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Those tuning into AEW Dynamite over the last two weeks may have noticed that Chris Jericho and his band of "goons" have essentially taken control of the TNT show. Like the nWo, the new stable are running wild and have an interesting cast of characters that could rival any stable in professional wrestling. It would not be far fetched to say that their presence rivals the rest of the AEW Roster, as well.
Chris Jericho's job is clear cut. His chief duty is to get this group of heels over with the crowd and considering Jericho's track record, it seems clear that he can certainly do that. For instance, only Chris Jericho could get something as inane as 'The List' over, but he pulled that off better than anyone would have ever expected.
Some fans may complain about the name of the stable, while others say it's a shot at WWE's O.C., the name makes sense, especially considering it was a Jericho creation. The former WWE Superstar is strutting around like a rock star saying that AEW is all about him and everything good that has happened is because of him.
Due to his "Rock Star" persona, it makes sense that he believes he will need an inner circle of people he can trust. Thus, the name of the stable makes perfect sense. With that stated, meet the members of The Inner Circle.
#5 Sammy Guevara
At 26 years old Sammy Guevara is easily the youngest member of the group and has been placed in the stable in order to showcase his status as a rising star. Jericho referred to him as a "Teen Heartthrob" and perhaps he does appeal to that demographic. A Cuban-American, Geuvara has wrestled for various wrestling promotions such as MLW, Lucha Underground, and AAA.
Guevara had the best match on AEW Dynamite's debut against Cody Rhodes and certainly got over with the crowd. His excellent athleticism and high-flying moves were on full display. Moreover, his heel persona shined right through. While some may question wearing a panda hood to the ring, his attitude has the right type of heel heat which would tick off any wrestling crowd.
If anyone is primed to be a breakout star, it's Guevara.
#4 and #3 Santana and Ortiz
Brought into Impact Wrestling to reform LAX, the pair certainly created a name for themselves in the promotion. They are rightfully considered one of the best tag teams in the world. They have feuded with the likes of The North, Ohio Versus Everything (OVE), as well as The Lucha Bros and The O.G. The duo won the Impact World Tag Team Championship a total of 4 times.
Santana and Ortiz are genuinely talented. Their move set is incredible and their ability to connect with any crowd certainly led to AEW signing them. At a time, it was rumored that they could have ended up in WWE, after they were done with Impact Wrestling, but Santana and Ortiz found themselves in AEW where tag team wrestling is flourishing.
The Young Bucks were clear that they wanted tag team wrestling to be front and center in the promotion. It's very possible that they will have a tag team main-event a PPV in the near future.
While Chris Jericho put them over as tough-as-nails back alley brawlers, they will be looking to target the future AEW Tag Team Champions. As heels, they will undoubtedly take an underhanded shortcut in order to get those gold straps around their waists.
#2 Jake Hager aka Jack Swagger
Jake Hager is his real name, but he was a WWE Superstar for over 9 years under the name Jack Swagger. He's a former ECW Champion, World Heavyweight Champion, as well as a United States Champion.
His gimmick as the "All American" was based on his collegiate accomplishments. Similar to Brock Lesnar, Hager achieved the coveted All American status in the NCAA while competing for the University of Oklahoma. He debuted in WWE in 2008 and spent most of his run on the mid-card. Like Cody Rhodes, Hager had only wrestled for WWE before departing in 2017.
He ended up signing with Bellator and appeared for other wrestling promotions including Lucha Underground. So far, he is undefeated in Bellator and scheduled to fight Anthony Garrett at Bellator 231 on October 25th. It's safe to say that he won't be competing in the ring until after that date.
It was recently reported that Chris Jericho wanted Hager to be in a different role when he was in WWE. With Hager being part of The Inner Circle, it's quite clear that Hager is the muscle of the group, whose role is to stay silent and dominate on command. For lack of a better term, he is the enforcer.
It'll be interesting how things pan out in the weeks to come.
#1 Chris Jericho
Chris Jericho has done everything in the wrestling business. He will be turning 49 on November 9th when he defends his AEW World Championship against Cody Rhodes. When he was signed to the promotion, there were some in the wrestling community who scoffed at the idea that he was too old, but he has proved otherwise.
The man who spent many years in WCW and WWE is perhaps one of the greatest WWE Superstars of all time. With multiple championships under his belt, he has always somehow managed to stay relevant in the business. The 30 year veteran was made AEW Champion for a reason and that was to put eyes on the product.
Chris Jericho will be in the main-event spot for the foreseeable future. At the same time, he's going to be putting over talent. Look at his promo from last week and the unscripted nature was apparent. If wrestling fans were taking a poll, that would have been the most entertaining and memorable promo from last week, irrespective of promotion. At the same time, he put over the rest of his group and didn't hog the spotlight.
Jericho will be defending his AEW Championship on the upcoming AEW Dynamite episode in a Philadelphia Street Fight against Darby Allin. While it's likely that Jericho will still be champion going into Full Gear, it's a guarantee that he's going to make Allin into a star. If anyone could do it, Chris Jericho can.
