10 Times AEW Got Into Serious Trouble

9. When Chris Jericho Smoked A "Victory Cigar"

Chris Jericho Cigar
AEW

In a great angle from the early, pre-Full Gear run of Dynamite - when the match quality wasn't as high, but it might just have been a better all-round two hours of episodic television - the Inner Circle broke Dustin Rhodes' arm.

Jim Ross had a rare, great day; his muted disgust really put over that you simply do not do that to a veteran of Dustin's standing. The set-up was thoughtful too; that vlogger Sammy Guevara commandeered the camera was a neat, realistic touch. Dustin, who's incredible, sold the door slam to perfection. Another unreal angle in the fundamentally important Chris Jericho Vs. Cody Rhodes programme, the story that proved AEW had it in them to deliver the best North American TV experience of the century, it was arranged so elegantly.

Cody had to tend to his brother, which put him further over as a babyface and saved a physical confrontation before the PPV match, and Jericho - in career-best form as Le Champion - smoked a cigar in celebration. The "victory cigar" for breaking a great man's arm: this was callous, detestable, great heel work.

The angle drew near-universal praise, but certain executives within TNT were not as impressed as the fans.

Jericho, recounting the story in an interview with Stephanie Chase, revealed that TNT were not only very angry; they had threatened to pull the show in the event that it happened again.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!