Chris Jericho Details The One Thing The NFL Didn't Want AEW To Do During The Stadium Stampede Match
Chris Jericho was recently a guest on "The SDR Show" where he discussed topics including his band Fozzy, and AEW. Jericho revealed that one of his first wrestling names was "Jack Action".
"My intended first name was Jack Action," Jericho revealed. "Then one of the guys in my wrestling class saw me signing my name and was like, 'Is your name gonna be Jack Action,' and I went, 'um, no?'"
Jericho has compared the creative processes at AEW and WWE before with the Miami Herald, saying there is not a team of writers at AEW. When asked about the creative process at AEW on "The SDR Show", Jericho talked about the collaborative process at AEW, and how there isn't a chain of command at WWE.
"Everyone works together, but there's no real rules," Jericho revealed. "Every once in a while someone will have other ideas that you will use. But most of the time everyone is in charge of their own stuff. That's why it's working.
"Not to bag on anywhere else, but in WWE for example, there's such a chain of command. We have to get it approved from this level, this level, this level. By the time you get it back, it's not what you envisioned at all. It's not like that in AEW."
Jericho also spoke about The Stadium Stampede Match, telling "The SDR Show" the best thing he's done in wrestling in 30 years. He also talked about the collaborative process between everyone in the match. He also noted that the NFL didn't want them to knock out the Jacksonville Jaguar mascot, but Tony Khan gave him the green light anyway.
"That was one of the best things I've ever done in 30 years in the business," Jericho admitted. "That was just 10 guys with different ideas, banging it out, not having to worry about 'so and so approved this'. The only thing I had to get approved was knocking out the Jacksonville Jaguars mascot.
"The only reason I had to get it approved was the NFL didn't want us to do it, but Tony Khan said do it anyway. Everything was kinda free form. It's just how creative do you want to be and how successful do you want to make the segment you're in."
Jericho is currently in a feud with Orange Cassidy, and Jericho admitted that he hated the character at first. However, he saw how unique the gimmick was and said that Orange Cassidy is another example of AEW creating new stars.
"We are in the business of creating stars, and I think we've done a great job of that," Jericho stated. "Orange Cassidy, at first I hated it. Like, what is this guy doing? Now, I get it. It's just one of those unique gimmicks that people just love; a persona they just love."