthful galore different aspects."
Jericho added that to person immoderate power complete nan pro wrestling segment successful nan Asian state meant a batch to him and he was capable to astonishment immoderate of nan wrestlers and nan fans progressive pinch nan promotion for 1 show.
Chris Jericho attends nan "Margo's Got Money Troubles" premiere during nan SXSW Conference & Festivals astatine Paramount Theatre successful Austin, Texas, connected March 12, 2026. (Travis P. Ball/SXSW Conference & Festivals via Getty Images)
"Yeah, it intends a lot. When you perceive World Wrestling Entertainment, WWE, and moving location for truthful long, it really does spell astir nan world," he told Fox News Digital. "And now pinch AEW arsenic well, we're successful 100 countries, too. So, you tin conscionable spot that group watch and particularly now, I mean, they tin watch you connected YouTube, they tin watch you connected Netflix aliases connected this level aliases that platform. It's not arsenic difficult to see. You don't person to hold ‘til Sunday nighttime astatine 8 o’clock connected your section transmission to watch, but you tin do that arsenic well. So, it really, it really was humbling, I conjecture you'd say, and surreal erstwhile I did spell to Vietnam and astonishment Rocky and nan remainder of nan wrestlers that were there, they went nuts. Like, they virtually went nuts. It'd beryllium for illustration if, I don't know, if Mick Jagger walked done nan doorway correct now, you'd beryllium like, what? They couldn't judge it because their dream had travel true. And that's not conscionable to meet me, but I benignant of represented, I think, what WWE meant to them successful that present comes Chris Jericho.
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"And location were a batch of large Chris Jericho fans, too, but besides nan dream of pro wrestling. Like, we person now gotten capable of a sanction to wherever 1 of our heroes is present opinionated successful beforehand of america watching america wrestle. And that's a beautiful cool feeling. They knew that location was a documentary being made, but they didn't cognize that I was there. And erstwhile we amazed them pinch that truth and past amazed nan fans pinch that truth later connected successful nan evening, it conscionable benignant of showed erstwhile again really cosmopolitan pro wrestling is. It's not astir a country. It's astir a emotion and astir a camaraderie that that we person arsenic wrestling fans. It doesn't matter wherever you're from, you mentioned earlier what style, doesn't matter what style it is, doesn't matter what state it's in, pro wrestling is pro wrestling. And you tin do it successful a section successful Africa, which we've seen. You tin do it connected creation mats successful Vietnam, aliases you tin do it successful a stadium successful nan United States. But it each equates to nan aforesaid point of conscionable loving nan business and having this passion for it."
"Vietslam" will beryllium released connected Tuesday connected Prime Video, Fandango, Hoopla and Local Now and Aug. 6 connected Tubi.
Ryan Gaydos is simply a elder editor for Fox News Digital.
