AEW's fastest-rising star credits Chris Jericho as a multimedia "architect"

Chris Jericho has proven to be one of the most innovative and influential stars in the history of professional wrestling. For more than 30 years, The Ocho has been blazing trails around the world and finding new ways to reinvent himself. Now, one of AEW's brightest stars is crediting the legend for opening new doors in multimedia for wrestling talent.

The star in question is Swerve Strickland, who had a breakout year with AEW in 2023. While many fans believe he will be All Elite Wrestling's next World Champion, the multitalented star hasn't contented himself with wrestling alone. He also produces hip-hop music under the moniker Swerve the Realest and hosts the Swerve City Podcast.

Strickland credits Jericho, who is also a podcaster, musician, actor, and author, for showing professional wrestlers that they can maintain a position as a top star in the ring while simultaneously succeeding outside it. Speaking to Jim Varsallone, Swerve dubbed The Ocho an "architect" of multimedia:

"I've always said, he's [Chris Jericho] kind of like the architect in the multimedia personality in pro wrestling," said Strickland. "And to be able to go overseas, do tours, do his Cruise, perform on that with his band, and then do that on 'All In' in front of 80,000 people, then do a podcast, then do television and do musical guest appearances on "Masked Singer" and "Dancing with the Stars."

Swerve claimed that Chris Jericho paved the way for him to succeed in the music industry but admitted that it's difficult to balance several careers at once:

"You lose a lot of sleep, man, but he's really paved the way for me to even be able to think this was a possibility." [H/T WrestlingInc]

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MJF says that AEW would have been "dead in the water" without Chris Jericho

Chris Jericho is a controversial figure, but it's undeniable that his involvement with All Elite Wrestling elevated the company tremendously in its early days. The 53-year-old was anointed the company's inaugural World Champion and given the task of carrying the promotion through its first era.

More than four years later, MJF became the longest-reigning AEW World Champion in history. The young star recently penned a heartfelt article in The Players' Tribune and credited Chris Jericho as one of the primary reasons for the company's success:

"It’s really fun to sh*t on him, I know. [Trust me, I do it all the time.] But people have the weirdest, shortest memories when it comes to who he is and what he represents. Like: I respect Tony and the EVPs a lot. [See above.] But if AEW at the start had just been those guys, plus a ragtag group of indie wrestlers with zero TV exposure [myself included]?? Sorry…… but no. We would have been dead in the water. Chris gave us a legitimacy that people take so f*cking for granted now it’s insane. And he didn’t just make AEW feel legit — he also made AEW’s world title feel legit. Which might seem like the same thing but it’s different. [It’s harder.]"

Friedman went on to attribute his own success to the wrestling legend, referencing their extended feud in 2021.

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