Since the first day of AEW, there is perhaps no one in the company that has appeared more prominently and consistently than Chris Jericho. The first-ever AEW World Champion has been pretty much at the top of the promotion, competing in several big fights over the last three years.
He has delivered some great matches and iconic moments, proving once again that he can easily reinvent himself. It hasn’t all been perfect though, as there have been several bumps along the way, and he’s had good and bad times in AEW during his time there thus far.
10/10 Best: Winning the ROH World Championship
One of Chris Jericho’s greatest AEW moments came recently as he continued his strong 2022 form by winning the Ring Of Honor World Championship, marking the eighth singles world title reign of his career.
This initially got some flak, but it’s sparked a wave of fantastic title defenses against Bryan Danielson, Bandido, and Dalton Castle, plus a great angle where he’s determined to destroy everything ROH stands for.
9/10 Worst: messing up The Lionsault
In early 2021, Chris Jericho was receiving quite a bit of flak, with some criticism as to whether or not he is still a top level player. Things didn’t get any better when he messed up one of his signature moves, the Lionsault, on an episode of Dynamite.
This, coupled with online teasing about his physique and increasing age, was undoubtedly a bitter period for his time in AEW.
8/10 The best: Inner Circle parodying Cody Rhodes
One of AEW’s first major matches came in the form of Chris Jericho vs. Cody Rhodes, and the show offered plenty of promos and strong moments. On the downside of things, arguably the best part of that feud was when Chris Jericho and The Inner Circle made fun of Cody Rhodes’ video package from the previous week.
It was comedy gold, with cameos from the likes of Virgil (Soultrain Jones), Jericho’s aunt’s friend from church, and several others as well. The entire segment was very self-aware and full of creativity.
7/10 Worst: Anniversary Main Event
AEW celebrated Chris Jericho’s 30 years in the professional wrestling industry in October 2020, and the night culminated in Jericho and Jake Hager teaming up to take on Luther and Serpentico.
However, despite being friends with Jericho, Luther was in no shape to be in the main event of Dynamite, and the match turned out terribly. Luther failed multiple times and the match was just bad overall as it was a horrible way to end a celebration for Jericho.
6/10 Best: Jericho cruise ticket
In early 2020, AEW did something unique by having an episode of Dynamite on the Jericho Rock ‘n’ Wrestling cruise ship. Jericho, despite being a heel, received a standing ovation, and the fans sang a thunderous rendition of the theme song by him.
This started the trend of fans serenading Jericho with “Judas”, making it perhaps his biggest entry in AEW.
5/10 The worst: winning the fight against MJF
The feud between Chris Jericho and MJF was pretty fun for a while, but unfortunately, it went on too long. The only saving grace would be younger star MJF getting the win over a seasoned veteran in his last match.
However, despite losing two of his previous matches, it was Jericho who stood his ground in his final and most decisive match, which felt like a very perplexing pick. Jericho’s career was on the line in the match, but he didn’t have to be that way, and an MJF win would have been far more beneficial.
4/10 The best: fine dining
As noted, the feud between Jericho and MJF was fun, but their alliance was arguably even better. The pair went for a steak dinner on an episode of Dynamite in what would become known as “Dinner Debonair.”
In a completely shocking yet unbelievable moment, the two put on a musical performance with a version of “My Shadow And Me.” It was a unique and surreal few minutes, and it ranks right up there with AEW’s best moments (or worst, depending on whether you liked it or not).
3/10 Worst: Barbed Wire Everywhere Deathmatch
A Revolution 2022Chris Jericho and Eddie Kingston had a fantastic match, but their rivalry went on for far too long and culminated in a very disappointing match to the death with barbed wire everywhere.
It was a messy fight with several flops and a very awkward ending, taking his life at the end of the Dynamite episode in which it took place. Jericho may have had a lot of success in 2022, but this was a huge mistake.
2/10 Best: Winning the AEW World Title (and saying “a little bubbly”)
A all out 2019, Chris Jericho was crowned the first AEW World Champion in a historic moment, with a victory over “Hangman” Adam Page. This in itself was a huge and noteworthy moment, but it was made even more iconic with a brief post-match clip.
Jericho would utter the infamous line “A Little Bit Of The Bubbly”, which would become a defining part of his early AEW career. It was an example of how Jericho can turn anything into a marketable catchphrase, as he has done countless times over the years.
1/10 The worst: sexist jokes
The feud between The Inner Circle and American Top Team was not a good one, and a big part of that was Chris Jericho. Although inappropriate jokes may have been overlooked during the Attitude Era when Jericho took aim at Stephanie McMahon, the world has moved on from that era.
Jericho made several insulting and sexist comments towards Paige Van Zant, but instead of being comedic, it left everyone feeling uncomfortable and marked the beginning of the end of Jericho’s time as a babyface as he became a flop.