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After all, it was in October 1990 when the Winnipeg native made his in-ring debut taking on Calgary\u2019s Lance Storm in a 10-minute time-limit draw at the Moose Hall in Ponoka, AB, a small town just one hour south of Edmonton.<\/p>\n
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So as the 52-year-old pro wrestling icon<\/span> prepares to make his All Elite Wrestling (AEW) debut in Alberta at Edmonton\u2019s Rogers Place Wednesday, he can\u2019t help but think back on those earlier \u201cgood ol\u2019 days\u201d of his career.<\/p>\n\u201cThe world was, kind of, your oyster and you didn\u2019t know for sure what your fate was going to be and would you really make it, or when your next match was going to come,\u201d Jericho told Postmedia, as he awaited a transfer flight to Edmonton from Toronto\u2019s Pearson Airport Tuesday. \u201cYou really had to hustle back then. You didn\u2019t know for sure what was going to happen but it was exciting along the way no matter what.<\/p>\n
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\u201cI\u2019ve never been jaded \u2014 I still appreciate every single thing I do \u2014 but back then, you were super appreciative even more because you had a match. \u2018Oh my God, I get to go to Ponoka, Alberta!\u2019 I had never been to Ponoka before, never been there since, I don\u2019t think. But just to go there for a match it just seemed like wrestling in Madison Square Garden, even though it was the Ponoka Moose Hall.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\n AEW Dynamite, Rampage coming to Edmonton’s Rogers Place this summer <\/span> <\/h3>\n<\/li>\n- \n
AEW wrestler Anthony Bowens thrilled viral \u2018I\u2019m gay\u2019 moment \u2018struck a chord\u2019 <\/span> <\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\nAfter spending more than a decade with WWE, and wrestling in Japan, Jericho announced he was \u201cAll in\u201d with AEW, an <\/span>upstart pro-wrestling promotion founded in 2019 by owner Tony Khan. He quickly became the cornerstone of the newborn company and was crowned AEW\u2019s first-ever world champion.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\nAdvertisement 4<\/h2>\n
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Wednesday will mark the tenth time Jericho has been to Edmonton \u2014 his last match in Alberta\u2019s capital was nearly seven years ago in a losing effort to then WWE-superstar Cesaro, who now wrestles in AEW under the name Claudio Castagnoli.<\/p>\n
Pro wrestler Chris Jericho, left, stares down Sting, right, during an episode of AEW Dynamite. All Elite Wrestling will make its Alberta debut at Edmonton\u2019s Rogers Place on Wednesday, July 5.<\/span> Photo by Supplied photo<\/span> \/All Elite Wrestling<\/span> <\/p>\nWith more than 30 years of pro wrestling experience, Jericho has truly done and seen it all.<\/p>\n
And yet, Wednesday will mark another first for Jericho when he makes his Rogers Place debut. It\u2019s an area he\u2019s come to know quite well after spending some time last year in downtown Edmonton\u2019s Ice District while filming a wrestling-themed horror movie called \u2018Dark Match\u2019 with Edmonton studio production company, Dept.9 Studios.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was really impressed with just how beautiful it was as far as the hotels and the arena,\u201d said Jericho. \u201cIt seems like Edmonton has done a really nice upgrade over the years to make it a much more metropolis and higher-class area.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Article content<\/h2>\nCalgary Connection<\/h2>\n
Alberta wrestling is undoubtedly synonymous with Calgary-based Stampede Wrestling and the Hart family. Jericho has been described as the last graduate, or survivor, of Stu Hart\u2019s dungeon, which produced countless pro wrestling stars including brothers Bret and Owen Hart.<\/p>\n
However, Jericho maintains Edmonton is a \u201cbadly kept secret\u201d for how great it is as a pro wrestling city, thanks in large part to its rabid fan base.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt might be a little controversial to say, but if you take the Harts and Stampede Wrestling away from the Calgary scene I think in this day and age Edmonton is a way better wrestling city than Calgary is,\u201d Jericho said. \u201cIt\u2019s always been an arena-level attraction. I know for the ticket sales, we have the two shows that are coming up, Edmonton is outpacing Calgary quite a bit.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo to be debuting at Rogers Place is not lost on me. I did so many shows at the Northlands Coliseum, which was great, but after a while, it\u2019s the house that Gretzky built in the late 70s and early 80s and it\u2019s time maybe to build something new.\u201d<\/p>\n
AEW\u2019s Canadian tour will culminate at the Scotiabank Saddledome for a live, televised episode of AEW Collision during the Calgary Stampede on Saturday, July 15.<\/p>\n
On Twitter: @TrevorRobb_<\/p>\n
Email: trobb@postmedia.com\u00a0<\/p>\n
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