Real reason why Chris Jericho became the new ROH World Champion - Reports
Chris Jericho has had several career highlights with AEW and is arguably the biggest star on the roster. Jericho has also helped boost the profile of the All Elite sister promotion - Ring of Honor. The real reasons Jericho is now a two-time ROH World Champion were just leaked from backstage, and the story behind the title change might come as a surprise to many.
The Demo God is widely viewed as the biggest AEW Original. While he made his name in numerous top promotions around the world, Jericho did not debut for ROH until after Tony Khan bought the company in March 2022. Claudio Castagnoli was ROH's first new World Champion of the Khan era, but two months later Jericho dethroned him and held the strap for 80 days until the rematch.
Mark Briscoe's 201-day World Championship reign ended when Jericho defeated him in a Ladder War on AEW Dynamite last week. The title change led to immediate speculation on a long-rumored Ring of Honor TV deal. Chris Jericho fueled rumors on Dynamite this week as he promised to take the brand to new heights. The Wrestling Observer Newsletter now reports that ROH is in talks for a TV deal, and these talks are directly related to Jericho's title win.
There's a feeling that The Learning Tree raises the profile of ROH. Sources report that Chris Jericho was given the title because of the idea that having him as the face of ROH will mean a lot more during these TV deal talks, and help carry more weight into negotiations.
Negotiations are said to be "close," but there is no confirmation on who ROH is talking with or any kind of timeframe. TruTV continues to be the rumored destination as the network needs new content as it transitions into a primetime sports channel.
Chris Jericho set for big ROH match on AEW Dynamite
All Elite Wrestling will invade the SNHU Arena in Manchester, NH next week. The episode will feature some of the final build for Final Gear and fallout from Fright Night.
ROH will bring its Fight Without Honor stipulation to AEW next week as The Learning Tree takes on The Conglomeration in trios action. It will be ROH World Champion Chris Jericho, Big Bill, and Bryan Keith vs. Mark Briscoe, Tomohiro Ishii, and Kyle O'Reilly.
Adam Cole will continue his comeback and road to Full Gear with a match against Malakai Black. There will also be a face-off between Hook and Christian Cage, Penelope Ford vs. Jamie Hayter, plus Orange Cassidy and Darby Allin vs. PAC and Claudio Castagnoli.