Jim Ross recently talked about a wide range of topics on his Grilling JR podcast.
During the podcast, the WWE Hall of Famer discussed Chris Jericho and Jericho’s future with AEW.
“I was always in Jericho’s corner, I still am to this very day. When I go to work on these pay-views for AEW and I see him, we always have time to talk to each other, have a laugh or two, go to catering or whatever and enjoy each other’s company. He’s always been an advocate of mine, and it’s reciprocal. When he got hired by Tony Khan in AEW, I thought that was one of the smartest things that Tony could have done to help stabilize his roster, his new roster, and Chris Jericho has been a great addition since day one. He calls most of his own shots now, and why not? I’ve used this analogy before with Cowboy [Bill Watts], Cowboy would hire top guys to come in because they would Cowboy book their character. If you get a talent to buy into their character and contribute creatively, you have a whole hell of a lot better of it working than not. So I’m a big Chris Jericho fan,” Ross said.
“I think AEW will be his last stand. He’s got lots of influence there. Like I said earlier, he pretty much books his own programs, lays out his own matches, and why not? That’s what you want. I’m all for that. I wish more talents would take a personal interest in what they’re doing. Chris has developed a relationship with Tony Khan that has been pretty substantial. He’s the kind of guy you want around. He’s the kind of guy you want as an office guy. He’s the kind of guy you want in those roles. I see him talking to talents all the time, young talents. They go to him and ask for advice, and he’s always, to my knowledge, been very willing to share his time and his expertise to some of these young kids. I know he’s helped make some guys. Darby Allin’s a good example. Remember they had some matches on AEW television that were outstanding, and it gave Darby a leg up, it gave him a jumpstart on his career, and Chris put him over. Jericho’s never been one to not put somebody over if it’s the right thing to do. Sometimes you get into a situation where you don’t know what’s right and what’s wrong, it’s just the way we should go with this deal. Should he put him over, should he not put him over, all that stuff. So Chris has always been real good. He’s an MVP in my view at AEW, without question. There’s just no doubt about that, and I love working with him. I love seeing how he works with other talents. It’s invaluable, and they listen to him because he’s been there and done that. That’s important to me. That’s where they get their learning. He’s a very valuable asset to the company. He can always go out and have a great match as a babyface or a heel. He can work with anybody and make them look better than they actually are. Even though he’s not a spring chicken, he stays in great shape. He’s a keeper. If Tony Khan is smart, and he is, Chris is gonna be a part of the company for the foreseeable future and a long time to come. I do think that somewhere down the road, when he and Tony Khan make the decision to say that’s enough, that he’ll get a sendoff like Sting’s, in that sense, special occasion, big-time deal. I just don’t think it’s anytime soon,” Ross said.
H/T to Fightful for the transcription. Thanks for checking out this article. Make sure to follow Jeff Jarrett and all things GFE on Facebook.