AEW star Chris Jericho claims he was "miscast" in former promotion
Chris Jericho has been a prominent name in the pro wrestling industry for decades. But many tend to forget about his early tenure with WCW. According to the veteran himself, his character was seemingly mishandled by the promotion.
While his look was unique in WCW, many fans claim that Chris Jericho wasn't presented as a threat in the company, which ultimately ruined any momentum he had. Luckily for Jericho, he'd soon debut in WWF (now WWE) and begin a run that'd put him in the same league as legends like Eddie Guerrero and Edge.
During a recent interview with Basic!, Chris Jericho pointed out why he believes his WCW run as a babyface wasn't successful.
“When I first came to WCW, I was kinda miscast. So when you see a guy coming in and slapping hands and being a good-looking guy (…) At this point, they’re like, ‘Nah, this guy’s too squeaky clean.'”
Chris Jericho vs Chris Benoit
WCW Fall Brawl: War Games
September 15, 1996 https://t.co/OMcr1bFGow
Jericho added that sometimes a wrestler needs to listen to the fans and that being a heel shouldn't oppose the audience's feelings.
“There’s only so far that you can take it and then people start really wanting to like you more, and that’s when you’ve gotta switch.” (H/T: WrestlingINC)
Cody Rhodes recently gave his thoughts on AEW Revolution 2023 and had some high praise for Chris Jericho, who he called an "absolute legend."
Missed out on last week's AEW Dynamite or Rampage? Catch up with the results right here.
Chris Jericho also gave his take on what it takes to become a successful heel in pro wrestling
Chris Jericho is considered by many to be one of the most-recognized pro wrestlers in the world, and he's had a lengthy career to back these claims. Naturally, across his storied run in the business, Y2J has been both a heel and a babyface.
Chris Jericho’s heel run back then was the best version https://t.co/ZBPl9ACfgf
Continuing in the same interview, Jericho noted that it's much easier to make the fans hate you than to earn their admiration.
“When you’re a heel, you don’t have to color inside the lines. You can do whatever you want. It’s a lot easier to make people hate you than it is to make people like you, but once they start really hating you that’s when they start to really like you.” (H/T: WrestlingINC)
The veteran's most well-received runs have notably been while he was a heel, adding some legitimacy to his recent statement.