Why AEW No Longer Needs Chris Jericho
Emma Horne Highlights
- Sting's retirement from AEW will be an emotional loss, highlighting his humility and dedication to uplifting younger talent.
- Chris Jericho retiring from AEW would benefit the company, mainly due to his ego and the presence of better, more heelish stars.
- Jericho's recent track record in AEW has been lackluster, with uninteresting storylines and disappointing matches, raising questions about his value as an athlete.
Living wrestling legend Sting is about to retire. Another AEW star should consider doing the same. Sting’s biggest strength over the course of his AEW career has been his humility. He dedicated his time to uplifting younger talent, mainly Darby Allin, and was able to maintain his status as a revered, well-respected wrestler all the while.
Chris Jericho’s case is a bit different from Sting’s; at 53 years old, he’s a decade younger than The Icon. He physically has more to give to AEW. But in all honesty, Sting’s retirement from AEW will be an emotional loss, while Jericho retiring from AEW would only benefit the company. This is mainly for the same reason Sting was so beneficial to the company: Ego.
Chris Jericho's AEW Debut | May 25, 2019 (Double or Nothing) |
Matches won in AEW | 69 |
Matches lost in AEW | 34 |
Chris Jericho Has Served His Purpose In AEW
Chris Jericho Was The Inaugural AEW World Champion
In 2019, AEW was just finding its footing and forming its identity as a company. It needed big names to not only draw eyes but to establish its legitimacy. This is why someone like Chris Jericho, a veteran in the business who has held championships across the globe, was a crucial signing.
10 Things Everyone Gets Wrong About AEW's Chris Jericho
Chris Jericho is one of the longest-tenured and most decorated wrestlers of all time, but there's a lot everyone gets wrong about the AEW star.In the Summer of 2019, Jericho became the inaugural AEW World Champion as a heel. His title reign, and his creation of AEW’s first heel faction, the Inner Circle, helped give the babyfaces in AEW the momentum they needed to get AEW up and running. Fans loved to hate Jericho.
Now, however, there are even better, more heelish stars that are more than capable of taking Jericho’s place. The first that comes to mind is Swerve Strickland, who has had a breakout year in 2023. Miro and MJF have also shown that they can be better heels than Jericho ever was.
Other AEW Stars Have Become Bigger Than Chris Jericho
Wrestlers like Bryan Danielson And Will Ospreay Fill The Chris Jericho Gap
When AEW was first starting, its roster was filled with lesser-known independent wrestlers. They were all uniquely talented wrestlers who deserved a spot in a major company, but they lacked the drawing power that big stars have.
Chris Jericho Has No Interest In A WWE Hall Of Fame Induction
Le Champion had nothing but bad things to say about WWE's Hall of Fame.Now, four years later, AEW has plenty of huge names that can help carry the banner, like Bryan Danielson, Will Ospreay, and Claudio Castagnoli. These men not only have stronger comedic chops than Jericho, but they’re also more exceptional athletes. No matter how you look at it, Jericho no longer has anything unique to offer AEW.
Chris Jericho’s Recent Track Record In AEW
Chris Jericho Has Had Several Bad AEW Matches Lately
Despite a decades-long career of exceptional in-ring work, Jericho’s last few months have been lackluster, to say the least. All of his storylines in 2023 have been uninteresting at best and tedious at worst. His feud with Sammy Guevara, what could’ve been a hot, emotional story, was ruined by wishy-washy booking.
Are Chris Jericho's Storylines Becoming The New Cody-Verse In AEW?
Chris Jericho's feuds are starting to remind many of the bad road Cody Rhodes went down in AEW.His match against Adam Cole at Double or Nothing 2023 is widely regarded as one of the worst matches of Jericho’s career, earning a rating of 3.62 out of 10 on CageMatch. Jericho’s match against fan-favorite Keith Lee garnered similar feelings of disappointment. It’s becoming more and more obvious that Jericho doesn’t have much to offer as an athlete anymore. At the very least, what he offers is not worth the exorbitant paycheck Tony Khan gives him.
The Golden Jets Were An Awful AEW Tag Team
Chris Jericho’s Terrible Tag Team With Kenny Omega
One of the least popular angles to come out of AEW this year has been the creation of the tag team between Kenny Omega and Chris Jericho, The Golden Jets. Jericho more or less attached himself to Omega so they could put on extended squash matches. Omega was visibly disinterested the entire time, even during their feud against Omega’s best friends, Young Bucks. Now that Omega is out indefinitely due to illness, fans are left disgruntled that Jericho wasted the time of one of wrestling’s greatest performers in the twilight of his career.
Hopefully, Jericho’s next endeavor in AEW will prove to be more fruitful than his last. Otherwise, it will be even harder for AEW to justify his presence.
