Chris Jericho elaborates on controversial AEW backlash over Marko Stunt's size [Exclusive]
One of the small controversies to emerge from AEW television in recent weeks was whether or not Marko Stunt, who is currently in a stable with Luchasaurus and Jungle Boy, is believable as a wrestler given his diminutive stature.
Chris Jericho was vocal in defence of Marko Stunt at the time, taking to social media to call-out people who thought that Stunt is simply too small to be a wrestler and was hurting the business.
I wanted to get more of Jericho's thoughts on this matter and I was able to do so during a recent interview with the man himself. Here's what he had to say:
You were public in defence of Marko Stunt in that people feel he’s not the right build or the right size for the industry and you compared him to Rey Mysterio. Could you elaborate on your thoughts towards people like Marko Stunt and their place in the wrestling industry?
Jericho: "Well, it’s the same thing I’ve heard my whole career. When I first came into the business at 19, everyone said I was too small. Maybe at the time I was but I had to make it on my charisma and on my desire, on my passion, on my abilities. And then a few years later when Rey Mysterio came along, I was there and I met him and I was yelling at ‘Love Machine’ Art Barr for bringing a thirteen year old kid in the room when we’re drinking and smoking joints and he’s like ‘no, he’s eighteen years old, he’s a wrestler’ and I said ‘you’re kidding me!"
"So, it’s the same every few years. What’s small? What’s big? To me over is over. And if you’re saying someone can’t be in the business because they’re too small, well it’s the same thing they said to me. It’s the same thing they said to Rey Mysterio. And my response is would you rather see a 6ft 5” 280 pound muscle-head that is boring and has no personality, or would you rather see a 5ft 2” fireball that has some charisma to him that can do a lot of great stuff."
And listen, this is show-business, you know what I’m saying. You can go watch a movie and Yoda spins through the air and kills a bunch of Empire soldiers that are five times his size, you cheer and yell and scream. So, I think people need to settle down and relax about what’s not believable and believable. Wrestling is a show, it’s show-business, it always has been, it always will be and whoever attracts the most people, the most viewers to that show, will have a job. Will Marko Stunt be a future world champion like Jericho or Rey Mysterio? I don’t know. Who am I to judge when they told me the same thing twenty-seven, twenty-eight, twenty-nine years ago.
Read Also: Full Exclusive Interview with Chris Jericho on AEW Vs WWE, Randy Orton leveraging AEW to get a better WWE deal, Marko Stunt, facing Cody at Full Gear and much more
As you can see, Jericho is unequivocally in support of smaller guys in wrestling citing his own issues with that representation as well as Rey Mysterio's.
Do you guys agree that size doesn't matter in wrestling? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below!