Chris Jericho Reflects On Why He Decided To Sign With AEW

Chris Jericho has revealed what appealed to him about joining Tony Khan's AEW promotion when it was unproven. Today, Jericho is considered a major player for AEW, both in the ring and behind the scenes. He was viewed as a major signing back in 2019, and it came as a surprise to many as Jericho once swore he'd never work for an American wrestling company outside of WWE.

Serving as a guest on ESPN's "Sedano & Kap" show, Jericho said that at first, he wasn't sold on the idea of yet another wealthy businessman trying to start a wrestling promotion. That changed when he got to know Khan.

"Do you realize how much money it costs to start a wrestling company? Do you realize how hard it is to find fresh, exciting talent that hasn't been around the block? Do you realize how hard it is to get a television deal with a network? Tony Khan did realize that, and after talking to him I thought, 'Wow, there might actually be something to this,' and that's kind of what really started attracting me to it," Jericho said.

Jericho noted that he felt there was a chance he could be a part of something that would change the industry. "That really appealed to me to start working with Tony because I knew if AEW was a success, we could change the course of wrestling history."

Jericho also expressed the belief that had he stayed with WWE, he would've just been a cog in the wheel. At the time, he felt that he could make more of a difference working for AEW than sticking with WWE.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit ESPN's "Sedano & Kap," with a H/T to Wrestling Inc for the transcription.