10 Biggest Ways WWE Changed In AEW's First Full Year

10. WWE Tried To Hire Back Chris Jericho

Chris Jericho has told the story on more than one occasion that it was Vince McMahon who actually told Jericho to sign with AEW. Using his Talk Is Jericho podcast to detail the conversation between himself and McMahon, the former AEW Champion revealed that he'd been in constant communication with WWE all the way up to just before he signed with the competition.

It didn't take long for McMahon to realize what he'd done by letting Jericho leave. As Jericho tells the story, Vince called almost immediately and asked, " ‘Did you sign the contract?’ I said, ‘Well, yeah.’ He said, ‘Can you get out of it?’ ‘No! You told me to sign it!’"

Jericho then appeared at AEW's first press conference and it was likely then WWE knew AEW was true competition. The budding wrestling promotion wasn't just using independent wrestlers, they were hiring big-name stars.

WWE had no use for Jericho until they realized they didn't want anyone else to have him. This would become a theme over the next year.