Chris Jericho opens up about his other roles in AEW.
Aside from being a top superstar, The Ocho tells Renee Paquette on The Sessions that he has stepped up as a locker room leader following the bad publicity the promotion received in 2022 due to the CM Punk fiasco. He also reveals that he has been producing half the backstage promos that fans see on AEW television. Highlights can be found below.
How he was the flagship guy when AEW first launched:
Now that we’re three and a half years in (from start of TV), I have a lot of responsibilities in AEW. It’s not just in the ring, it’s a lot out of the ring. Just being Chris Jericho backstage. I have the most experience out of anybody in the company with the exception of Dustin Rhodes, but also because I came in as kind of the flagship guy. When AEW first started, it was on my back. Backstage, there is a lot of advice given out, a lot of listening, a lot of bartender listening, ‘I have a problem with this, I have a problem with that.’ There is a lot of working closely with Tony Khan.
Says he is one of Tony Khan’s right hand guys and even helps with backstage promos:
A lot of locker room leading, especially over the last six months or so when he had to take the reigns back when there was a lot of bad publicity and uncertainty in the dressing room. [Jon Moxley], (Bryan) Danielson, and myself kind of had to take charge because we were going to lose the dressing room and if you lose the dressing room, you’re fucked. There is a lot of that sort of thing going on. Basically, everything. It’s almost like a real general. Tony Khan probably has a lot right hand men, but I’m probably one of them. Also, helping out the locker room. I produce probably half the backstage promos that you see. Trying to help as much as I can.
Elsewhere in the interview, Jericho discussed his 2020 feud against Orange Cassidy, and how he became a huge fan of Cassidy’s gimmick despite hating it at first. You can read about that here.
(H/T and transcribed by Fightful)