Chris Jericho and Matt Hardy feel passionate about working with younger stars in AEW.
Chris Jericho was the first major wrestling legend to join AEW in 2019 and he eventually paved the way for names like Matt Hardy, Christian Cage, Paul Wight, Sting, CM Punk, and more to join the roster and eventually help further along young talents like Darby Allin, Sammy Guevara, and Daniel Garcia.
Early in Matt Hardy’s time in All Elite Wrestling, Hardy had challenged Chris Jericho to a cinematic Elite Deletion but that match would eventually go to Sammy Guevara. Speaking on the most recent episode of The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy, Chris Jericho explained that he doesn't want AEW to be the "nostalgia hour," and says that the reason his programs in AEW have been working against younger superstars is that he feels that's what elevates everybody and keeps everybody on a higher level.
“We always revamped ourselves and evolved, and that's the other thing, when Matt came in, it's like we did our promo, which led to this match but we never have to wrestle each other. Right? You know, we've done that before,” said Chris Jericho. "The key to us staying at a certain level is working with younger guys because it elevates them and elevates us, too. All my programs here in AEW have been with younger guys. I could work with Matt, I could work with Christian, we don't have to. We've done that before. This is not fucking nostalgia hour. This is continuing to strive to evolve and build and make new stars and that's why I remember calling [Matt Hardy]. I was at Downtown Disney [Disney Springs], calling you. I said, ‘Dude, you have to come here. This is where you need to be. We need guys like you to help build our younger stars,’ and he's done a great job of that wherever he's been.”
Matt Hardy chimed in to echo the sentiments of Chris Jericho, saying, “Whenever we work with younger people, the people who know our exposure from our times WCW or WWE, you know, global branded promotions, they go ‘Oh my god, Orange Cassidy is hanging with Chris Jericho? Orange Cassidy is hanging with Matt Hardy?’ It just works.”
Both Matt Hardy and Chris Jericho will be working with the talent of today's day and age at AEW Double or Nothing 2022. Chris Jericho will be leading his Jericho Appreciation Society against a fivesome of Bryan Danielson, Jon Moxley, Santana, Ortiz, and Eddie Kingston.
Meanwhile, Matt and Jeff Hardy will be working against The Young Bucks in a clash of generations.
If you use any of the quotes above, please credit the original source with a H/T and link back to Fightful for the transcription.
