Chris Jericho is “The Influencer”, in more ways than one.
At 51, it’s fair to say that the former AEW World Champion might only have a few years left in his career in an active wrestler. No matter when he hangs up the boots, “Le Champion” is determined to make his final stretch mean something.
In an interview with Pop Culture, Jericho compared his current role in AEW to that of The Undertaker; during the end of his WWE career, “The Phenom” was mostly utilized as a special attraction, so each match felt special. Plus, he was renowned as locker room leader and an overall positive influence. That’s the role that Jericho now sees for himself in AEW.
“Not that there’s any comparison, but I think I’m kind of taking on like The Undertaker role in the WWE for his last few years there,” said Jericho. “Where every time he does something, it’s impactful; it means something. He’s a benefit to have in the locker room. He’s a leader. He’s very experienced. He can tell guys and girls what they’re doing right and what they’re doing wrong. And it’s just a good person to have around your roster.”
As he has previously, Jericho made it clear that he doesn’t specifically know when he’ll retire because he knows he can still contribute in a major way. Even when his days competing in the ring are behind him, “Le Champion” is confident that he’ll remain a member of AEW for the foreseeable future.
“I like that idea of going from the top guy to making new stars, to where now there’s a lot of top guys, to being the Babe Ruth of the company, or whatever it may, but not where I’m not contributing at still at a very high level,” Jericho said. “So when will I stop? I don’t have a deadline on that, but there’s a lot more you can do than just being in the ring as time marches on. So I think my presence in AEW will be felt for many years to come, for all those reasons that I just explained, because there’s a lot more to do with our company and with Chris Jericho and AEW.”
Jericho will appear Wednesday night on AEW Dynamite; he’ll hold a mandatory Inner Circle team meeting.
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