Chris Jericho Says He Recruited Jon Moxley & Pac For AEW

It has been a tough week for the professional wrestling world as many continue to mourn the death of AEW star PAC. Part of that mourning has seen many take a stroll down memory lane, particularly when it comes to PAC joining AEW at its formation in early 2019. It's a story that Chris Jericho, another Day 1 AEW guy, has plenty of memories of. In an interview with "TMZ Sports' Inside the Ring" regarding AEW's early history, Jericho gave himself some credit for helping get PAC, and another big star, to join AEW, something that was no easy task at first.

"Ben, he was one of the first guys that I called," Jericho said. "Tony [Khan] was calling him, the [Young] Bucks were calling him. But I called Mox, and I called PAC. And Ben was working in Dragon Gate, and didn't want to quite leave from there late, cause he had loyalty to Dragon Gate. I was like 'Okay, that's cool. But when you're ready, trust me, you're going to love it, because we're here for the right reasons, for the love of wrestling,' you know? And then he came and he was amazing."

At the time of AEW's formation, PAC was the top foreign star in Dragon Gate, even making an appearance at AEW's Jacksonville rally with the Open the Dream Gate Championship, Dragon Gate's top title, in tow. His commitment to defending the championship would be one of the reasons his in-ring debut for AEW was delayed until late August, as he would hold the title until dropping it to Ben-K at the Kobe Pro-Wrestling Festival in July 2019.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "TMZ Inside the Ring" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription