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There are a lot of people who view Chris Jericho as the greatest to ever step foot inside the ring. Now, while there has to be a debate surrounding such lofty claims, one has to admit that for his sheer longevity and versatility, he definitely has to be in that conversation even if not at the very top.
Since making his jump to the WWE in 1999, for almost two decades, he had exclusively worked for Vince McMahon's company. As a result, not many would have thought that they would get to see Jericho perform anywhere outside the WWE again. But after a few sporadic appearances in Japan, he shockingly ended up joining Tony Khan's upstart promotion, All Elite Wrestling.
Chris Jericho Made A Brilliant Start In AEW
Jericho was pretty much the highlight of early AEW. He was definitely the company's most recognizable name and as a result, gave them the credibility that they needed at the start. Thus, it was not much of a surprise when Jericho was crowned the first-ever AEW World Champion.
During his early run in the company, he played the role of a serious heel and although his work in the ring had become pretty limited, as one would expect at that stage of his career, he was still pretty capable of putting on a solid match. He would hold onto the world title for around six months before dropping it to Jon Moxley.
The Inner Circle Was A Major Flop
The Inner Circle certainly had a lot of potential as a stable. It had the veteran Jericho as its leader, Sammy Guevara as the young star destined for greatness, Santana, and Ortiz as its tag team, and Jake Hager as the muscle. While there was always a bit of a mix-and-match feel to the group, their early work was pretty solid as they were placed as the top faction in the company.
One of the major problems with AEW has been that they have relied on stables more than they should. Thus, soon enough, with a number of them in the company, there was nothing to make The Inner Circle stand out from the rest.
MJF and Wardlow would soon join the group, but it just never quite worked out as well as it should have and by the time he would turn his back on them, The Inner Circle had very little momentum and was on its last legs. It would drag on for a while longer, although most of the members seemed more involved in their own individual storylines and ultimately, the Inner Circle would officially break up earlier this year.
The Jericho Appreciation Society Seems Like The Worst Of Late Era WCW
With the Inner Circle coming to an end, Jericho would immediately form another faction known as The Jericho Appreciation Society, consisting of himself, Hager, Daniel Garcia, Angelo Parker, and Matt Menard.
While The Inner Circle had some decent heat in the beginning, there seems to be very little interest in The Jericho Appreciation Society from the very start. The whole premise of the group is that they are 'sports entertainers' and while on paper, that seems like a good idea to get some heat from the AEW fans, it has not quite worked out like that in practice. The group has a very late-era WCW feel to it, in that it has very little direction or purpose and is just floating around on the card.
Chris Jericho's In-Ring Work Has Taken Several Steps Back
In his prime, Jericho was one of the best in-ring workers in the history of wrestling, but he has been in decline for some time. That is understandable considering the fact that he is 51 years of age now and pretty much in the twilight of his career.
Several high-profile matches involving him have been pretty disappointing and while he is still capable of putting in a big performance from time to time, like the one against Eddie Kingston at Revolution, those are few and far between.
Chris Jericho's Popularity Has Declined Significantly
At the start of AEW, Jericho was hands down the biggest name in the company. That is no longer the case, especially with the likes of CM Punk and Bryan Danielson now on their roster. Always known for his versatility, he continues to try different things but very little is working at the moment.
While the fans continue to sing Judas during his entrance because it is fun, there is no real clamor to see him wrestle there anymore. Yet, he continues to feature in top-of-the-card programs and at the moment, seems to be dragging talent down rather than elevating them.