Nick Wayne defeated Chris Jericho at AEW WrestleDream on Saturday to win their three-match series 2-1.
The 21-year-old scored the pin with a small package after a closing sequence in which both wrestlers attempted to outmaneuver one another with low blows.
Wayne made his entrance with new music and graphics before Jericho immediately took the fight outside. Jericho sent Wayne into the barricade and later dropped him with a Death Valley Driver onto the steel steps.
Wayne responded with a moonsault to the floor and later hit a 450 splash for a near fall. Jericho twice applied the Walls of Jericho, with Wayne reaching the ropes on the first occasion and escaping the second.
During the closing minutes, Wayne shoved referee Bryce Remsburg aside and attempted a low blow. Jericho showed that he had anticipated the tactic by revealing an athletic cup beneath his gear.
Jericho struck Wayne with the cup until Remsburg confiscated it. With the referee disposing of the object, Jericho then delivered a low blow of his own.
Wayne avoided the ensuing Judas Effect by collapsing to the mat. When Jericho attempted to pull him back up, Wayne caught him in a small package for the three-count.
Afterward, Wayne took the microphone and emphasized that “Nick Wayne beat Chris Jericho,” with pyro going off as he celebrated up the entrance ramp.
The match completed a rivalry that began during the summer after tensions between the two developed following the All In Casino Gauntlet.
Jericho won their first match on the September 16 Dynamite with a roll-up. Wayne evened the series by defeating Jericho on Collision: Grand Slam France on October 10, leading AEW to book the rubber match for WrestleDream.
