Chris Jericho Addresses Criticisms of AEW Having an Identity Crisis

There’s been quite a bit of discussion surrounding AEW as of late, though that discussion isn’t just relegated to what’s happening in the ring. Attendance, finances, and booking have all been frequent topics over the past several months, but there’s also been frequent talk about AEW leaning into the sports entertainment side of things, with some saying that AEW is in the midst of an identity crisis. During an interview with WFAA, Chris Jericho addressed some of the negativity and criticism and specifically took on the identity crisis critiques (H/T Fightful).

“People’s opinions are opinions, especially on social media, when everybody is going to say what they think, with no consequences, and mostly negativity. I think our shows have been great, the matches have been great, and we’ve done a great job of balancing the storylines along with these amazing matches,” Jericho said. 

“The most important thing we’ve been doing is building stars. I’m sure people on the Dallas Cowboys or people making movies or if you’re in a band. It’s like being a KISS fan, KISS fans hate everything, but they still buy everything,” Jericho said.

“I find a lot of wrestling fans are like that too. They hate everything. If you listen to public opinion online, I should be shot and killed and never show my face on wrestling again because I’m the worst possible thing that could ever happen to the business, me still being in existence. Either you believe that or you don’t, and I don’t. I don’t think the majority of people do either, but people are still going to say that. It’s your opinion,” Jericho said.

“I never worry about people that don’t like what we do because you can’t convince them, they just don’t like it, and that’s fine. It’s your opinion. I worry about the people that do like our show and worry about making new fans of our show, that’s the most important thing,” Jericho said.

The Continental Classic has been a major part of AEW’s recent shows, and fans have responded to the tournament. That said, both AEW and WWE will always look to balance out the heavy in-ring work and the broader entertainment side of things, so this discussion isn’t going anywhere for either company anytime soon.

What do you think of Jericho’s comments? Let us know in the comments!