Chris Jericho Addresses Those Nasty ‘Please Retire’ Chants

Fans better put some respect on The Learning Tree's abs.

Feb 22, 2023; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Chris Jericho appears during AEW Dynamite at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports / Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Chris Jericho has a body of work few professional wrestlers can boast of. 

He’s won titles in every major wrestling organization of the modern era. He beat The Rock and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin on the same night to capture the Undisputed WWE Championship (and he won’t let you forget about it). And, at 53 years young, he has … abs?

Despite the decades of wrestling goodwill Jericho has built, there’s a particularly mean chant AEW fans have been peppering The Learning Tree with lately: “Please retire.”

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Jericho addressed those chants (and his age-defying abs) in an August 21 interview with UK-based The Daily Star. “Three years ago, those same people that are chanting ‘please retire’ were saying Jericho’s the greatest of his generation," Jericho said.

Lionheart also spoke to the idea that he has “go-away heat” which, for the uninitiated, is a kind of heat that denotes the audience hating a performer’s attendance as opposed to their character.

“Look at the ratings every week. I mean, not every week, but I’d say 80 percent of the time my segment goes up. It’s one of the biggest gainers on the show,” Jericho said.

Unfortunately for Jericho, most fans don’t pay close attention to ratings trends. They do, however, pay attention to what gets under a heel’s skin. The “please retire” chants seem to be doing just that.   

“I’ve got a six-pack, and I can do a moonsault, and I know exactly what I’m doing in the ring,” Jericho said. “I know how to write storylines. I like the company I work for. I like my boss. I like the guys and girls in the company. Why would I want to retire? What’s the point? Just because somebody told me to? F*** off.”

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Jericho is defending the FTW Championship against Hook at AEW’s massive All In event this Sunday inside Wembley Stadium. The good news for Jericho is that even if the championship slips from his waist, fans will only get a better look at his goated six-pack.