AEW has been dealing with numerous backstage issues over the last several weeks, and Chris Jericho has emerged as a voice of reason during these tumultuous times. He's always been one of Tony Khan's most trusted wrestlers, and his fingerprints have been all over some of the company's biggest gimmick matches. In the wake of CM Punk's tirade after All Out and numerous other talents reportedly requesting their release, however, Jericho's role has continued to evolve backstage.
That sort of advisor role was supposed to belong to AEW's EVPs. The Young Bucks, Kenny Omega, and, at one point, Cody Rhodes were all leaned on to perform these kinds of duties. With cliques emerging and lines drawn between locker rooms, however, that's become more complex. Now Omega and The Young Bucks have been suspended for their role in the physical altercation with CM Punk following All Out, meaning that Jericho will be leaned on even more as AEW tries to leave all the commotion in the past.
Given everything Jericho has done for the company, it's fair to wonder whether or not he'd be interested in an EVP role in AEW. He spoke to Inside The Ropes about this very thing recently and had the following to say: "I don't need a job title to help the company. I do it every day. Whenever I show up to TV, it's a constant. Constant working from two o'clock until the show is over. If I'm wrestling or not. That's the way it should be. There's not a lot of guys that have been doing this as long as I have." Jericho later stated, "there's nothing to be written on a business card, you know, Director of EVP or whatever the f*** it is, who cares. I'm Chris Jericho. That trumps all of that." (h/t and a thank you to sescoops.com for the transcription)
Chris Jericho Even More Important For AEW Moving Forward
(This interview contains NSFW language)
CM Punk is expected to be gone for at least half a year, if not more, due to the injury he sustained during his match at All Out against Jon Moxley. It's unclear at this juncture exactly when The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega will be allowed to return, given their role in what happened backstage on September 4. Reports indicate that their suspensions could be based on an investigation of some sort, but who is doing the investigating and what they are looking into isn't known at this time.
Given the uncertainty the All Out media scrum created, Jericho's veteran voice will be even more critical than before. Ironically, one of the issues Punk claimed to have with Hangman Adam Page was that he was unwilling to listen to help from professionals who've been wrestling for a long time. Perhaps this is an opportunity for Jericho, Jon Moxley, Bryan Danielson, and others to attempt to reshape AEW's backstage culture.
Source: Inside The Ropes/YouTube, sescoops.com