Chris Jericho Responds to ‘Please Retire’ Chants and Reflects on AEW’s Biggest Feuds

AEW star Chris Jericho recently spoke with Chris Van Vliet, sharing his thoughts on his current role in the company, the fan reactions to his character, and how he views his impact on other wrestlers' careers. Here are some of the highlights from the interview, courtesy of ChrisVanVliet.com:

On the Fan Perception of The Jericho Vortex:

"It's funny how I’ve become kind of public enemy number one as a heel, by the way. Isn’t that kind of the idea?" Jericho remarked. "Aren’t you supposed to be public enemy number one as a heel? Aren’t you supposed to not like somebody’s character when that character is a heel? Maybe I’m actually smarter than everyone and I’m manipulating people to what I want them to do. ‘Well, f*ck off, just retire already.’ It’s like, okay, doesn’t that make you mad?"

Jericho pointed to his strong TV ratings, adding, "What I look at is the ratings, and nine times out of 10 my segments always go up, and there’s still some of the biggest ones on the show. So that tells me that whatever it is that I’m doing is working." Jericho acknowledged the target on his back, adding that it’s all part of his role as the bad guy, saying, "I am a bad guy on the show."

He also discussed the so-called "Jericho Vortex," explaining how anyone who works with him benefits. "I always love the concept of the Jericho Vortex and how anybody that works with me gets dragged down," he said. "Name one person that got dragged down from working with me. Maybe afterwards they didn’t go higher, but that’s not up to me. I’m not in charge of booking the entire company."

He gave credit to the wrestlers he’s worked with, pointing out how people like MJF, Sammy Guevara, and Danny Garcia have risen to higher levels after collaborating with him. "I think Big Bill and Bryan Keith have grown by leaps and bounds from working here with me. I’m not going to go through the entire cast of characters, but I definitely know what my intentions are, and it’s not to bury anybody. It’s to build as many people as I can and give them experience so they can learn how to start shouldering things on their own."

On Whether He Chooses His Opponents:

Jericho revealed that while he might suggest opponents, it's primarily AEW president Tony Khan who decides who Jericho works with. "I don’t choose anything. I might have a suggestion, but most of the time it’s Tony coming up with who he wants me to work with," he said.

He gave the example of his feud with Mark Briscoe, explaining, "Both of us wanted to work with each other, and knew we could have some great matches. I loved working with Mark and what a great kind of mini-feud, or I guess it was a feud. It was a couple of months long. So that was something that we both wanted to do and suggested to Tony."

Jericho added, "But most of the time, I mean, this whole thing that started working with Rated FTR, that was Tony’s idea. So yeah, I still work for my boss, and I have never once as far as I can remember in the six years I’ve been in AEW ever said no to something."

He emphasized his professional approach, saying, "If the boss wants to do what he wants to do, then that’s my job. So that’s what we do."

On the "Please Retire" Chants:

Jericho also addressed the infamous "Please Retire" chants. He admitted, "When they were really at their peak, of course I’m always thinking. Okay, I can make a t-shirt out of that. I can make a whole angle out of this."

He noted that the chants eventually faded away, recalling how he would use his microphone skills to shut them down. "New York, please retire. I take the mic and say, I know why you want me to retire. Because you want me to go pitch for the New York Yankees so they could possibly win a World Series, but that’s not going to happen. Boo! And then they stop."

Jericho tied it back to comedy, quoting Seinfeld, "It’s something that Seinfeld said years ago, or any great stand-up comedian, I’ve got the mic. You can’t heckle somebody when the guy has the louder voice. So, yeah, the please retire was a good one. That was fun."