3 Men who might be AEW World Champion soon, and 3 who probably won't be
Chris Jericho turned down Cody's challenge, which prohibits the AEW official from another title opportunity. If not Cody, who should challenge Jericho and possibly defeat him?
For the time being, Chris Jericho is celebrating, no doubt with 'a little bit of the bubbly' as he basks in his defeat of Cody, turning back the AEW official's challenge at Full Gear.
But the problem with being the World Champion of any promotion is that there are constantly people gunning for your title. You can't swing a dead cat and not hit someone in AEW who probably feels they deserve a chance to wear the fledgling promotion's vaunted 'big belt.'
The desire to be a champion and actually being one are two different things, however. In this slideshow, we will examine AEW superstars, friend, and foe to Jericho alike, who might become AEW World Champion in the near future.
We will also examine candidates who will probably NOT be wearing the AEW's big belt anytime soon.
Without further ado, away we go with our first entry on the list, a man who many feel was greatly wasted in WWE.
Might be AEW Champion soon #1: Jack Hager
The hitherto undefeated Bellator MMA star and former WWE World Champion Jack Hager made a major impact at AEW with only a handful of appearances.
When he revealed himself to be Jericho's secret weapon in The Inner Circle, AEW fans went ballistic. Jack Hager had been perceived by fandom at large as a talent that WWE thoroughly wasted. Though he had brief flirtations with greatness, including capturing the WWE World title, he never seemed to sustain any momentum.
Hager wound up being a gatekeeper for wrestlers seeking to escape the midcard for the main event. Even the popular We the People gimmick didn't help Hager escape the midcard doldrums.
So he quit and sought his fortune in both MMA and the indie scene. Hager is undefeated in his MMA career (though a recent bout did end in a no-contest due to an errant knee to the groin of his opponent) and his stock is fairly high as a legitimate badass. This, combined with AEW wanting to prove that they are willing to elevate talent that other promotions may have overlooked, gives him a decent shot of being AEW Champion within the next year.