AEW: Chris Jericho, Matt Hardy bring out the best in each other

On last week’s episode of AEW Dynamite, Chris Jericho and Matt Hardy brought out the best of each other in their first interaction.

Matt Hardy’s creativity is in good hands with AEW. Wrestling fans were unsure if Hardy would stay with WWE and bring his “BROKEN” universe to NXT where it would be used better by Triple H, as Vince McMahon had some serious issues understanding the popularity and brilliance of Hardy’s creative creation.

Instead, Hardy made the bold leap to All Elite Wrestling, and it already looks like he’ll be a smashing success with the new promotion.

AEW have done an excellent job using legends, as my colleague Donny Starr pointed out a couple of weeks ago. Starr was referring to wrestling legends of the past, such as Jake “The Snake” Roberts, but I’d also like to propose that the promotion is doing an excellent job of utilizing two wrestling legends who are still effective on a weekly basis in the ring.

Hardy and Chris Jericho had a face-to-face on last week’s episode of Dynamite, which began after Jericho cut a hilarious promo on actual drone, Vanguard One. (He even asked Vanguard One to join the Inner Circle, which popped everyone!)

The actual face-off began when Hardy teleported to the ringside area, and, as my colleague Joe Anthony Myrick wrote, there is absolutely zero reason to be mad at this. That’s the Hardy character! (It’s like being mad at The Undertaker for casting lightning bolts or whatever the hell he’s doing now when he’s not cutting subpar promos.)

Hardy and Jericho have plenty of history together, and their chemistry was clicking on Mar. 25. Jericho would eventually refer to Hardy as “Damascus”, honoring the name of the entity occupying the vessel of the now-red-and-black-haired wrestler, and he was even impressed that the BROKEN one floored him with one punch.

But amidst the mutual respect, nostalgia, and comedic timing, there was a layer of resentment and gamesmanship. The dynamic between Jericho and Hardy is so unique, because both men, as they are quick to acknowledge, are among the best in wrestling history at finding new ways to present themselves to the audience.

The latest iteration of both of their characters – “Damascus” and “The Maker of Pain/Le Champion” – fit perfectly. And the result was one phenomenal promo segment on AEW Dynamite during a time in which the promotion may struggle to fill content.

AEW should – and most likely will – stop live shows alongside WWE, but Hardy and Jericho can continue to cut promos and leverage social media to further this program. It doesn’t need a title, and it isn’t in the main event picture above AEW World Champion Jon Moxley. But it’s awesome, striking all the right notes, and clearly much, much different from everything else on both the show and in all of wrestling.

Uniqueness and creativity are what Matt Hardy and Chris Jericho both thrive on, and it’s a treat to see them sharing segment time together in 2020.