Chris Jericho has "outstayed his welcome" in AEW, says WWE veteran; predicts when new gimmick will be "dead"

Multi-time world champion Chris Jericho had some of the most memorable moments in wrestling history and is now signed with AEW. Ocho was among the first popular wrestlers to sign with the Jacksonville-based company in 2019.

Y2J has played a critical role in some storylines in AEW and now plays the character of a mentor looking to train younger wrestlers with The Learning Tree gimmick. He has offered his mentorship to some wrestlers, including HOOK who didn't accept. Fans don't seem to have taken well to the storyline, and former WWE manager Dutch Mantell thinks that the three-time WWE World Heavyweight Champion has overstayed his welcome.

On the podcast Storytime with Dutch Mantell, he revealed his thoughts about the FTW Champion's current persona. Mantell said that Jericho had lost his way in AEW.

"I do think Chris Jericho has outstayed his welcome. But I think he has noted the reactions of the fans, the way they greet him and receive him. So, he is gonna take that, that the fans have created themselves, and he's gonna fashion his new gimmick, his new persona, as they call it, and run with it. I would like to give it a year, but I think it will be dead before a year. I will give it six months before it runs its route." [0:59 - 1:44]

He continued:

"Because I think, they have lost their way in AEW. They have, sometimes, great matches on TV, they don't mean anything. There's no overlying or underlying story between most of these matches. And, if they have a story, it's either far gone or they are not advancing it. They are just having a match," he signed off. [1:45 - 2:05]

Jim Cornette doesn't get Chris Jericho's latest gimmick

Dutch Mantell isn't the only wrestling personality who doesn't like Chris Jericho's latest gimmick. While he said that one feels like slapping Jericho, Jim Cornette is another WWE veteran who doesn't understand Jericho's current persona. He revealed his thoughts on the Drive Thru podcast.

"What is Jericho doing now? It's not hard to come up with this viewpoint that he's been on television for thirty years, we know what he talks like, and what he acts like. It's not a matter of changing a gimmick or a nickname or a catchphrase or the way you're dressing or switching from babyface to heel. He is just a... why is he doing this? Why is he screaming?"

He also wondered whether anyone wanted to see Jericho's new persona.

Chris Jericho is one of the most versatile wrestlers in the world and has been known to make gimmicks work. It remains to be seen whether he will succeed with The Learning Tree gimmick or if it will fall flat.

If you use the quote from the first part of this article, please credit Storytime with Dutch Mantell and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling.