Adam Copeland gives his honest opinion on Chris Jericho's current run in AEW
Chris Jericho has been one of AEW's most prominent talents since the company was founded in 2019. The 53-year-old has evolved along with the young promotion and is currently leaning into fan pessimism, which WWE Hall of Famer Adam Copeland admires.
Copeland is currently out of action after suffering a fractured tibia at AEW Double or Nothing late last month. The Rated-R Superstar was on a hot run with the TNT Championship, but he's now being forced to take time off, and he's evaluating how things might look when he returns.
Copeland recently appeared on The Busted Open Radio and discussed the need to stay relevant. The WWE Hall of Famer praised Chris Jericho's knack for reinventing himself and discussed The Learning Tree's current gimmick.
"Right now, I’m watching [Chris] Jericho, and man, he’s so much fun to watch. He’s recreated himself again. He’s leaned into what the naysayers have said, and he’s took it and run, and now he’s bringing Bryan Keith and Big Bill with him. He’s the perfect person to bring those two guys along and get them the spotlight, get their character," said Copeland.
The Rated-R Superstar also praised Bryan Keith and Big Bill, who have joined Chris Jericho's new stable:
"Clearly, they can both do character work. Bryan Keith, he might be one of my favorite characters all of a sudden. I love it. Then here’s this seven-foot, 300-pound ripped dude being professor positive. I love it. So there’s something to recreation, I just don’t know if this is the instance for that with me," Copeland stated. [H/T: Fightful]
Dave Meltzer comments on rumors of Chris Jericho having creative control in AEW
AEW fans are split on Chris Jericho's current character. There was a sense among the fanbase that The Ocho had been overexposed and needed to take some time off, but as the grumbling grew louder, Jericho leaned into it.
The result was The Learning Tree, a meta gimmick in which Jericho intentionally does many of the things fans have been complaining about. When a fan mentioned on X (formerly Twitter) that Jericho is able to do this because he has creative control, The Wrestling Observer's Dave Meltzer chimed in to refute the claim:
"As far as I know, nobody has creative control but Tony Khan. Jericho has input though, no different from Roman Reigns or Drew McIntyre having inputs," Dave Meltzer wrote.
Jericho is the reigning FTW Champion and looks to be gaining steam as his stable grows. However, not all fans have come around to the new persona, and it remains to be seen whether the 53-year-old will find success with The Learning Tree or be forced to reinvent himself once again.