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AEW star Chris Jericho is known as the king of reinvention and for good reason. Throughout his 30-year career, he has managed to remain relevant by refreshing his gimmick and presentation when the time calls for it.
Whether it was in WCW, WWE or now AEW, Jericho's ability to adapt and keep up with the roster has contributed to his longevity.
In an with Sports Media with Richard Deitsch last year, the Fozzy frontman described how he managed to stay relevant during his tenure in WWE:
"I remember the late, great Pat Patterson said to me, ‘You always have different facial hair every week.’ And one of the reasons for that was because it was always something different. Subtly, it was something different.”
He added:
“I had different tights that I changed every week, and then I noticed that they would make an action figure for every set of tights that I wore and every set of facial hair that I had. So now you’re making more money too, because there’s more diversity of what people can market from you".
The latest version of Y2J in AEW involves the formation of a new stable called the Jericho Appreciation Society. The narcissistic faction includes Jake Hager, Daniel Garcia and 2point0. But where does this rank among his many incarnations in Tony Khan's promotion? Let's take a look at the five ways Chris Jericho has reinvented himself in AEW.
#5. The First AEW Champion
The pro wrestling world was sent into a frenzy upon learning that WWE Superstar Chris Jericho was the first high-profile signing for All Elite Wrestling in 2019. Objectively, there was no better choice to build the company around than Y2J.
He was coming off a brilliant run with New Japan Pro-Wrestling, having stolen the show in back-to-back Wrestle Kingdoms against Kenny Omega and Naito. AEW president Tony Khan saw the opportunity to hand over the keys to proven and capable hands, and it paid dividends.
Chris Jericho is a recognizable wrestling megastar who could steady the ship in its fragile and formative years. Fortunately, he not only steered the ship in the right direction but also led them to the promised land.
Jericho became the promotion's inaugural world champion, bringing attention and prestige to the upstart promotion, while luring both casual and hardcore wrestling fans to check out the product.
After defeating Hangman Page to take the top prize, he even managed to spawn a meme for the ages with "a little bit of the bubbly". Even as a veteran, Le Champion remained highly entertaining and charismatic in his initial run with the company.
#4. Leading The Inner Circle
It was in AEW that Chris Jericho first led his very own faction. The first episode of Dynamite saw the formation of the Inner Circle, with Le Champion joining forces with Jake Hager, Sammy Guevara, Santana and Ortiz. They went on to become one of the most dominant groups in the company, even winning the PWI Faction of the Year in 2021.
In an interview with Inside The Ropes, Chris Jericho shared details about how the faction was formed. Jericho spoke about why he felt the faction worked so well and went on to compare them to Guns N' Roses:
"I love The Inner Circle. I love the fact we all had different ideas of who was gonna be in it and the first choices with the exception of maybe one of the guys, was not the guys we ended up having. But after the first night, I saw a picture of us, and was like ‘This looks cool.’ You’ve got five guys with five different looks, five different characters, but it worked. It’s like when Guns N’ Roses formed and did they ever think this was gonna be something, and then you get into a room and you start jamming and you realize the chemistry here is amazing. And that’s what we have with the Inner Circle." H/T: 411Mania
Not only did it make sense at this advanced stage of Jericho's career to surround himself with back-ups, the Inner Circle arguably launched the careers of Proud and Powerful as well as Sammy Guevara.
They became bigger stars thanks to the rub they got from associating themselves with the world champion. Whether it was in the first Stadium Stampede match or the storyline with Jon Moxley, the faction contributed to many memorable moments in the early years of AEW.
#3. The Demo God
For a brief period of time, Dynamite and NXT were locked in a ratings battle as they went head-to-head on Wednesday night. AEW consistently defeated NXT in the ratings to the point that the black and gold brand called it quits and moved to Tuesday nights.
In 2020, in the midst of his heel run and feud with Orange Cassidy, he would declare himself the "Demo God".
He began to refer to himself as that moniker during the Fight For the Fallen edition of Dynamite on July 15, 2020. This came after WWE NXT defeated AEW Dynamite for three consecutive weeks in total viewership during the Wednesday Night 8 pm-10 pm ET time slot.
However, AEW would consistently have the most viewers in the coveted 18-49 demographic. The 18-49 demographic is seen as the most critical ratings statistic as it is valued by the majority of sponsors and television network executives.
It was a brilliant part of addressing the ratings war while still remaining in character as the dastardly villain. While some critics might chastize Jericho for going deep into such details that might not appeal to casual fans, it's another instance of the veteran responding to turning online fodder into a wrestling gimmick.
#2. Babyface Chris Jericho & Feud With MJF
Chris Jericho and the Inner Circle became so popular with AEW fans that it was inevitable that they would become babyfaces. Towards the end of 2020, MJF and Wardlow would start crossing paths with the group, hoping to be inducted into the faction.
Their overtures were naturally met with suspicion by the rest of the Inner Circle members, with the exception of Jericho. The veteran instead challenged MJF to a match at Full Gear 2020 and if the youngster won, he would officially join the group.
This led to a series of entertaining promos and segments on Dynamite, including the infamous "Le Dinner Debonair" in which the two wrestlers would sing show tunes together.
MJF's victory and subsequent induction would cause disension amongst the faction and even cause Sammy Guevara to leave briefly. It was only a matter of time before MJF's true intentions were revealed and the loudmouth would turn his back on the group, instead forming The Pinnacle.
This kickstarted a blood fued between the two factions which featured a Blood and Guts match and Stadium Stampede. The rivalry would then focus purely on MJF and Jericho, which featured a 5 Labors of Jericho segment that dominated Dynamite throughout the summer of 2021. MJF managed to defeat Le Champion before Jericho got back his victory at All Out after putting his career on the line.
Overall, the feud between Jericho and MJF was one of the longest sagas in AEW, and it reached its fitting conclusion with Jericho finally defeating his arch-nemesis. Not only did it elevate MJF into a top heel for the company, it showed that Jericho can still play the underdog babyface with the right partner and story.
#1. Jericho Appreciation Society & Becoming The Sports Entertainer
Chris Jericho's latest incarnation sees the legend forming of a new stable once more. After great success with the Inner Circle, the former world champion returned to the company, debuting a new svelte figure and dubbing himself "The Influencer".
He formed the Jericho Appreciation Society after attacking Eddie Kingston, Santana & Ortiz on March 9, 2022, edition of AEW Dynamite. Jericho had been teasing dissension with Santana & Ortiz who were in the middle of his feud with Eddie Kingston.
After their match at Revolution, where Kingston earned the victory, the two wrestlers met in the middle of the ring on the next Dynamite to clear their differences. However, they were interrupted by 2.0 & Daniel Garcia who attacked them. Santana & Ortiz came to the rescue, but Jericho turned on them.
This led to the formation of the Jericho Appreciation Society and the three new members joined forces with Jericho and Jake Hager, who remained loyal to Y2J. Not only that, 2.0 began wrestling under their real names as Matt Lee became "Daddy Magic" Matt Minard, and Jeff Parker became "Cool Hands" Angelo Parker.
Calling the faction the new era of Sports Entertainment is the perfect way to get heel heat in AEW. Jericho continues to prove why he is the master of reinvention.
