Chris Jericho was one of the first big WWE names to join AEW during the initial days of the promotion. While The Elite had signed on from the very beginning, Y2J’s arrival legitimized the company in a lot of fans’ eyes.
Turns out, the former AEW champion could have even become an Executive Vice President like the others, but he declined the position and decided to be just a talent for the company instead.
Jericho recently had an interview with Sports Illustrated. During the talk, he revealed that Tony Khan had actually offered him an EVP position in the company:
The only reason I wasn’t an EVP is because I didn’t want to be. They asked me and I said, “No, that’s way too much work for what you’re planning on doing.”
And Tony Khan’s the boss, anyways. I knew that from the start.” said Chris Jericho, “So I wasn’t going to play grab-a– and use EVP as an ego boost. F— that. Just give me more money.”
The former WWE star continued by claiming that his job was to be a star for the brand and help make new stars for the promotion.
He mentioned how he gave a stage to people like Santana & Ortiz and Sammy Guevara and helped Jake Hager and Cody Rhodes reinvent themselves during his first few months with AEW.
