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AEW All Out: 3 Reasons why Chris Jericho was chosen to be the first World Champion of the promotion

By Riju Dasgupta
Modified Sep 01, 2019 18:21 IST
Chris Jericho walked out as the first-ever AEW World Champion
Chris Jericho walked out as the first-ever AEW World Champion

All Out was a great pay-per-view that went on for far too long, and I promise to write a comprehensive review of the show the moment I can. But let's get straight to the topic everyone is talking about right now, which is Chris Jericho becoming the inaugural AEW World Champion.

Everyone expected Hangman Page to be the man who comes out on top in this clash of potential champions. He is young, he is a new face, and he can carry the company on his back for years to come.

So why was Jericho chosen ahead of Hangman Page to become the face of the promotion then? I can think of 5 possible reasons and have brought them to you in this article.

Mind you, this is all guesswork, so I am not claiming to know why AEW chose to book the way they did!

#3 Drawing in the casual fans when AEW becomes a weekly show

For as gifted and as talented as Hangman Page is, you just cannot compare Jericho's legacy to his at any level. Jericho came up from WCW, became a global Superstar in WWE and then broke the mold by going to New Japan Pro Wrestling and becoming a top star there. And yes, he is part of a successful rock band as well, so he's a mainstream attraction in every sense.

The lapsed wrestling fan who may be bored of the WWE product is more likely to know Chris Jericho as the face of the company than someone like Page, simply because he hasn't had the same career that Jericho has had. Page may go on to become an even bigger time when it's time, but for now, a known quantity is significantly less risky.

#2 Always good to have a babyface chasing

To illustrate this example, let's look at someone like WWE Champion, Kofi Kingston. He was the hottest thing in professional wrestling when he set his sights on Daniel Bryan's WWE Championship before WrestleMania 35. And when he did become the Champion, while he's still popular, he's nowhere close to being the sensation that he used to be.

There is far more value and equity in having someone like Adam Page chase for the AEW World Championship when the weekly television product begins because Chris Jericho can use his promo ability to work the crowd into hating him. It's very hard to root for a babyface like Page anyway, without a television product or storylines.

Personally, I would say that Page should stay out of the title picture for a while. It would make more sense to have a popular babyface like Cody Rhodes chasing the title.

#1 Adam Page is not ready just about yet

AEW is essentially independent wrestling taken to the big stage, and the fans enjoy a much faster-paced style of wrestling than say your typical WWE fan does. Hangman Page is a misfit in this environment because as good as he is, he's nowhere as fluid as say, Kenny Omega or an independent darling like the Young Bucks are.

At AEW Fight For the Fallen, he went up against Kip Sabian and had a solid match that just went on for far too long, in my opinion. While he has all of the tools that are required to be a top star, I just think that it's not his time at this particular time.

However, I do think that he's definitely a future World Champion. Jericho and Page had what was probably the slowest match in the main card (not saying it wasn't good) and while that's excusable from someone like Jericho because of the star power he brings (aside from his age), I have a feeling that had he won, people would have eventually turned on Adam Page.

You don't want him to become the Roman Reigns of AEW.

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