Chris Jericho
Every week that he appears on TV, AEW World Champion Chris Jericho proves that he was the correct choice as the inaugural champion. Sure, he’s lost a bit of a step in the ring, but a Jericho that’s 80-90 percent of what he once was workrate-wise is still pretty great and in terms of character work, he’s never been better, which is saying a lot considering Jericho’s CV.
So, what did “Le Champion” do on this past Wednesday’s Dynamite to earn such lofty praise on this slide? Well, he simply started the show with a Thanksgiving “Celebrashon” that included his toasting in the holidays with Soul Train Jones (a.k.a. Virgil), receiving gifts from his Inner Circle stablemates, unboxing his dad, Ted Irvine, so that papa Jericho could roast the Chicago crowd’s beloved Blackhawks, giving the fans a robust 50 cent discount on his merchandise, and getting his long-awaited thank you from AEW management.
Following those festivities – which included a group beatdown on ring announcer Justin Roberts – Jericho then defended his title against Scorpio Sky in the main event. Much like his first title defense against Darby Allin roughly a month ago, Jericho made Sky look like a legitimate championship contender.
Despite some rough spots, the crowd was fully behind the co-holder of the AEW Team Championships, counting along with his pinfalls and chanting for him at different points of the match.
Ultimately, the champion retained via submission, but Sky is better off for having gone move-for-move with Jericho, which once again reifies the faith the company has put in the future Hall of Famer.