Add as a preferred source on Google Chris Jericho built his AEW run on a series of character changes, and the main inspiration behind all of it came from David Bowie.
In a recent interview with GamesHub, the inaugural AEW World Champion explained that he’s always admired the British musician’s ability to create completely different eras without ever losing his identity. For Jericho, that same idea shows up in characters like Le Champion, Demo God, The Wizard and The Learning Tree.
“It’s hard to single one out because there have been so many reinventions over so many years. That idea comes directly from David Bowie, honestly. I’m a huge Bowie fan, and he was never the same guy twice. Every record was different in imagery and sound. At the core it was still Bowie, but you could go to a Halloween party and see ten people dressed as Bowie from different eras and recognise every single one of them. I think you could do the same with Chris Jericho.
The ones people still talk about most are Y2J, obviously. Then things like ‘Never, Ever Again’ from WCW. ‘You just made the list’ was only around for maybe six or eight months, but it still resonates — I now do it on Cameo and people are constantly asking me to put them on it. The main thing for me is I never want to be a nostalgia act. I want to keep changing, keep doing things that make people angry at first.
When I stopped using the countdown, cut my hair, changed from long tights to short tights — it was like KISS taking off the makeup. People want the makeup. But if you leave the makeup on forever, you die. You have to try something new, commit to it, and most of the time it works.”
After nearly a year away, Jericho returned on April 1 during Dynamite in Winnipeg, and signed a new contract the following week. Since then, he’s been billed simply as “Jericho,” a change he compared to a self-titled album.
At 55, Jericho remains active and in the middle of another transformation. Last Wednesday, at AEW Dynamite: Beach Break, he was defeated by Tommaso Ciampa, continuing their rivalry.