After receiving criticism for dedicating his New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) match against Kenny Omega to deceased professional wrestler Chris Benoit, Chris Jericho responded to the flak in a video he uploaded on Instagram.
Jericho stirred up controversy in the build up to his bout against Omega in Japan after he shared a fan-made portrait of himself along with deceased wrestlers Eddie Guerrero and Benoit on Instagram. While Guerrero, who died of an underlying heart disease, remains to be beloved by wrestling fans, Benoit is still a controversial personality in professional wrestling after he killed his wife and son before taking his own life in 2007.
While some still remember Benoit for his successful wrestling career, many believe that his legacy should be erased because of what he did in the final stretch of his life. Despite the backlash, Jericho stood firm on his decision to share the image and responded to the critics in an Instagram clip shared by Cageside Seats.
"Yeah I know what Chris did. I think about it every single day," Jericho said. "I was involved more than any one of you were so trust me, I understand the horrible, horrible events that took place. I'll never forgive it, I'll never understand it – but I have my reasons for doing what I'm doing, so don't anybody tell me, don't anybody make smart*** remarks about what I say and what I do."
Jericho added that he contemplates about the loss of Benoit's wife and son everyday and ends the video by saying that he will never talk about the issue again.
Jericho and Benoit teamed with each other on several occasions and held the the tag team championship titles together. According to Daily Star, the WWE removed Benoit's name from all the records after the incident in 2007.
The NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 12 pay-per-view event will take place on Jan. 4 at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan.
