Chris Jericho Didn’t Want To Be A ‘Second Match Guy’ In WWE For The Rest Of His Career

Chris Jericho decided to leave WWE because he didn’t want to be held as a mid-carder. While speaking to the Broken Skull Sessions, Le Champion explained that he has no problem playing any role on a show, as long as he is contributing. That wasn’t the case in WWE.

Austin asked Jericho what caused him to leave WWE and take a chance on AEW. The Million Viewer Man admitted that there was an element of doubt that AEW would work, but he felt that they had the tools needed to succeed. He also knew that AEW wouldn’t consider him a second match guy.

“I thought this could be the hugest thing I’ve ever done, but what if it doesn’t work, you know? There’s always that little element of what if this doesn’t work? I didn’t think that much, but there’s always this little worm. I knew what I would be if I went back to WWE. I knew what would happen. I knew the first thing when I came back is I would have to put somebody on The List.”

“In 2020 or 2019, The List was from 2016, it felt like I was gonna play freaking Back In Black for the rest of my life even though I’d put out fifteen albums since.”

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“This is another big one. When I had that program with Kevin Owens in 2016, which in my opinion was the best story, if not the best story for that year. We get to WrestleMania and it changed from Kevin and Jericho to Brock and Goldberg and great, no problem, but when Kevin and Jericho went from the main event — proposed — to the second match of the show, I thought to myself, ‘this is where I’ll be, in my opinion, for the rest of my career in WWE, the second match guy.’ In my mind I’m not a second match guy.”

Jericho said that’s why he went to New Japan. He ended up headlining the Tokyo Dome three times and more than proved that he is anything but a second match guy. Then he signed with AEW and the rest is history.

Transcription by Ringside News