Add as a preferred source on Google MJF recently defended Chris Jericho, saying AEW may not even exist without the veteran’s presence.
During a recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, the former AEW World Champion said Tony Khan needed to present a major name to Warner Bros. executives in 2019, and Jericho was that name.
“I can’t sit here and pretend that All Elite Wrestling doesn’t start without Chris Jericho because Tony Khan had to go in front of these Warner Bros. executives, and they were like, ‘Well, who’s your big draw? Here’s Chris Jericho. Oh, you have Chris Jericho?’ And that continues to be the power of Chris Jericho.”
“Wrestling fans are always gonna chirp. Everybody has their ups and their downs, and since Chris has come back, I think he’s proven a lot of people wrong, and I think he’s doing really good work.”
MJF’s comments fit within the company’s history. Jericho was announced by AEW at its launch rally in January 2019, coming in as the new promotion’s biggest impact name. Months later, WarnerMedia confirmed AEW as a weekly part of TNT’s lineup, citing Jericho among the names on the roster.
Jericho also became the first AEW World Champion in history when he defeated Hangman Page at All Out 2019 in Chicago. His reign lasted 182 days, ending with a loss to Jon Moxley at Revolution 2020.
Jericho and MJF already have a long history together in AEW, first as allies in The Inner Circle and later as rivals in one of the company’s biggest feuds from 2020 to 2021.