When certified first ballot WWE Hall of Famer Chris Jericho signed with AEW after a very successful stint in New Japan Pro Wrestling, it felt like a big deal.
Sure, at the time, Jericho was in his late 40s and wasn't exactly coming off of a particularly hot streak in WWE, but his name unquestionably helped to sell tickets, get the company a deal with TNT, and add an air of mainstream legitimacy to a promotion largely started by one of the hottest acts in indie wrestling.
Discussing what it was like to take a chance on AEW early on and remain with the company for five years and counting in an interview with Gabby AF, Jericho revealed that while he probably could return to WWE if he wanted to, he doesn't see a reason to leave his current promotion any time soon, as he's proud of everything he's accomplished in the rapidly growing company.
“I don't really think about that sort of thing, I kind of live in the now. We talk about being 33 years in wrestling, I'm like, ‘Wow, really?' It doesn't feel that way because I can still have the best match on any given show. Not every night, but a couple weeks ago, I wrestled Takeshita [Konosuke Takeshita] on Dynamite, and it was the best on the show. There are still great moments for Jericho, and a lot I can do. I don't shut the door on anything. To me, WWE isn't the be all-end all. It was great to be there, I had a great 20 years there, but I've had a great going on five years in AEW. I love working here. I love working with, not even for, with Tony Khan,” Chris Jericho told Gabby AF via Fightful.
“WWE is a completely different animal now than when I left in 2017. It's been six years. It's not something I've really thought about. I like watching and reading about what's going on, the buzz that they have, but I also like my company, and I helped start AEW. I don't really see any reason why I would want to leave at this point. Never say that I wouldn't go, but I have zero plans of that. I like it here, and I like the people I work with. I enjoy coming to work every week, which was not always the case in WWE, and it's weird how that is the case here, but it's a different vibe, and I have a lot of fun here in AEW.”
Would it be cool to see Jericho get one final run in WWE, reuniting with Kevin Owens, working matches against Randy Orton, and reliving all of his famous gimmicks like Y2J or the Listmaker? Sure thing, but hey, at this point, it's just as likely that KO – aka Kevin Steen – could jump to AEW and continue his exceptional efforts with his Mount Rushmore buddies as Jericho leaving the promotion he helped to build, so in the end, why not stay where you feel appreciated and see how the rest of the wrestling landscape shakes out?
Eddie Kingston wouldn't mind another crack at Chris Jericho.
Speaking of Chris Jericho's time in AEW, while he's forged plenty of friendships in the promotion, he's made enemies too, including Eddie Kingston, who famously tried to set him on first in an Anarchy in the Arena match at Double or Nothing 2022.
Discussing his famous interaction with “The Ocho” in an interview with Steve Fall of Wrestling News, Kingston noted that while his feud with Jericho in AEW may be over, he still wouldn't mind lighting “Lionheart” on fire, as it would probably pop one heck of a rating or sell plenty of PPVs.
“Yeah, Jericho. I was trying to set Jericho on fire. I don't think anybody would have missed him. At least twice a day, someone thinks about that,” Eddie Kingston told Steve Fall via Fightful. “At least twice. It runs through my head at least once, where I'm like, ‘Man, I was really close to setting him on fire. That would have been fun.' Maybe the pay-per-view buys would have went up afterwards, like, ‘Hey, did you see Chris Jericho get set on fire by Eddie Kingston?' If they're like, ‘No, oh, I gotta order it.'”
Should Tony Khan throw Kingston and Jericho in another feud just to see what happens? Should he give the duo a Texas Death match, a Street Fight, or even another Anarchy in the Arena match to see how they handle business in the pursuit of a firey hot buy rate? At the moment, probably not, but hey, if the storyline leads there, why not go all-in on the opportunity?
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