Chris Jericho discussed his Learning Tree persona in AEW in an interview with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated.
“I’m a big proponent of letting the story lead you, not the other way around. That allows me to evolve. The whole Learning Tree is taking negativity from social media and getting a reaction out of it. That’s what wrestling is all about–getting people to react to what you’re doing. There’s a serious side, too–look at the vicious beatdowns we’ve given Samoa Joe and Hook and [Katsuyori] Shibata. It’s something I made a career out of, and it’s one of the reasons I’ve been doing it for so long at the highest of levels, which makes some people mad. This is what I do. I’ve never wanted to be a nostalgia act, I’ve never wanted to rest on my laurels. I’ve also never been afraid to take chances and do something different, and that’s what we’re doing right now.”
“I think Big Bill is great–I loved him as Cass and I wanted to work with him. Tony Khan suggested Bryan Keith, and the bad apple character was born. The chemistry is great, and we’re putting a spotlight on something new–and that gives us some great stories to tell.”
