"He was a useless character in WWE" - Chris Jericho explains how AEW reinvented stars to aid its meteoric rise
Former WWE Superstar Chris Jericho recently shared his thoughts about the reasons for AEW's rise over the last few years.
The Wizard was one of the first wrestlers signed into the new Promotion back in 2019. As expected, he initially helped AEW to build up from the ground, and took the initiative to put over the younger talents above him.
On the latest episode of Geordie Podcast, the former WWE star revealed his thoughts on how he tried to keep people interested in the young promotion early on.
"When we started AEW, it was solely on my back. I really believe that because if you look at the roster, unless you were a hardcore wrestling fan, no one f*cking knew any of those guys. (...) I have three-to-six months to make as many stars as I can, because if not, I can’t — as great as I am and as great as I think I am, if I’m the only guy on the show for six months and the only star, it’s gonna die." (H/T: WrestlingHeadlines)
He continued and further explained how he reinvented former WWE characters for AEW.
"Think about Cody when AEW started, he was not the Cody that he is now. Nobody knew who Kenny Omega was, Darby Allin, Scorpio Sky. [Jon] Moxley, he was not the guy that he is now when he came into our company. (...) Who’s Sammy Guevara? I didn’t know how Santana, Ortiz was. Jake Hager was not the guy he is now. He was a useless character in WWE. So we built these stars in three months and that’s when we got a television deal for $160 million for four years."
Is Chris Jericho the best wrestler in #AEW?
#AEWDynamite #TonyKhan #ChrisJericho https://t.co/ieGi4nZt6u
Jericho has certainly been a massive help in the rise of the promotion. It remains to be seen what else he has planned for AEW in the coming weeks.
The former WWE star is currently in a feud with Eddie Kingston
In a rivalry that has spanned more than three months now, Jericho is still in a heated feud with Eddie Kingston.
While Eddie Kingston defeated Jericho's faction and his allies in a Blood and Guts match, the Mad King missed out on making the Wizard submit. This has apparently left him unsatisfied.
After the Jericho Appreciation Society attacked Ruby Soho last week, Kingston proclaimed that he was going to make the former WWE star bleed soon.
Last week @MadKing1981 vowed to make @IAmJericho bleed for the vicious attack on @realrubysoho, & challenged him to a Barbed Wire Death match with the JAS suspended in a shark cage. TOMORROW we’ll hear from Jericho LIVE on #AEWDynamite #FyterFest at 8pm ET/7pm CT on TBS! https://t.co/jn8JjctnJW
As of now, there is no sign that the feud between the Wizard and the Mad King will stop. Fans will have to stay tuned to see what happens next between the two ruthless wrestlers.