Chris Jericho Claims AEW Title on Big Bill in Cardiff Could Have Been “Biggest Reaction”

Big Bill found himself in a bizarre situation during the August 24th episode of AEW Collision in Cardiff, Wales. What was supposed to be a clear-cut setup match for HOOK’s upcoming clash with Chris Jericho at AEW All In turned into a surprising moment when the crowd flipped the script and cheered for the heel, Big Bill.

Bill, who has deep ties with UK wrestling fans from his NXT days dating back to 2014, opened up about the unexpected turn of events on Talk Is Jericho. “Very out of nowhere,” Bill admitted. “When I was in the ring with HOOK, the crowd went crazy… They’ve seen my journey. They’ve seen the ups, they’ve seen the downs, they’ve seen the real real downs, and they’ve seen my comeback from those. They’re kind of saying to me, ‘Hey brother, we respect what you’re doing. We love you.’”

Despite trying every trick in the book to turn the audience against him, Bill said, “They just cheered even louder… I kept pulling every trick that I could. There was one point where we went to the floor, and I had HOOK, I said to him, ‘Don’t worry, I’m going to get them to switch.’” But nothing worked. “It was an ego check for me,” he added, acknowledging that the crowd was relentless in their support.

Even Chris Jericho, who was part of the larger storyline, was taken aback by the crowd’s reaction. “I remember thinking, this is like a Twilight Zone thing,” Jericho revealed. “If you could pause life and rewind it a bit, I would have said, ‘Let’s make this for the world championship and put Big Bill over.’ It would have been the biggest reaction ever.”

Big Bill may have lost the battle in controlling the crowd’s reaction, but the moment has become one of the most talked-about matches of his career. HOOK emerged victorious, but it was clear that Big Bill had won over the crowd’s admiration.

Now, Big Bill is set to team with Jericho and Bryan Keith in a Fight Without Honor against Kyle O’Reilly, Mark Briscoe, and Tomohiro Ishii on Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite, and fans will be watching closely to see if he continues to ride that wave of support.

What do you think about the crowd’s unexpected cheers for Big Bill? Was it a sign of respect, or just a twist no one saw coming? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!