Chris Jericho Vs. Claudio Castagnoli was the main event of the recent ROH Final Battle pay-per-view (produced by All Elite Wrestling), and the finish of that match raised some eyebrows online. It was a hard-fought fight with the total weight of the live crowd behind it. There was little time to build toward this match on television, however. While the Jericho Appreciation Society and Blackpool Combat Club have been at odds for seemingly all of 2022, Chris and Claudio haven't spent much time together on screen. Still, fans in attendance were biting hook, line, and sinker and came unglued when Jericho submitted to Castagnoli after being stuck in the giant swing for 33 rotations.
It was a unique finish and one that AEW fans hadn't really seen before. Still, some took to Twitter to voice their displeasure. One such account was @AEWDUB, who wrote, "Dumb finish, why would you tap to that? Wanna be creative but it's a no from me." Via his @IAmJericho handle, Chris Jericho responded with some stern words. "Hey f** face. Ever experienced this move? It's barbaric. I tapped out..you would've s*** your pants and cried for mommy." That's certainly one way to deal with detractors.
Time For AEW To Find Something Fresh For JAS & BCC
Tony Khan sometimes struggles to find television time for up-and-coming wrestlers, but that might change as 2022 fades into 2023. After the recent Full Gear and Final Battle pay-per-views, AEW and ROH are brimming with fresh titleholders. Fans have seen Castagnoli as ROH World Champion earlier in 2022, but whatever he does with it will be more entertaining than Jericho's run with the title. The "sports entertainer" vs. "professional wrestler" shtick has been run into the ground at this point, and, by extension, the JAS Vs. BCC well is bone dry and has been since Blood & Guts II at the end of June.
Wrestling fans sighed in relief when Castagnoli beat Chris Jericho at the pay-per-view, mainly because it should signal the end of the feud between these two factions. AEW has always been a company focused on groups, and the time has come to give both Blackpool Combat Club and the Jericho Appreciation Society something fresh to do. Claudio will likely take up the mantle of defending ROH gold on television every week, probably on Rampage, where he's spent most of his time since making his debut at Forbidden Door.
Now is also a good time for AEW to give Jericho a vacation. The 52-year-old gobbled up obscene amounts of television time while ROH Champion, and fans can't miss him if he's on TV three or four times a week. Especially as home-grown stars struggle to wrestle more than one or two matches on AEW Dynamite every few months. New stars can't be built that way. There's a balance to be struck, but now that Tony Khan has announced a streaming service for Ring Of Honor, AEW can refocus on itself and its brand in the coming weeks and months.
Source: @IAmJericho/Twitter