Why Arby's Offered To Help When A Wrestling Champion Had His Belt Stolen
In 2019, the newly-launched All Elite Wrestling named its very first champion, the Living Legend himself, Chris Jericho. His response to the lukewarm reception he felt his championship received, in turn, launched a meme that not only became a T-shirt-worthy Jericho catchphrase, but also a wine brand. Warm sparkling wine and cheap salami were nothing, however, compared to the diss he'd receive a day later when he lost the belt again – not to another wrestler, but to whoever stole it out of his limo.
Jericho posted about the theft on his Twitter, announcing that he'd be sponsoring a "worldwide investigation" to find out what happened to his belt, something that WTXL-Tallahassee reported was valued at nearly $30,000. Before he was able to regain it, however, he got some "help" from an unexpected quarter. As Arby's tweeted in response to the unfolding situation, "Hey @IAmJericho, heard some Judas stole your championship belt. We've got plenty of cardboard... want a new one? "
Jericho didn't need any help from Arby's
Twitter was not amused by Arby's attempt at witticism. One user posted a gif of Jericho delivering another one of his famous catchphrases: "You just made the list!" Another posed the question, "Did Arby's just turn heel?" while quite a few tweets replying to Arby's claimed that the restaurant's food is strangely reminiscent of the aforementioned cardboard. As for Le Champion (a Cracker Barrel man, himself), he politely declined Arby's offer. As he replied to their tweet, "Hey @arbys, I'm all good. Save the cardboard to make your sandwiches..."
In case you're wondering, the story did have a happy ending – for Jericho, if not for the roast beef chain. By the very next day, following Jericho's original announcement and his interchange with Arby's, he tweeted another video showing the belt back in his possession. While we may never know who was responsible for relieving Jericho of his belt the first time around, it's a matter of public record who "stole" it again some six months later: that would be Jon Moxley, the 2nd-ever AEW World Champion and a man who coincidentally (or not?!?) once had his portrait painted in Arby's barbecue sauce.