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Dean Ambrose vs. Chris Jericho
These guys haven't been too friendly with each other ever since Night of Champions 2015. But nobody remembers that far back, so instead they are feuding over a talk show.
The Road to Payback
Chris Jericho was on top of the world after defeating "The Phenomenal" AJ Styles at WrestleMania 32. Y2J was in such a celebratory mood on the April 7th edition of Smackdown that he decided to prematurely start his entrance to the ring while The Lunatic Fringe was still walking back up the ramp after a win over Tyler Breeze. This subtle sign of disrespect did not sit well with Ambrose.
Jericho's ego only got more out of control the next week as he decided to interview himself on The Highlight Reel. He proceeded to flaunt all of his career accomplishments and talked himself up as an unmatched deity of the professional wrestling business.
That's when Dean Ambrose crashed the party and rearranged Jericho's talk show set with his own decorations and potted plant. Chris Jericho's world suddenly crumbled around him as he discovered that stupid idiot Shane McMahon decided to cancel The Highlight Reel and replace it with The Ambrose Asylum:
Ambrose and Jericho spent the next week arguing about Y2J's legendary status in WWE as well as his 750 dollar pieces of clothing. But the fun and games all came to a halt at the end of the April 18th edition of Raw when Chris Jericho laid out Dean Ambrose with a Codebreaker right after Ambrose defeated Kevin Owens in the main event.
On the April 25th episode of Raw, Dean Ambrose decided to retire his talk show host tie for one night as he verbally ripped Jericho apart for his over-inflated ego and pathetic attempts at demanding respect. Chris Jericho responded to this rant by insisting Ambrose apologize for not understanding how simply standing in the same ring with the great Chris Jericho is a huge honor.
The two men ended up in a brawl outside the ring that resulted in Jericho unleashing the most devastating of his 1004 holds: Walls of Jericho on a table!
What's at stake?
Bragging rights are on the line as Chris Jericho tries to prove once again that he is the best in the world at everything he does. Dean Ambrose is still scuffling a bit after his loss to Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 32, and a big win over Y2J could be just the thing he needs to get back on track for future opportunities at championship gold.
Beyond that, perhaps this match could also offer some insight as to which man is the more effective talk show host.
Tune into Payback and keep it here on Cageside Seats to see which man emerges victorious!