At AEW Dynasty earlier this month, Chris Jericho secured victory over HOOK to claim the FTW Championship.
While the response to Jericho’s narrative with his younger AEW colleague hasn’t been overwhelmingly positive, Jericho advocates for patience and allowing the story to unfold fully before forming judgments, as he expressed during a recent segment on “Busted Open Radio.”
“I think many people… desire to have all the answers upfront,” Jericho remarked. “But sometimes, just sit back. We have long-term story arcs, ideas, and plans… As informed as fans believe themselves to be, they still often don’t have the full picture.”
Jericho likened his approach to professional wrestling storytelling to that of watching a movie – if he already knew the entire plot beforehand, he wouldn’t bother watching it.
He emphasized the importance of allowing wrestling narratives to evolve organically on screen and encouraged fans to refrain from immediate criticism, opting instead to let the storylines develop naturally.
“This is how you craft compelling narratives,” Jericho elaborated. “Some may unfold over a month, others over six months, or even a year. That’s simply the nature of wrestling.”
Additionally, creative directions frequently adapt based on audience reactions to performers or storylines, adding an element of unpredictability to planning.
Nonetheless, Jericho believes this uncertainty contributes to the excitement of live television.
In the era of internet culture, Jericho observes a tendency among fans to default to negativity rather than finding a balance between aspects they enjoy and those they don’t.
He suggests that this distinguishes wrestling from other forms of entertainment, as similar levels of fan scrutiny aren’t as common in movies or music.
