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After watching Mercedes Mone get into it with Sky Blue and a fired-up promo from Jon Moxley regarding his future with the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion, AEW fans in Los Angeles and beyond were treated to the debut of TV Time, a brand new talkshow-ish segment staring the “Redwood” Big Bill and his “Learning Tree” Chris Jericho.
Marching down to the ring at his student's behest, Jericho asked Big Bill why he was so excited to sit under his “Learning Tree” – both the gimmick and the physical brown and green prop in the ring – to which Bill had some interesting things to say.
“If there's one thing that Chris has always taught me, it's that even though the leaves may come down in the fall, they always come back in the spring stronger and brighter than ever,” Big Bill declared. “I think that applies here, don't you? This guy knows what I'm talking about.”
While the crowd at the Kia Forum weren't sold on Bill's assertion, Jericho loved the complements, going on to explain why being the For The World Champion means so much to him.
“I do, and also, I wanted to say, thanks to you, Redwood, for those inspiring words, and thanks to all of you for making the new Learning Tree University tee shirt the number one shirt on ShopAEW.com. Thanks guys! Who wants one?” Chris Jericho asked. “And I also wanted to say thanks to all you branches. All of my branches who are sat under the Learning Tree, and help make me and Redwood number one. We thank you for that. I also wanna thank you for supporting me as the longest-reigning For the World Champion ever at 39 days. I was able to retain my title at Double or Nothing, but HOOK and Shibata are really tough, guys. They dumped me on my head, boy does it ever still smart. But as they say, if adversity is ice cream, always put a cherry on top, guys. Cause remember, many are called, only few answer. Many reach out, only a few are chosen. And many talk the talk of wanting to sit under the Learning Tree, but very few walk the walk. And I'm gonna bring out a man who walked his way right into the shade of the Learning Tree on Sunday. Let's please welcome to TV time, the Bounty Hunter, Bryan Keith, guys.”
It's true, for fans who didn't watch Double or Nothing over the weekend, Jericho retained his title with a little help from the “Redwood” but also from Bryan Keith, the “Bounty Hunter” who has apparently developed a soft spot for the “Ocho.” But did Keith do the job on the assignment, or does he genuinely want to join the “Learning Tree” to further learn about professional wrestling and advance his career? Well, fans in the Forum didn't have to wait long to find out, as he had plenty to say to the disrespectful fans in attendance.
“Chris, I notice a lack of respect for you here at AEW. Eight-time World Champion, over thirty years, well-traveled, and the longest-reigning FTW Champion in history,” Bryan Keith declared. “And honestly, I can't believe more people didn't jump at the opportunity. You see, Chris, this is what I'm talking about, this right here. The lack of respect for you. These people right now, lucky enough to breathe the same air that Chris Jericho is breathing right now. Show some respect. You'll show respect, you'll show respect, you snot-nosed kids over there? Show some respect…”
As the crowd booed Jericho, the “Learning Tree” shut it down, letting his pals know that this was instead a learning moment.
“Whoa, it's okay. Bryan, this isn't a yelling moment, okay? This is a teaching moment,” Jericho told Bill and Keith. “And the lesson learned today is if you want something to happen, you go out and grab it, and that's what you did, Bryan. I respect that you're a bad man.”
“I'd even say he's a bad apple?” Bill joked.
“And you know what they say, the bad apple doesn't fall far from the Learning Tree,” Jericho laughed. “Bryan, you're welcome to come stay in the Jericho Vortex and grow under the Learning Tree as long as you want.
Unfortunately for Jericho and the “Learning Tree,” their segment was interrupted by Hook, who wanted to scrap before being pulled away by a scheming Samoa Joe. Still, the segment itself more or less spoke for itself, as it would appear that moving forward, Jericho will be doing more talking than wrestling as he grows his… orchard(?), which is probably for the best, as using TV Time to get over Bill and Keith would be a welcomed use of his time.
Chris Jericho explains when he knew he needed to turn heel.
In preparation for AEW's big show at the Kia Forum, Chris Jericho stopped by KCAL News in LA to talk about professional wrestling, including his decision to turn heel as part of the “Learning Tree.” While Jericho enjoyed being a babyface, he also gets when it's time to make a change, as that's a big part of the wrestling soap opera.
“The one thing about wrestling that's very important is you have to understand the concepts of being a good guy, and when that starts getting stale, of being a bad guy,” Chris Jericho told KCAL News via F4W.
“People say (wrestling's) like a soap opera. In that way, it is a soap opera. You know, he's a good guy, and then suddenly something happens, and you don't like him for a while. And you have to be able to read the room on that.”
When it was noted that Jericho is too nice to be a heel, he took that as a compliment, even if he does have a way about himself that makes him a natural heel.
“Well, I'm a very charming guy. I mean, it's hard to believe that people don't like me, but sometimes they don't,” Jericho noted. “And that's okay, that's the beauty of wrestling, you just lean into it, and I take great pride in, kind of, making people angry with things because that's what you want to do, you're playing a character, you know what I mean? When Chris Jericho comes on screen in AEW, it's different from the Chris Jericho that we're talking to right now. And that's the way it should be. A larger-than-life character is kind of what wrestling is all about, and I embrace that wholly.”
Like it or not, you can't argue that Jericho's current gimmick isn't larger than life, as he is truly going out of his way to make things as extra as possible in order to entertain some and upset others.
