Chris Jericho explains why leaving WWE to join AEW was a big risk

Chris Jericho seems to be having the time of his life in All Elite Wrestling, where he's currently the World Champion and is leading a dominant faction in The Inner Circle.

Jericho was recently interviewed by Sports Illustrated, and Le Champion discussed a bunch of topics in regards to his career.

Jericho opened up on wrestling in Japan for a while before deciding to sign with AEW. He added that going ahead with the decision to sign a contract with AEW was a major risk because he was leaving behind a "lifelong career" in Vince McMahon's company.

"The difference between myself and the names you just mentioned is that I left WWE to come here. Even though I wasn’t signed at the time, I worked there, then I worked three matches in Japan and then signed with AEW. It was much more of a risk because if this didn’t work, I was leaving behind a lifelong career in WWE."

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Also read: Bray Wyatt reveals why he wants to wrestle John Cena at WrestleMania 36

Chris Jericho's top 5 moments in AEW so far:

Jericho is widely regarded as one of the most versatile athletes in the history of the business. A Cruiserweight in WCW during the Monday Night Wars, Jericho turned into a main event Superstar in WWE and headlined WrestleMania 18 with Triple H in 2002.

Over the next several years, Jericho established himself as one of the best workers in the industry. He signed a contract with AEW last year, and the rest is history.

About the author

Abhilash Mendhe is a pro wrestling journalist at Sportskeeda with nearly five years of experience. He completed his MBA from the Symbiosis Institute of Telecom Management in 2016 and worked with multiple banking institutions, including Tech Mahindra. While he started writing WWE articles for Sportskeeda in 2019 as a hobby, it eventually became a significant part of his professional journey.

Abhilash checks his articles thrice before sending them to the editing team, ensuring his work is highly accurate and reliable.

He has interviewed prominent pro wrestling personalities like Noam Dar, Angry Miz Girl, Brendan Cobbina, and Jesse Lambert. Abhilash is a big fan of AEW star Orange Cassidy, as he believes the former International Champion’s on-screen gimmick of an extremely lazy guy resonates with him.

Given the opportunity to script WWE’s next big storyline, Abhilash would treat fans to the second installment of The Bloodline Civil War. He would book Roman Reigns to re-form The Bloodline with The Usos and Sami Zayn upon his comeback. The angle would see The Tribal Chief-led group go head-to-head with The Rock, Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga, and Jacob Fatu in a blockbuster family feud.

When not reporting on pro wrestling, Abhilash likes to work out, go on walks, read, and explore new eateries.

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Edited by Samya Majumdar