Chris Jericho believes AEW should be focused on developing its next generation of stars rather than continuing to build the promotion around him.
Chris Jericho has been with AEW since its inaugural year in 2019 and played a significant role in establishing the company, becoming its first World Champion. Nearly seven years later, the veteran believes his role should now involve helping create stars capable of carrying AEW into the future.
Speaking on The Wrestling Classic, Jericho was asked about his position within the company as wrestlers including Kevin Knight and Will Ospreay continue to establish themselves.
“You’re part of the foundation. You’re an MVP to the brand, but there’s an uprising of all these new stars, like Kevin Knight, the Will Ospreays, guys that are moving up to the next level.”
Jericho agreed that the emergence of new talent is exactly how professional wrestling should work.
“Yeah, that’s how the business works,” Jericho said. “That’s the way it should work, is you build stars that can take over for the next generation.”
Chris Jericho Says AEW Should Not Be Built Around Him
Chris Jericho then made clear that he does not believe AEW programming should revolve around him at this stage of his career.
“You know, the show doesn’t need to be built and shouldn’t be built around Chris Jericho at this point.”
However, Jericho still believes his appearances matter because of his longevity and the uncertainty around how much longer his career will continue.
“But I think anything that I do has some merit and people enjoy watching, because it’s been such a long time and we don’t know how much longer it’s going to be,” he said. “So I think people are enjoying it more this round as well.”
Jericho has remained one of AEW’s most prominent veterans since joining the promotion at its launch. His comments suggest he now views helping younger wrestlers move into more prominent positions as an important part of his role, rather than remaining one of the central figures around whom the company is built.
