Welcome! Here’s another exciting edition of the eWrestlingNews Question of the Day!
Recent events in AEW Dynamite saw Chris Jericho rise as the ROH World Champion, defeating Mark Briscoe in a Ladder War. This marks his ninth world title and his second time atop Ring of Honor. Last time, after 80 days, he handed the belt back to Claudio Castagnoli at Final Battle. With 70 days left in 2024 and no announcement for Final Battle, we might just see history repeat itself.
Today’s question invites wrestling fans to consider, “How would you plot Chris Jericho’s time with the ROH World Championship from beginning to end? Alternatively, who would you choose to overthrow him and how/when/why?” Jump into the comments below with your creative thoughts!
Let’s kick things off with my own take…
I’m still uncertain about Tony Khan’s reasoning behind this decision. Is it strategic, potentially boosting ROH programming appeal and benefiting negotiation outcomes? Or, do they simply have no clear plans for Jericho, giving him the title because, “Why not?”
Match timing and crowning the next champion heavily hinge on these unknowns. But given our current knowledge, I’ll chart out a hypothetical storyline.
Before we dive in, just a quick note: I haven’t really been following Ring of Honor closely. It just doesn’t seem to suite my taste for wrestling. It’s a bit too predictable with an endless rotation of match-match-match-style action, quickly becoming monotonous.
Given the challenge of directing AEW’s creative team today, how would I go about it?
I’d start by reviewing the roster for potential successors and work backward from there. Sadly, about half of the 12 I considered were instantly ruled out. Names like Orange Cassidy, Kyle O’Reilly, Mark Briscoe, and HOOK seem too fresh from their bouts with Jericho to consider. Same goes for veterans like Dustin Rhodes and Adam Cole, the latter seeming bigger than the title.
That trimmed down my list to five considerable names: Ricochet, Powerhouse Hobbs, Jay White, Daniel Garcia, and Big Bill. These are ordered from my least to most favored choices.
Lastly, I’d like to know your thoughts. What’s your take on this? Dive into the comment section and share your insights!