XWL.com Exclusive: Chris Jericho talks about last week and Final Stand

*The following video interview was posted on XWL's website XWL.com earlier today. The World Heavyweight Champion, Chris Jericho is shown in an undisclosed location. Jericho appears to be as smug and as confident as ever. An off-screen interviewer is also present, which we are made aware of by the opening dialogue coming from him.*

[Interviewer]
Chris Jericho, thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to sit down with us for this XWL.com exclusive. Last week, you were the special guest referee for a match between Joey Ryan and Triple H. Both men at the time were your contenders for Final Stand, and you were scheduled to defend your World Heavyweight Championship against them. Ultimately, you called it right down the middle and it was Joey Ryan who walked out victorious. Once the match was over, everyone expected you to make a statement and take out whoever it was that was declared the winner and your sole contender for Final Stand, but instead, you walked away. Was it an act of self preservation on your part, knowing full well that Triple H could recover at any moment and you could be on the receiving end of a beatdown from both men? Or was there some other underlying reason that you simply walked away?



[Chris Jericho]
Interesting... it's interesting to see how people of irrelevance observe and interpret my actions. No, it wasn't an act of self-preservation. I wasn't scared. I wasn't afraid that Triple H would recover and both he and Joey Ryan would attack me. I could take out both men easily enough, that wouldn't have been a problem. I walked away, because I already have what I want in a few short weeks at Final Stand. I have an opportunity to dim Joey Ryan's spotlight and kick him right back to the curb where he belongs. Why would I ruin that by attacking him from behind? I'll do it face-to-face, man-to-man in Atlanta. I want to see Joey Ryan's emotions run wild, and I want to see the nerves kick in when he stands across the ring, looking into my eyes, and knowing full well that he stands a snowball's chance in hell of walking out victorious.

[Interviewer]
And what about Triple H? Nobody expects him to take this lying down...



[Chris Jericho]
What about Triple H? He was undeserving of the opportunity from the start, just like Ryan. I don't care if he had it all snatched away from him at the last moment. There's nothing he can do about it now, so he can go home and mope over his loss for another month just like he did when I defeated him at Uprising. I can only thank the ingenuity of Vickie Guerrero for making last week possible, and for making my job at Final Stand that much easier. Now I only have to focus on one guy, instead of worrying about the two of them ending the match and robbing me of my World Heavyweight title without me being involved in the pinfall or submission. Last week, something finally swayed in the favour of Chris Jericho after all the months of conspiracies and injustices by XWL management, and I can only thank Vickie for that.

[Interviewer]
You seem to be underestimating Joey Ryan. He has been on something of a roll as of late.



[Chris Jericho]
I'm not underestimating Joey Ryan, because I know Joey Ryan better than anyone. That might surprise you, but I seem to be the only one who can see past his veil of lies and his barriers of deceit. And what I see, is a mediocre performer, living in a fantasy world. Joey Ryan is delusional, because somewhere along the way he has bought into his own lies and he honestly believes he is as good as he says. He thinks he's this big shot star with limitless potential, but the reality is that he's just a regular man, with no distinguishing qualities at all. How he has got this far in the business is beyond me, but at Final Stand, I will expose Joey Ryan as the fraud that he is. He should be nowhere near the main event scene, let alone the World Heavyweight title and I will not allow him to tarnish it's greatness.



[Chris Jericho]
I can see the surprise and the doubt in your eyes right now about what I'm saying. But you're wrong. Anybody who thinks Joey Ryan has a chance at Final Stand are sadly mistaken, and will be proven wrong when I show him up for the mediocre performer that he is in 2 short weeks. I say I am the best in the world for a reason. It's not a gimmick, I don't need to wear a t-shirt or have anyone else proclaim it. Because I know it. I am the best in the world. It's that simple. The World Heavyweight Championship emphasizes that fact. If you want to doubt me, go ahead. Because nothing can stop the inevitable. Joey Ryan is not in my league and at Final Stand there will only be one victor and that will be me. Not only will it be a victory but it will be an overwhelming undeniable display of unprecedented skill and dominance. I guarantee it.

*The screen fades to black as the video comes to an end.*