Chris Jericho not planning for Wrestlemania
Chris Jericho today insisted he's not going to Wrestlemania - and that's just fine with him as he takes a backseat despite still being with WWE.
Wrestlemania 31 will take place at the Levi's Stadium in California on Sunday March 29 with millions watching worldwide, writes Craig Birch.
But it's unlikely viewers will be watching wrestling superstar Jericho perform, even though the 44-year-old veteran signed a 15-date deal in early 2015.
He has appeared once on television but hasn't wrestled on the box, leading some to speculate that he's being saved for the major pay-per-view event.
But the man himself insists that's not in the pipeline or something he's campaigning for despite his name value, the six-time world champion having headlined Wrestlemania 18 defending his title.
He said: "As the years go by, my commitments to WWE are becoming less and less. I have achieved all I wanted to and anything else is a bonus.
"There are no plans, at the moment, for me to go to Wrestlemania. That's not something that bothers me, to be honest.
"I have missed it before and I will miss it again, the business moves on whatever happens and that's the way it works.
"Maybe it's unfair on the guys who work every night all year round for me to just step in and take one of those spots. That's just my opinion.
"I am not really someone that wants to just turn up here and there and take the spotlight. I will do as I am asked to do."
Jericho, real name Chris Irvine, reverted to his alter ego to rock the Slade Rooms in Wolverhampton with his band Fozzy on Sunday night.
For the best part of 25 years, he's combined grappling duties with belting out numbers, even before fronting his current band since 1999.
That was the same year the company's first undisputed champion crossed over from rivals WCW and he's combined the two roles ever since.
But his passion is for the mic rather than the mat, these days, and he's more than accustomed to life in his massive tour bus, which was parked around the corner.
He loves the stage and was more happy to mingle with fans of his music, along with his obvious attributes in the ring.
He said: "I have been doing this since I was 19-years-old, I have always been involved in music and that has gone along with the wrestling.
"Like any other band, we have a tour manager who arranges where we go and I just turn up and sing, to be honest.
"I have been away from home since I was a teenager, either with the music or the wrestling. It would feel weird if I was in the house!"
