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A top AEW faction could have looked a lot different if Tony Khan's original plans came to fruition.
The Jericho Appreciation Society was formed in March 2022 after Chris Jericho turned heel following a loss at the hands of Eddie Kingston at the Revolution pay-per-view. The faction is currently embroiled in a heated feud with Ricky Starks and Action Andretti.
A member of Jericho's stable, Jake Hager, recently made an appearance on the latest episode of Story Time with Dutch Mantell. Hager revealed during the interview that Tony Khan initially planned to have Anthony Ogogo and RAW Superstars Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows in the Jericho Appreciation Society.
"Tony wanted a couple of other guys at first [in Jericho Appreciation Society]. First, he wanted Anthony Ogogo, I believe, and then possibly he wanted Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson to be in the group," said Jake Hager. [0:36 - 0:54]
The AEW star added that Jericho pitched to Khan about adding Hager to the Jericho Appreciation Society.
"I think he [Chris Jericho] went to bat for me with Tony and said 'don't give me a guy like this, give me the guy that who is this' (...) you know (...) He wanted a big tough scary guy and I don't think anyone was tough or scarier at that moment." [1:36 - 1:50]
You can check out the full results of AEW Dynamite HERE.
Konnan recently slammed Jake Hager's booking in AEW
While speaking on the Keepin' It 100 podcast, Konnan said that All Elite Wrestling should book Hager in good matches instead of having him portray a "very stupid" gimmick.
The veteran added that Jake Hager's purple hat makes him look like a "goof," and the Jacksonville-based promotion has fumbled with his booking.
"I like [Jake] Hager, and I think that he's a good worker, and they could have really done some good matches with him, and let's say Brian Cage, for example. He's a good worker. I just think it's very stupid that he keeps wearing that purple hat. I guess since the purple hat has more personality than him. They think it might give him some personality. It kind of makes him look like a goof. But he was good here. He just doesn't really mean anything because they haven't booked him," Konnan said.
It will be interesting to see if Tony Khan books Jake Hager as a singles star in All Elite Wrestling or if he stays aligned with Chris Jericho in the future.
Do you think Hager deserves a run as a singles champion in AEW? Let us know in the comments section below.
If you use quotes from this article, please give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling and credit Story Time with Dutch Mantell.
