Chris Jericho recently clarified his employment status with AEW. He did so on an episode of Jesse Ventura’s “The World According to Jesse” on RT America. Jericho stated he is an AEW employee and receives health benefits from the organization, not an independent contractor.
Ventura and Jericho discussed various aspects of how wrestlers’ employment is handled by promotions.
“I know you for one always stood up for a union in wrestling,” Jericho said to Ventura. “I think the way a union will happen is when television stations go through the Screen Actors Guild type of thing and force the union to happen.”
The interview can be viewed in its entirety below:
Chris Jericho On Independent Contractor Status
“You could steal half the talent if you simply made the wrestlers employees,” Ventura said.
Ventura then stated several reasons why wrestlers should not be classified as independent contractors. Jericho then clarified his status with AEW.
“I don’t know everybody’s specific deals but for myself, I am an employee of AEW,” Jericho clarified. “So there are inroads for that, atleast for me, I’m a registered employee of the company.”
Jericho will face Adam “Hangman” Page at AEW All Out on August 31st, 2019.
“I was paying $5,000 a year and this was way back in the 80s, just for health care,” Ventura said.
Jericho continued to say that the benefits and employee status he was given played a role in him deciding to sign with AEW.
