5 highlights from Chris Jericho's AEW career so far - First faction of his career, Role in breaking open the Forbidden Door

AEW star Chris Jericho is a bonafide legend in pro wrestling. He has been a mainstay in the industry for the past 30 years, performing for myriad promotions in countless cities and countries across the globe.

Having amassed a resume of championships unmatched by most modern performers, he has done, quite literally, everything there is to do in sports entertainment. Jericho's longevity in the business borders on the immortal and his legacy is well secured.

This past week is the 20 year anniversary of WWE Vengeance 2001, where Y2J beat Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock to become the Undisputed Champion. If it was anyone else, that would have been the pinnacle of their career.

But at 51 years old, The Demo God is unsatisfied as he continues to create new firsts, now a veteran face of All Elite Wrestling. In a recent interview with Newsweek, the Demo God opened up about the risk factors involved in AEW's early days.

"There was a risk at first.When I first came here it wasn't safe. We didn't know what to expect and I was the biggest name on the roster. I feel like the company very much was on my back to start. I knew right away that my mission was to make stars or at least get people to get to know some of these guys right out of the gate," said Jericho.

Thanks to his name value, Chris Jericho gave AEW a fighting chance from the onset. Here are 5 highlights from his time with the company so far.

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#5 He became the first AEW World Champion

Chris Jericho became AEW's first big signing in 2019 when the promotion was still in its infancy. As a former WWE Superstar and legend, all eyes were on him to help the company succeed. He also main evented AEW's very first PPV against another name, EVP Kenny Omega, and then battled 'Hangman' Adam Page at All Out for the chance to become the very first AEW World Champion.

One Judas Effect later and Jericho was crowned the inaugural title holder. He also famously cut an epic backstage promo after the match, which gave birth to 'A Little Bit Of The Bubbly' and countless memes. But that night in Chicago, history was made.

#4 He founded The Inner Circle faction in AEW

AEW launched their weekly television show Dynamite in 2019 which went head-to-head with WWE’s NXT brand on Wednesday night, and Chris Jericho was at the center of it. After becoming AEW’s inaugural heavyweight champion, Jericho was arguably the key cog in making sure that AEW hit the ground running when it came to its first shot at a weekly television program.

He immediately introduced the world to The Inner Circle, the first time in his career, surprisingly, that he has led his own faction. With Jericho at the helm, he was backed by former WWE Superstar Jake Hager, tag team tandem Santana and Ortiz and rising star Sammy Guevara.

The Inner Circle has been a mainstay on AEW ever since, from The Elite to The Pinnacle and most recently, American Top Team. They have transitioned from heels to babyfaces organically and are always a popular act in the company. While they have teased splitting up at various points, they are still going strong two years into their existence.

#3 He helped put over AEW's young talent

AEW has a roster full of exciting young talent and Chris Jericho has never been afraid to put a spotlight on them. He took unknown wrestlers such as Jungle Boy, Sammy Guevara, Darby Allin and gave them a chance to shine. He even elevated former WWE Superstars such as Cody Rhodes and Jon Moxley to a higher level in AEW after feuding with him.

Jericho mentioned in a recent interview that he no longer worries about missing television for a few weeks if he ever goes on tour with Fozzy because of how deep the roster is currently.

"We started it and we made it something viable right out of the gate. I'll always take great pride in that and I'll always take great pride in that fact that now I can be in Ireland on tour with Fozzy, missing a couple of weeks of Dynamite, and I don't have to worry like I did before. Because now our roster has so many stars on it that they can take a couple of weeks with no Chris Jericho and some people might not even notice."

This year alone, he helped to put over MJF after months of bitter rivalry when he lost the young star at AEW All Out. His mentorship of Sammy Guevara has also paid dividends. Sammy is currently the TNT Champion and is enjoying a highly successful singles run after learning under Jericho's wings as part of The Inner Circle.

#2 He broke open the Forbidden Door for AEW

AEW is lucky to have Chris Jericho lead the charge in prying open the Forbidden Door for the company.

He was the very major WWE star to crossover to New Japan Pro Wrestling when he first challenged Kenny Omega for the NJPW US Heavyweight Championship at Wrestle Kingdom 12, thereby opening mainstream wrestling fans to the possibility of recognizable wrestlers working in other promotions.

Something that WWE is very strict about is that its talent works specifically for them alone. But even after signing with AEW, Jericho has been able to work with New Japan Pro Wrestling and hold a title with the company.

He even wrestled NJPW legend Tanahashi at Wrestle Kingdom 2020 when he was the AEW Champion, first hinting at the possibility of the Forbidden Door opening. This has led to AEW working with multiple companies since such as AAA, Impact, NJPW amongst others.

Chris Jericho was also able to appear on the WWE Network when he was interviewed by Stone Cold for his Broken Skull Sessions show without even working for the WWE. Ever the multi-tasking entrepreneur, Jericho still manages to go on tour with Fozzy, run his annual cruise vacation and write a book. He truly epitomizes what it means to be an independent contractor.

#1 He has reinvented his career in AEW

AEW definitely made the right move in bringing Chris Jericho to the company. Not only has the young promotion benefitted from having a recognizable name, Jericho himself also managed to reinvent his wrestling career, reigniting his passion for the business. With his recent run with AEW, Jericho is now firmly in the conversation to be one of the GOATS of pro wrestling.

Back in 2017, Jericho famously criticized the match he had with Kevin Owens at WrestleMania 33. He felt that Vince McMahon had done him wrong by putting one of WWE's best-built feuds on the second match of the card. He said in an interview with talkSPORT:

“I wasn’t happy with that match because they had us on second at that WrestleMania which was the writing on the wall that they didn’t care about the feud. That was one of the best feuds that was originally meant to lead to the main event of WrestleMania and then it ends up on second. I just knew it was time for me to go. Little did I know I’d be gone forever, seemingly, but that’s how it goes.”

Safe to say Jericho has not only revived his career since that unfortunate moment but has transcended to the next level in AEW. While he is in the autumn of his career, Jericho shows no signs of slowing down. But when he retires, The Demo God prefers a quiet ride off into the sunset instead of a glorious send-off. Just like his AEW career, Chris Jericho is as selfless as they come.