By James Caldwell, PWTorch assistant editor

WWE star Chris Jericho confirmed his departure from WWE after Summerslam in an interview with the Austin Chronicle promoting Tuesday night's Smackdown TV taping in Austin and promoting Fozzy's new "Sin and Bons" record.

Jericho, whose last advertised date is next Monday's Raw after Summerslam, told the Austin Chronicle that he feels like he's in the best shape of his career and would continue with WWE if not for Fozzy's touring schedule and a new album that he's excited about.

"I feel great. I'm enjoying this run, and if I didn't have a tour and a record coming out, I would stay. It's not like I can't wait to leave - in fact, it's the complete opposite. I'm a little sad to leave, in one way, but super-excited by the reason why I'm leaving," Jericho said.

"I like the idea of passing the torch along and passing the experience along. That's the way I was trained. I grew up in Japan, and that's how they do it. Old guys teach the young guys, and that's the way it is. The business is more important than any single individual, and I've always felt that way. Haven't always been treated that way, but I've always felt that way."

Jericho's final opponent is Dolph Ziggler, who was not Jericho's originally scheduled final opponent on the way out the door.

"I didn't request to work with Ziggler," Jericho said. "At first, I thought it was Sheamus, than I was supposed to work with Daniel Bryan, and then they just told me, okay, you're working with Ziggler. I said, 'Great.' I will work with anybody, and I will do the absolute best I can to help that. I've been through this before."

Jericho said he feels like the younger stars "need guys to work with" because they lack the experience from his generation. "That's sounding egotistical, but after 22 years of being in this business, but there's nobody in this company who's been in the business longer - except for Undertaker. I've been wrestling longer than Kane, I've been wrestling longer than Triple H."

Jericho continued, "This will be the third time that I've left, and this may make people mad, but I've never been just a wrestler. I'm an entertainer. I do a lot of different things in that realm. I don't put myself in a box when it comes. So when I get a chance to work with a guy like Ziggler, I know what I can do with him. I know how good he is. He just needs somebody to help him. And, when I'm putting together matches or doing promos with these guys, things that I just see as basics, they still haven't figured out yet. That's not a bad thing. That's just the experience difference, and that's why I can help, and I think that's why I can come and go from the WWE for years to come."

Jericho said the crop of upcoming talent makes him "excited about the prospect of coming back" to WWE during his next break from touring with Fozzy and producing records.

"As for future guys here, Ziggler's one of them for sure. The Miz is another. I think Damien Sandow, against anything that I expected, has been doing great, and I think he's got a great upside," Jericho said. "I think there's quite a few guys where things are looking up, because the WWE is a talent-driven business. Guys are going to come and go, but the ones who are going to stick are the ones who are going to be carrying this company on their backs in the future."

Link: Jericho's full interview discussing Fozzy, traveling for WWE alone versus in a group with Fozzy, and other topics can be found at AustinChronicle.com - http://bit.ly/Pj19xs .

[Torch art credit Travis Beaven (c) PWTorch.com]

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