AEW News Roundup - Reactions to 'WWE Dynamite' botch, Andrade wants Charlotte to join him in top faction, Vince McMahon thought superstar bluffed about Tony Khan's offer (1st July 2021)

#3 Vince McMahon thought Chris Jericho was bluffing about Tony Khan's AEW offer

AEW and the current wrestling landscape would have looked entirely different had WWE re-signed Chris Jericho at the end of 2018.

The former WWE Champion was introduced as one of the first marquee signings when AEW was officially established. During a recent appearance on Westling Observer Radio, Chris Jericho recalled the conversations he had with Vince McMahon leading up to his AEW signing.

This is a MUST LISTEN!! https://t.co/ad3vbO2v43 https://t.co/3AKaUf9ws7

— Chris Jericho (@IAmJericho) June 30, 2021

Tony Khan acted swiftly following a meeting with Chris Jericho, and the veteran was offered a lucrative AEW contract. News of AEW's proposal eventually reached Vince McMahon, who apparently told Triple H that Jericho should accept the AEW job.

Jericho took the WWE Chairman's advice and officially confirmed his All Elite status. Vince McMahon was left surprised as he didn't imagine Jericho going ahead with the signing. McMahon even asked if Y2J could get out of the AEW agreement, but that was never an option for the former Undisputed Champion.

"Vince never really called me either, and we got an offer from Tony and Barry (Bloom) told Hunter, who told Vince, who said 'take it, and I think Vince thought I was bluffing, so I took it. And when Vince found out, he said, 'You took it?' I said, 'Yeah, you told me to,' and he said, 'can you get out of it? I was like, 'No, you told me to take it," said Chris Jericho.

@IAmJericho is the absolute 🐐. These seats were my birthday gift for my brother. Thank you for making it unforgettable. "This is badass huh?"@AEW @AEWonTNT #Judas #AEWDynamite @CamRamRod1 pic.twitter.com/dnmi3YfIo8

— Brandon Miller (@iAmTheFocker) July 1, 2021

Chris Jericho firmly believes Vince McMahon mistook AEW's interest in him as a bluff and quite possibly a tactic to get more money from WWE.

Jericho was always straightforward with Vince McMahon, and he stayed the same even after AEW came knocking on his door. The Inner Circle leader was also confident that Vince McMahon still regrets losing him to the new rival in town.

"I honestly believe to this day that he thought I was trying to bluff him and squeeze him for more money,, which he should know me better, and if that's the case, I never would have done that," Jerichho continued, "I was always straight with Vince as much as possible, but that's kind of how it all started, and I bet Vince regrets that now because of the amount of money he would have paid me not to go; I'm sure he's paid times a hundred. H/t POST Wrestling

As hilarious as it sounds, Vince McMahon was unintentionally responsible for Chris Jericho's arrival in AEW.