Ex-AEW Star Defends Chris Jericho Against Critics Who Want Him Off Television

Chris Jericho is definitely a veteran in the pro wrestling industry, whose career has spanned more than 30 years and he truly loves AEW no matter what. With that said, many people feel Jericho shouldn’t be on television and now an ex-AEW star has defended Jericho against such critics.

Chris Jericho has faced a lot of criticism from fans lately. Some think his role in AEW, especially with “The Learning Tree,” isn’t helpful to the show and that he’s hurt the momentum of younger wrestlers. Despite this, AEW still puts Jericho in a leading role on shows like Dynamite, Collision, and Rampage. Recently, he even won the ROH World Championship, meaning we’ll likely see him more on Ring of Honor programs.

While speaking on The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy, Matt Hardy spoke up in support of Jericho, saying he believes Jericho deserves his spot on TV. Hardy noted that, like Jericho, he and his brother Jeff are seen as “legacy” stars and some people in AEW questioned if they should be featured. But since they joined TNA, ticket sales and viewership have gone up, showing that veterans like them do bring value.

Hardy mentioned Jericho’s recent ladder match with Mark Briscoe as a great example, saying it boosted Briscoe’s profile. He also thinks Jericho as ROH champion helps promote Ring of Honor. Hardy believes Jericho’s experience and character add a lot to wrestling, and those who think Jericho doesn’t belong on TV are wrong about the positive impact he brings.

“First and foremost, I understand being an older guy around in wrestling, someone who is looked at as like a legacy talent, someone that is looked at as like a living legend more or less. Chris and I fall in the same category. There are a lot of people in AEW that thought Jeff and I shouldn’t be there, we shouldn’t be featured, it was pretty brutal. It’s so funny that we came to TNA and numbers across the board are up and it’s not just myself and Jeff, but we definitely helped. We helped with that issue. They’re selling more tickets than they have in over a decade. It’s a very positive thing and it’s nice that we are being utilized in the correct way. Looking back on it, I watched the ladder match that he had with Mark Briscoe, and I thought Jericho was utilized perfect. You put Jericho as the Ring Of Honor champion — If you’re trying to build up Ring Of Honor, even if it is on the ROH app or the site, he’s a great guy to be the champion and feature him. That match where he wrestled Mark Briscoe, it elevated Mark Briscoe in my opinion watching it. The finish, he was just such a chickenshit heel, the way Big Bill put him on his shoulders and carried him off the ladder. I think the people that say Chris Jericho should not be on TV at this stage of the game, I just think they’re absolutely wrong. I think he has a benefit, I think he adds a lot to pro wrestling.”

Chris Jericho has also defended himself against accusations of being selfish in AEW. Nonetheless, Chris Jericho is here to stay and he will not be removed from AEW television anytime soon and fans will simply have to accept that now.

Do you believe Chris Jericho still brings value to the AEW product? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!