MJF and Chris Jericho have been embroiled in a highly personal and bitter feud in AEW for many months now. After two massive gimmick matches between their respective factions and a win apiece at Blood and Guts and Stadium Stampede, the leaders of AEW's two biggest factions have been at each other's throats.
Chris Jericho is desperate to get his hands on MJF but MJF won't let him get a match easily. In a bid to make Jericho suffer, MJF set out four obstacles for Jericho to overcome to get an eventual match against him. The tasks have been labeled as the Labours of Jericho, with four labours being matches against opponents with specific stipulations of MJF's choosing. The fifth, and final, labour will be MJF himself.
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This storyline has led to some great television segments on AEW Dynamite. The possibilities are seemingly endless on who MJF chooses to fight Chris Jericho. So far, the Demo God has cleared two hurdles.
The first was a match against Shawn Spears wherein only The Chairman could use chairs. The second was a No Rules match against Nick Gage. At AEW Fight for the Fallen, MJF announced the third opponent would be Jericho's long-time WCW rival Juventud Guerrera, in a match where The Demo God can only win by using a Top Rope Move.
With wide-ranging opponents and stipulations booked for Chris Jericho so far, and assuming he beats Juventud, it's anyone's guess as to what the fourth and final Labour of Jericho would be. Here are a few predictions:
#4. Mike Tyson vs Chris Jericho on AEW; No Pinfalls and Submissions, only TKO
Mike Tyson and Chris Jericho have a storied history across two of the biggest promotions in the world - AEW and WWE.
Iron Mike Tyson famously knocked out Chris Jericho in WWE in 2009, turning on him during a match against Shawn Michaels and Triple H. Mike Tyson appeared on AEW in May 2020 as the two legends rekindled a decade-old feud. Jericho and Tyson shoved each other before they were separated.
Although a match never materialized, Tyson would return in the build-up to the Inner Circle vs Pinnacle Blood and Guts match. He would get his hands on Shawn Spears during an altercation, and also be the special guest enforcer for a match between Jericho and Dax Harwood.
With MJF showing his attention to detail while choosing Juventud Guerrera as Chris Jericho's third opponent, Mike Tyson could be one of the options he's considering.
Tyson has a killer right and has looked in good shape whenever he's been on AEW. The match won't be a classic by any means but purely from a spectacle point of view, it will be super fun. The added stipulation of only knockouts will make the match that much more interesting as it plays directly into Mike Tyson's hands.
It's a long, long shot that this happens as the execution will be quite difficult considering their age and the fact that Mike Tyson isn't a professional wrestler.
#3. Chris Jericho vs FTR on AEW; Handicap Street Fight with no Inner Circle members allowed to interfere
FTR are arguably the best tag team in the world, not just in AEW. Pitting them against Chris Jericho will ensure that there's no way for the Demo God to win. Make it a street fight where no Inner Circle member can help him and it's impossible to see a way out of this for Chris Jericho.
It's hard to fathom anyone else in the locker room wanting to assist Chris Jericho after the Inner Circle ran roughshod over the entire AEW roster during their heel run for the first two years of AEW.
This opens the door for a surprise wrestler to either debut or return to make the save. This is where the options open aplenty. We could potentially see someone like Mark Henry, Paul Wight or even Dean Malenko help Jericho.
Malenko and Jericho had one of the most underrated rivalries in wrestling history and are good friends now. Mark Henry and Paul Wight both have a history with Le Champion dating back to all of their days in WWE.
Or better still, Jericho's best friend Lance Storm makes the save. Speaking of Lance Storm...
#2. Chris Jericho vs Lance Storm on AEW; Iron Man Match with a victory lead of at least 2
Chris Jericho vs Lance Storm needs to happen at least once in AEW.
Chris Jericho and Lance Storm's friendship is very well-documented. The two best friends made their debut together in Canada before wrestling together in the USA for multiple promotions like Smoky Mountain Wrestling and WWE. In fact, Jericho has said in the past that he would want to face Lance Storm in his retirement match.
Lance Storm is one of the best technicians to ever step foot inside a squared circle, and brings an old-school style of wrestling not commonly seen these days. Knowing MJF, he would want to cause as much distress to Chris Jericho as possible - mentally, emotionally and physically.
What better way to do that by having Jericho beat his own best friend over and over again? The added incentive for Storm could be the huge payday MJF promises for the Labour that ends up beating Jericho, and halting his progress. The hook of the story would be quite easy to sell and sounds enticing on paper.
It could end up meaning nothing, but Lance Storm recently posted something on his Twitter account alluding to a hike on Wednesday. Lance Storm is known to be a regular follower of AEW so it could be a hint.
"If all goes well my next big hike will be Wednesday;" Lance Storm tweeted.
Lance Storm and Chris Jericho last wrestled each other in 2005 at ECW One Night Stand. AEW might be the perfect place for them to fight again.
#1. Chris Jericho vs Sammy Guevara on AEW - First Blood match; if Sammy loses he cannot challenge for a title for 1 year
Chris Jericho has played a monumental role in turning Sammy Guevara into the superstar he is in AEW. Jericho took the Spanish God under his wing and built him up to be one of the top young stars in AEW.
Jericho always speaks very highly of Guevara and puts him over as his own younger brother whenever he has the opportunity to do so. Facing Sammy Guevara in a first blood match would be bad enough for Chris Jericho, but a minor prick can draw blood and MJF will be wary of that possibility. There will be a need for an added stipulation to ensure Jericho has to toil to beat his protege.
Therefore, on top of being a first blood match, if Sammy loses he cannot challenge for any titles in AEW for a year. The added stipulation will force Sammy Guevara to give it his best shot. Chris Jericho having to make his most beloved disciple bleed and cost him a title opportunity for a year in order to get his hands on MJF will bring nuclear heat upon MJF as well as make the story extremely emotional. Moreover, it protects Sammy Guevara.
Sammy is a rising star who will soon need a title to establish himself as a legitimate top guy but AEW has enough storylines for titles at the moment. With no pressure to put a belt on Sammy for a year, AEW can build up his story for a year for, say, next year's AEW All Out and the pop for whatever title he eventually wins will be deafening. The story will be in line with AEW's habit of long-term storytelling as well and make Sammy Guevara a bonafide top babyface.