Chris Jericho: The Inner Circle Is Setting The Standard For What Great Pro Wrestling Storytelling Is
Chris Jericho says the Inner Circle is just getting started, and they are showing everyone what long-term storytelling in professional wrestling can be.
Jericho recently spoke with WrestleZone Managing Editor Bill Pritchard about the new rock documentary he produced called I’m Too Old For This Sh*t: A Heavy Metal Fairy Tale, available now on iTunes, Amazon and various streaming platforms. During the conversation, Jericho was asked about the Inner Circle’s success and longevity on television so far, despite the “constant” turmoil within the stable.
Jericho noted that some people often have a knee-jerk reaction to what happens each week but they should look at it as part of a bigger story. Regardless of all of the infighting going on right now, Jericho says it’s all part of a larger plan and the Inner Circle is setting the bar for what great long-term booking should be in wrestling.
“I think what really came out is the story. I mean, the MJF/Jericho and Inner Circle story, believe it or not, started September 4, I believe. So here we are, five months in—September, October, November, December, January—and it’s still just heating up. So I love it, I love the storytelling that we’re doing,” Jericho explained, “the long-term tales that we’re telling and that’s one thing that I love about AEW is, nothing is done just to do it. Everything fits the next part, to where you can always go back and go, ‘Oh my gosh, there’s the signs for what happened five weeks later. It started here.’ Those were the seeds and where they were planted.”
“So I love it, I love the idea of the Inner Circle, kind of the three-way tag team match that did a huge rating, which is great. But more importantly, it was a great story that we’re telling that continues on,” Jericho said, “this week it will continue and for the foreseeable future so it’s exciting for me, man. I’ve always been more into the characters and the stories behind wrestling and the actual matches themselves and I think we’re doing a great job of really setting the standard of what great pro wrestling storytelling is.”