“The midsection has these actuators that connect the lower torso and to the upper torso. Scorpio nailed one of the actuators and broke it in two. Then there was this whole domino effect where the torso collapsed. The Commander was torn in two. That was a moment where I couldn’t believe I saw that. It was crazy to see him cut the robot in two. This was all really happening. There were no special effects or wires. You didn’t know what to expect.

“You actually have moments when you forget that the robots are mechanical and not human beings. The team went from a two-person team to basically a three-prong team with the tech, the jock and the robot itself. You get invested in them.”

In the middle of shooting with the Robot Combat League and touring with Fozzy, Jericho was plotting a return to WWE. The big moment came when Y2J, known to make an entrance, kicked off Royal Rumble match with Dolph Ziggler.

“Nobody knew, that’s why it was such a surprise,” Jericho said. “It’s something that rarely happens nowadays because it always gets leaked online or to one of the sheets or whatever. So I really kept it under wraps and didn’t tell anybody. It was kind of decided on back in November. I was really impressed that we were able to pull of that surprise. That is why people went bananas for it because it was legitimate surprise like when we were kids. I thought it was really, really cool that we are still able to do that.”

Jericho ended up lasting more than 47 minutes in the 30 superstar battle royal. He followed this up with stellar matches with the likes of CM Punk and Daniel Bryan.

“I have been feeling great,” Jericho said. “I feel like all the matches that I’ve been having are the best matches on the show or close to it. This is especially true the last couple of weeks working with guys like Daniel Bryan. I really like doing other things too.

“Fozzy has been doing great. We are getting ready to go to Australia and then I will come back to WWE after that. The Robot Combat League is a big opportunity. I’ve always considered myself an entertainer more than just a wrestler or just an actor or just a musician. I think it’s very beneficial to do all these other things, but still be able to come back to WWE for good chunks of time or spurts.

“That is probably going to be my career from now on. I will keep coming back as long as I feel I’m still working at the highest level that I can. It won’t be for two years, but if I come back to two or so months at a time. Then I can do that, then it gives me the opportunity to do the other projects I have going on as well.”

His next match is in the unforgiving Elimination Chamber match with five other competitors for a shot at the World title at WrestleMania in April. This Sunday will be Jericho’s eighth appearance in the chain-linked circular steel structure. If Shawn Michaels is Mr. WrestleMania, then maybe Jericho is Mr. Elimination Chamber.

“I’ve actually been in more Elimination Chamber matches than any other human being on the planet,” Jericho said. “It really has been a badge of honor for me. I really wasn’t supposed to be in that match, but Rey Mysterio got hurt, and they put me in there. It’s always great to add to your legacy. It’s one of the most hard-hitting matches you can have. I guess I’m an expert at these chamber matches so I thought, ‘Sure, let’s do it.’”