Chris Jericho’s appearance on “Stone Cold” Steve Austin’s Broken Skulls Sessions caused a stir throughout the internet wrestling community. After all, an AEW-contracted wrestler would appear on a WWE show. Some felt that the interview was agreed to because Vince McMahon does not see AEW as a threat to his empire. McMahon’s belief may have been that Chris Jericho appearing on the show would cause no harm to WWE. On the contrary, however, while the interview may not have hurt WWE it could stand to help elevate the entire wrestling business.
Steve Austin asked Chris Jericho several questions about his final run in WWE, his subsequent departure, and his work with NJPW and AEW. Jericho discussed his matches in Japan with Kazuchika Okada, Tetsuya Naito, and Kenny Omega. He mentioned how those matches contributed to the formation of All Elite Wrestling.
There has always been a difference between wrestling fans and WWE fans. In particular, WWE fans tend not to acknowledge any professional wrestling outside of the WWE Universe. However, with Jericho working for an outside promotion, he can open the WWE fans’ eyes to life outside of the WWE Universe.
Jericho mentioned The Young Bucks, “Hangman” Adam Page, and Orange Cassidy, discussing how great he thought they were. Because of these mentions, Jericho fans might decide to take a peek at AEW. With The Good Brothers and Omega working with IMPACT Wrestling and Jon Moxley working with New Japan, the new AEW eyes might watch these other promotions as well. From there, the world of wrestling opens up.
For WWE, there might have been no benefit or detriment to having Chris Jericho on the Broken Skull Sessions, outside of possibly seeing a boost in viewership. However, for AEW and the rest of the wrestling world, Jericho’s appearance could pay dividends for years to come.
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