On the December 14 episode of All Elite Wrestling Dynamite, Chris Jericho lost to Action Andretti in a massive upset. Excalibur stated that it was one of the biggest upsets of the decade, while various wrestling pundits have agreed with that sentiment. Tony Khan has an opportunity to create a true star in Andretti, as he clearly has that unteachable "it" factor going for him. Following the bout, news emerged about how this shocking finish came to be.
In the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer shared several details about the Jericho Vs. Andretti bout. "While watching a match taped for the 10/11 Dark, which took place on the 10/7 Rampage/Battle of the Belts taping in Washington, DC, Jericho saw Andretti lose a match to QT Marshall." Meltzer continued, writing that "[Jericho] that night went to Tony Khan and laid out the angle where he wanted to lose to him and try and make him a star on Dynamite. Khan then secretly signed Andretti at that time to a contract. Jericho said he wanted Andretti from that point to be pulled from everything, no matches at all in AEW, nothing streaming." Meltzer also credited The Ocho for selling the loss and actually acting as he cared during a separate backstage segment.
Chris Jericho Might Have Helped AEW Unearth A Star
One match doesn't make a star, but a stellar debut can go a long way toward applying the right kind of pressure. Khan can't rest on his laurels and keep Andretti off of television for the next two or three weeks, but Chris Jericho's eye for talent came through in a big way on Wednesday. Until Dynamite, Andretti was an unknown commodity on the national wrestling stage, especially outside the northeastern United States.
He's worked with MCW throughout most of his career, which is a promotion and wrestling school based out of Maryland. Andretti is their current World Champion, and it'll be interesting to see if he pops back up there soon. He'd almost certainly get a hero's welcome. The 24-year-old has also wrestled a handful of current AEW talent for the company, including Brian Cage and Fuego Del Sol.
It was Jericho who recognized the potential in Andretti for All Elite Wrestling, though. Khan had brought the Philadelphia native in to work a handful of Dark matches, mainly as a jobber. Dynamite was his first win for the company, as he'd lost all four bouts on Dark. Q.T. Marshall and Dante Martin have singles victories over Andretti, while he and Myles Hawkins have lost two tag-team matches. Everything came together perfectly for Andretti's debut, but it all started when he caught Chris Jericho's eye earlier this year.
Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter