FTW Champion Chris Jericho is well aware that AEW fans dislike him nowadays and his new “Learning Tree” character is supposed to poke fun at them.
During an interview with KCAL News, Jericho opened up about reinventing himself once again:
“It’s amazing. When you have been in the business as long as I have, 33 years, you always wanna evolve and revamp your character. Kind of get some diversity with what you’re doing, so I think reestablishing myself under this Leaning Tree gives you a new vibe, reinvigorates you, and keeps things fresh and fun.
The one thing about wrestling, and it’s very important, is you have to understand the concepts of being a good guy and, when it starts getting stale, of being a bad guy. It’s kind of like when people say, ‘It’s like a soap opera’. In that way, it is a soap opera. You’re a good guy, and then suddenly something happens, and then you don’t like them for a while.
You have to be able to read the room on that and know when people hate you. People are really not liking me right now so it’s time to kind of change. And that’s ok, that’s the beauty of wrestling, you can just lean into it.
I take great pride in kind of making people angry with things because that’s what you want to do. You’re playing a character. When Chris Jericho comes on screen in AEW, it’s different from the Chris Jericho you’re talking to right now. That’s the way it should be. A larger-than-life character is kind of what wrestling is all about, and I embrace that wholly.”
At the AEW Double Or Nothing 2024 PPV this past Sunday, Jericho defeated Katsuyori Shibata and Hook in a Triple Threat Match to retain the FTW Championship, after interference from Big Bill (fka Big Cass in WWE) and Bryan Keith.
On tonight’s Dynamite, Jericho will debut his new segment called “TV TIME”.
UNCENSORED HQ PHOTOS: Stephanie McMahon Suffers Nip Slip On SmackDown:
