Chris Jericho has played a pivotal role in AEW’s early success, particularly during the company’s inception. His name being attached to AEW was a big stamp of approval that even caught the attention of casual fans, so it’s no surprise that Tony Khan has pushed him heavily ever since.
Throughout that time, he’s been the AEW World Heavyweight Champion, created a ‘Little bit of the bubbly’, and provided some of AEW’s most entertaining moments. But among some great moments have been some awful ones. Jericho’s AEW has been hit or miss, and when it has been bad, it has been very bad. Audiences are stuck in the Jericho vortex right now, and there is seemingly no end in sight, which for some people has become problematic.
His Issues With Ricky Starks Dragged On
Audiences Grew Tired Of This Angle
- Jericho tried to recruit Starks to the JAS
- Starks also worked with Action Andretti at the time
- The storyline didn’t elevate Starks
A big problem Chris Jericho has had in AEW is that his storylines have often gone on for too long. While that’s okay when they’re compelling, such as his MJF storyline, it can become a problem when fans don’t care, as was the case with his feud against Ricky Starks.
Fans felt it was Jericho attaching himself to a rising star, and in reality, the feud lacked any real substance. Jericho came out with too many poor lines during this one as he tried to recruit Starks to the Jericho Appreciation Society, despite him not being interested. The fact there was a huge pop when Starks said he was moving on from the feud was telling.g.
The Inner Circle Battle Men Of The Year
Nobody Came Out Of This Looking Good
- Men of the Year were led by Dan Lambert
- Neither Scorpio Sky nor Ethan Page gained anything from this
- The storyline culminated in a Minneapolis Street Fight
AEW decided to turn The Inner Circle into babyfaces by having them feud against Men Of The Year, which led to some incredibly awkward promo exchanges which fans hated. Putting Chris Jericho, who fans were starting to turn on, in a feud against a group led by Dan Lambert, who fans actively hated, was always going to be a disaster.
Throw in several MMA stars with zero wrestling experience to make the matches worthwhile, and this quickly became an awful angle. At this time, some of Jericho’s promos showcased him trying too hard to get a pop, particularly when aimed at Paige VanZant, which made for some awkward television.
Chris Jericho’s Battles With Eddie Kingston Were Littered With Errors
This Rivalry Had Real Potential
- They had two singles matches during this run
- The also competed in four different multi-man matches against each other
- Fans were left confused as to why Jericho won the rivalry
Eddie Kingston’s feud with Chris Jericho could have been brilliant, considering Kingston’s aggression and attitude in the ring. Their ability on the microphone could’ve created an intense storyline, but instead, it led to a storyline that dragged on too long and seemed to never end.
Several of the matches featured notable botches, and the violence seemed to rise simply for the sake of it. AEW even put on a Blood & Guts match for them, yet they still had another match, which rendered AEW’s biggest stipulation pointless. It was a flat feud that audiences ended up losing interest in, which isn’t easy to do when Kingston is involved.
This was an experiece that Kingston didn’t even enjoy, as he explained to Under The Ring:
“Oh I hated them all [his matches with Jericho], I hated every single one of them. I don’t like any of my work plus I don’t like Chris. Being in the ring with him was a headache, it was seven months of a headache but I’m proud that it’s over, for now.” (H/T
Fightful
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Competing Against The Don Callis Family Made No Sense
There Were Too Many Logical Holes In This Feud
- This was initially to setup his mach against Will Ospreay
- Jericho went on to battle the likes of Powerhouse Hobbs and Sammy Guevara
- Jericho & Callis leaned into their real-life history
AEW relied on Don Callis too much, and he ended up suffering lots of go-away heat. Putting him against Chris Jericho, who wasn’t at his peak as a babyface, was a risk. The build-up to their feud made no sense, as Callis wanted to work with Jericho, and he was happy to do so until Callis decided to turn on him the moment he said yes.
The storyline led to Jericho feuding with various members of Callis’ faction to mixed success. People presumed Sammy Guevara would emerge as a big star, but it never happened. Instead, fans got to see Kota Ibushi and Paul Wight looking far past their prime while Jericho attempted to stay relevant in a feud that never properly captured people’s attention.
Feuding With Hook Has Been His Downfall
Audiences Have Vocally Hated This Angle
- Jericho initially started in a mentorship role for Hook
- The two men formed a tag team together
- Jericho became FTW Champion during this storyline
Chris Jericho often finds himself attached to young, hot acts in wrestling, which is one of the reasons fans have become frustrated with him. His angle against Hook was another example, as he ended up in a storyline against a talent full of momentum. Jericho spins it that he’s putting them over, but fans hated this feud so much that it’s hard to see how it helped Hook.
Initially starting as a tag team, it didn’t take long for the inevitable heel turn from the veteran. Audiences booed and actively hated everything that was happening. It often felt like a means to get Jericho on the card despite the average matches and the uninteresting promos. It took lots of time from more deserving storylines and proved that the Jericho vortex is something people are done with.
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