Chris Jericho says dropping his first name in AEW was inspired by self-titled albums from bands like Metallica and The Beatles, and that the ambiguity it created online was entirely intentional.
Speaking to Ringer Wrestling, Jericho explained the thinking behind going simply by “Jericho” since returning to AEW at the start of April.
“I like the idea of what I’m doing now with ‘Jericho.’ And by not using that first name a lot, it created this whole intrigue online like, ‘What’s he doing? What’s the idea? What’s the reason?’ And honestly, it’s like a self-titled album. That’s where I kind of got the idea from.”
He said the name alone carries enough weight to make additional branding unnecessary.
“I could create a dozen other nicknames, but how many more do I need? Everyone knows who Jericho is. And when you hear that name, then you can go remember whatever memories you have on your own. So it really is like Metallica, ‘The Black Album.’ It doesn’t need to be called anything. You know who Metallica is, you know what’s going on. The Beatles, ‘The White Album,’ same thing. That’s kind of what the idea is for the ‘Jericho’ era. And I like it. I like what’s been going on and going with the flow and seeing what’s working and what’s not.”
Jericho also addressed the persistent rumors that he was heading back to WWE before his AEW return, stopping short of giving a direct answer but saying he enjoyed how fans ran with the speculation.
“I never said the rumors became fact, I said that the rumors became fact to the fans. But I’ll leave that for another day. I like the idea of the intrigue.”
Jericho competes this Sunday at AEW Double Or Nothing in New York City in a Stadium Stampede match. He teams with Bobby Lashley, Shelton Benjamin, The Young Bucks, Jack Perry, and Kenny Omega against Ricochet, The Gates of Agony, Mark Davis, Andrade El Idolo, Clark Connors, and David Finlay.