ROH World Champion Chris Jericho has recently signed a multi-year contract with AEW, keeping him with the company until December 2025. The new contract also includes increased responsibilities for Jericho, who will serve as a Producer and Creative Advisor in addition to continuing to mentor younger wrestlers. You can read AEW’s original announcement, which includes comments from Jericho and AEW President, CEO, General Manager, and Head of Creative Tony Khan, by clicking here.
Jericho discussed the new contract with Variety’s Joe Otterson, and was asked why he chose to stay with the company.
“I guess the simple answer is ‘Why not?’” Jericho said. “Things have been going so well in the company, and I really do feel that this is my company. It’s tattooed on my heart, so to speak. I’ve been here since day one, and there’s really no reason not to be here continuing forward.”
He continued, “When AEW first started, I think basically it was Chris Jericho and a group of very talented people that might not have been as well known. Within three months that changed and now within three years, we’ve got at least a dozen, maybe two dozen, of our own homegrown stars that came into their own on AEW television.”
Jericho continues to reinvent himself and is now known as “The Ocho,” a reference to the ROH World Title being his eighth world title reign in his illustrious career. He discussed his creative freedom in AEW and working with Khan.
“I think evolving and always reinventing myself is what keeps me going,” he said. “And now I have this freedom to be creative, to just do anything that I think is going to work. I’ve never really had that before. I don’t have to worry about anybody else opinions. Obviously, Tony Khan weighs in from time to time, but it’s really just an open canvas to just paint whatever pictures that I want to paint and that makes it so much more fun.”
Regarding his role in AEW, Jericho compared himself to hockey legend Gordie Howe, who played at the highest levels of the game well into his fifties. Jericho also described himself as a “elder statesman” of the locker room, spending the majority of his time at AEW working with other, less-experienced talent on their matches and offering advice on how they can improve.
