10 Wrestlers Who Became Everything They HATED

2. Chris Jericho Becomes What He Hated In WCW

Chris Jericho Kevin Nash
AEW

Here's a pertinent question for today's product: Where did it all go wrong for Chris Jericho in AEW? He's gone from somebody who stuck a middle finger up at McMahon-led dull as dishwater WWE fare and led the way for All Elite to...one of wrestling's most unwanted and outdated acts. It's a remarkable slide for someone who previously had his finger on the pulse of what fans wished to see.

Jericho claims his current gimmick is deliberately annoying, but he has "X-Pac heat" that'd make Sean Waltman from 2001 blush. The reigning ROH Champ has become one of those older guys he would’ve bitched about in WCW towards the end of the 90s. He's taking TV time away from younger talent and winning titles he doesn’t need to win whilst fans look beyond him and enjoy other workers more.

Simple as that.

Jericho from 1999 would've rolled his eyes when looking at show format sheets to see workers exactly like him now get bags of TV time on Nitro. Does Hulk Hogan really need three promo segments on the same broadcast? Does Kevin Nash really need another belt? What about everyone else?

This isn't working for AEW. It's driving away viewers, not attracting them.

Contributor

Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.