Effy Was Right, Chris Jericho Is A Clout Vampire
Despite being on opposite sides of the face/heel divide on AEW television, Chris Jericho formed a superhausen tag team with Danhausen at his latest "Rock 'n' Wrestling Rager at Sea" cruise. While the fans in attendance undoubtedly got a kick out of seeing the strange bedfellows pairing, it's yet another example of Jericho being what GCW star Effy calls a "clout vampire."
Essentially, a clout vampire is a well-known wrestler who inserts themself into whatever is over in the industry at the time. Effy cited Jericho's brief program with Nick Gage in AEW as a prime example of why Jericho fits the description, noting that the Fozzy frontman begged to have a deathmatch with GCW's veteran deathmatch specialist on "AEW Dynamite: Fight for the Fallen." Around this time, Gage was also hot off a "Dark Side of the Ring" episode and soaring through the independent scene.
There's no denying that Jericho is one of the all-time greats as both a wrestler and sports entertainer. However, Effy's claim is 100 percent accurate. In recent years, Jericho has worked with several hot acts at the height of their popularity, leading to accusations of him burying talent. And while that's not necessarily true, what is true is that when Chris Jericho works with wrestlers, it's always to benefit Chris Jericho.
Jericho's vampiric history
Jericho riding the buzz of the most over acts in the wrestling business can be traced back to his 2017/18 feud with Kenny Omega in New Japan Pro-Wrestling, before AEW even began. At the time, Omega and Bullet Club were making waves and showing that performers didn't need to be in WWE to achieve superstardom. In the lead-up to the match, Jericho hoped it would help his own career before he eventually returned to WWE.
Of course, Jericho ultimately joined AEW instead, and he's consistently chosen to work with the company's most buzzworthy talents as they've started gaining steam — Orange Cassidy, MJF, Darby Allin, Jungle Boy, Eddie Kingston, and Ricky Starks are among the most notable examples. In an interview with Sports Illustrated, Jericho even admitted that he chose to work with Cassidy because he was hot at the time, despite not being a fan of his work at first. "When I actually spent some time with him, watching his matches and seeing how he connected with the audience, I realized that he's over," Jericho said. "That's the secret of wrestling: getting over."
Kingston has also commented on the claims that Jericho leeches from other talents. While speaking to WrestleTalk, the New Yorker called Jericho a "carny" whose own allies have been forced to play "second fiddle to Chris" while he reaps all of the rewards. Does Kingston have a point?
Who's benefited from working with Chris Jericho?
Jericho's clout vampirism isn't always a bad thing. In some instances, he's put over rising stars, created memorable moments, and generated great business for companies. For example, his match with Omega at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 12 led to New Japan World gaining lots of new subscribers, and it can be argued that the match boosted Omega's profile outside of Japan. "The Wizard" also deserves credit for being less selfish than Hulk Hogan and other veterans who've tried to stay relevant in the past — Cassidy and MJF ultimately came out on top in storylines that received a lot of airtime, and Ricky Starks is widely expected to win their current feud.
On the flip side, the blow-off match to his feud with Kingston saw Jericho pick up the victory, and Kingston's momentum hasn't been the same since. Meanwhile, guys like Jungle Boy and Darby Allin are still fixtures of AEW's midcard scene, as is Cassidy. Did working with Jericho really take them to the next level?
Regardless of who suffers or benefits from working with Jericho, one thing is clear: he almost always chooses to work with wrestling acts — as well as popular independent promotions, like his recent appearance for Pro Wrestling Guerrilla — that help him stay in the limelight, and that's why he's a clout vampire.