Tony Khan Emphasizes Chris Jericho's Importance To Launch Of AEW

When AEW launched in 2019, one of the company's first major draws was former WWE star Chris Jericho, who became the promotion's inaugural world champion within just two months and whose match with Kenny Omega at NJPW's Wrestle Kingdom 12 in 2018 gave AEW CEO Tony Khan the confidence to start AEW, due to the global interest the match received. Jericho was also heavily involved in helping Khan sign stars from around the world, specifically those he'd worked in WWE or on the indie scene. Speaking recently on "Q93" about AEW's five-year anniversary, Khan expressed his appreciation for Jericho and reiterated that the idea of starting AEW may have never came to fruition without "Y2J's" help.  

"So many great matches in AEW over the years," Khan said. "I don't know if it would have been possible for us to launch AEW without Chris Jericho's involvement, and he's been a fixture and a great part of AEW throughout the five years." 

Along with becoming AEW World Champion in 2019, Jericho also captured the ROH World Championship as well as the now-retired FTW Championship within his five years with AEW. 2025 will mark Jericho's 35th year as a professional wrestler and at the age of 53, he doesn't plan on retiring anytime soon. He remains a significant player in AEW storylines via his "Learning Tree" gimmick and will attempt to claim the ROH world title for a second time when he faces Mark Briscoe at AEW WrestleDream on Saturday.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Q93" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.