"That’s what really appealed to me to go there" - Chris Jericho explains major difference between AEW and WWE
While the differences between AEW and WWE appear to be plentiful, Chris Jericho mentioned a key factor that separates both companies: creative freedom.
It is well known at this point that unless a superstar is a main event-level attraction, WWE controls everything about its employees. On the other hand, Tony Khan allows his stars to pitch their ideas and tweak them if necessary.
Chris Jericho appeared on The Kurt Angle Show and discussed what separated All Elite Wrestling and WWE. To illustrate his point, the Demo God referred to his match against Kenny Omega at Wrestle Kingdom 12 in NJPW.
“I think the biggest difference right out of the gate is [AEW] is our company. That’s what really appealed to me to go there in the first place. I went to New Japan between WWE and AEW and the first match I had was with Kenny Omega in the Tokyo Dome and I remember when we did the beatdown angle for it, Kenny got color and I was like, because we can’t do color in WWE, this needs this type of intensity,” Jericho said, regarding the biggest difference between AEW and WWE.
Jericho challenged Omega for the IWGP United States Championship but was unsuccessful in his attempt. Despite the loss, the match and creative freedom reignited his love for pro wrestling.
"I was like, are you kidding me? Really? Creative control. More importantly, they trusted me to be an artist and let the artists be artists. You’ve got Kenny Omega who is the top guy in New Japan, you’ve got Chris Jericho who’s coming in, business went through the roof when the match was announced. So that kind of made me fall in love with wrestling again, the creative element of it. It was like flying live without a net, not everything is connected, you don’t have to tell the cameraman, nobody knows what you’re going to do. No one knows what you’re going to say,” Jericho continued. (h/t: WrestlingInc)
Chris Jericho returns to NJPW to challenge Kenny Omega at Wrestle Kingdom 12 in a WON 5-star match that, for a myriad of reasons, winds up becoming one of the most historically significant matches of the modern era and sets in motion a change in the wrestling landscape (2018) https://t.co/ZgxqDoDfev
Chris Jericho recently started a new faction in AEW
The Inner Circle officially imploded after the events of this week's Dynamite. The Le Champion joined forces with Jake Hager, 2point0, and Daniel Garcia to put Eddie Kingston through a table at ringside.
@IAmJericho #JAS
I made this for the JERICHO APPRECIATION SOCIETY!!! 🐐 https://t.co/TVFFt8bqsv
Eddie Kingston defeated Chris Jericho at the Revolution pay-per-view, but instead of shaking his hand on Wednesday, the former Y2J turned heel and attacked the Mad King. The new stable is known as the Jericho Appreciation Society, officially putting the Inner Circle to bed.
What are your thoughts on Jericho's revelations about the creative differences in AEW and WWE? Sound off in the comments below.