50 Worst Wrestling Moments Of The 2020s (So Far)

23. When Don Callis Met Chris Jericho

Chris Jericho Don Callis
AEW

In 2023, Don Callis tried to lure longtime friend Chris Jericho over to his Family. Jericho had wondered aloud whether his career was almost over. The idea was for fans to sympathise with Jericho, and urge him to carry on as a babyface.

After Don played on Jericho’s sentimental side and courted him with expensive dinners, the decision was set for the August 16 Dynamite. This, ostensibly, was a babyface turn, or at least the start of it. Maybe? It was very confusing.

Jericho agreed to align with Callis, before it was revealed, via oil painting, that Callis had anticipated a rejection. So why did Callis even try to recruit him in the first place? And why, if Jericho was turning face - and he was - did he agree to join Callis? Isn’t that - befriending a heel - what a heel would do?

So Jericho acted like a heel during his babyface turn (!), which happened mere weeks before the first All In: London. Jericho’s opponent on the night?

The Essex-born Will Ospreay, the most spectacular wrestler alive, who was always going to get a huge babyface reaction at Wembley despite his storyline association with Callis. This was a spectacularly convoluted method of making Jericho Vs. Ospreay make sense, obscuring the real reason the match was booked: Jericho wanted a banger at AEW’s biggest show, and he knew Ospreay was a guarantee of that.

The Jericho babyface turn was solidified when his Jericho Appreciation Society stablemate Sammy Guevara kicked him in the balls at Grand Slam. Could Sammy be blamed for this? Jericho abandoned him first!

Jericho, you’ll be shocked to learn, did not get over as a babyface.

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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!