Chris Jericho: My Mission In AEW Has Been To Elevate Younger Guys; Contrary To Belief, It Usually Works

Chris Jericho hopes to elevate HOOK. 

Coming out of AEW Revolution, Chris Jericho entered into a team with HOOK, playing off Jericho’s history with HOOK’s father Taz. Jericho and HOOK teamed on Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite Big Business, and they will be opponents next Wednesday. 

Speaking to Gabby LaSpisa on Gabby AF, Jericho was asked about his new partnership with HOOK. 

“Things got kind of thrown into a loop, storyline-wise, when Kenny got sick. You do the best you can when you have to switch midstream. We kind of did the best we could with the Don Callis story, and then it was time to go into something new. The idea of working with HOOK was something I thought about for a while. It just seemed to fit with the match that we had at Revolution with the eight-man scramble and HOOK was in that. I thought, ‘let’s do something with this.’ The story is just beginning. I think we have good ideas and good stuff going on.

“That’s kind of what my mission in AEW has been since day one; do the best I can to elevate the younger guys. Contrary to popular belief, it usually works. Most of the time, when people work with me, they end up on a higher platform than they were prior. If you look at Orange Cassidy, Darby Allin, MJF, Hobbs [Will Hobbs], Takeshita [Konosuke Takeshita], guys in the Inner Circle, the Jericho Appreciation Society. Look at Daniel Garcia now compared to where he was a year ago. HOOK is another guy we’ve done a lot with, I think we can do some more with, add some depth to him, and give him a little more experience. You’re only as good as the guys you’re in the ring with. If you look at HOOK vs. Samoa Joe, that’s probably the best match he’s ever had because Joe has such experience. With the experience that I have, working with HOOK, and his persona is so unique, I think he’s lighting in a bottle and something we can really get to the next level and that’s what my idea is for this story.”

Jericho & HOOK defeated The Gates of Agony (Bishop Kaun & Toa Liona) at AEW Dynamite Big Business. 

Fans can check out the current lineup for next Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite by clicking here. 

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