Chris Jericho compares his pro wrestling career to that of a great rock-and-roll band, with longevity, as he enters his next era in the business.
Through each phase, there will be different levels of fans’ happiness with different albums or personas, from love to hate to somewhere in between. Before the 55-year-old Jericho took a nearly year-long break from AEW to tour with his band Fozzy and film acting roles such as Season 2 of “Dexter: Resurrection,” his Learning Tree gimmick with Big Bill and Bryan Keith wasn’t clicking with a large portion of the audience.
He’s been a heel in AEW since day one in 2019 and it was time for a change upon his surprise return in his hometown of Winnipeg, Canada — which he noted wasn’t a coincidence — on April 1 to a strong babyface reaction. It only kept growing in Edmonton and Vancouver and beyond. The former AEW World champion chose to drop Chris from his wrestling name and go by just “Jericho” on AEW television.
Instead of adding a list of monikers that included “Lionheart,” The Demo God” and “The Painmaker,” the simplest change got everyone talking. The former AEW world champion called it a recalibration more than a reinvention.