Making the Case for and Against Chris Jericho Being AEW's 1st World Champion

At All Out on August 31, All Elite Wrestling will crown its first world champion in either Chris Jericho or Adam Page. The outcome of their clash is far from predictable, though logic would dictate that Jericho will be walking out with the gold in his grasp.

After all, Jericho is the most recognizable name on the AEW roster. Like it or not, there will be a contingent of fans tuning into AEW's debut on TNT on October 2 to see Jericho because they are familiar with what he did in WWE, and thus putting the top title on him would seem to be a no-brainer.

Plus, even at 48, the former Y2J has proved he can still hang with the best of them on any roster. In 2019 alone, he's had excellent matches with Kenny Omega and Kazuchika Okada, so his upcoming outing against Page should be no different.

Few wrestlers in the business today are more of a master of reinvention than Jericho, who has done some of the greatest work of his career in the past few years. Signing with AEW was the smartest choice he could have made because between The Hangman, Darby Allin and others, he has a fresh batch of competitors to work with.

During his many runs in WWE, Jericho was booked to lose more often than not (and arguably to the wrong people). Regardless of whether he pulled for it, there was zero reason for him to fall short against Fandango at WrestleMania 29 in 2013, which did more to damage Jericho's credibility than boost Fandango's.

Jericho realized where he went wrong in WWE and sought to redeem himself upon leaving the company in 2017. He has since wisely picked his spots and has scored the occasional big win, including at Double or Nothing, when he knocked off Omega to become the No. 1 contender to the AEW World Championship.

Credit: Lee South / AEW

That same night, Page reigned supreme in the 21-man Casino Battle Royale to cement his spot at All Out for the newly created championship. He went on to win a four-way match at Fyter Fest before overcoming Kip Sabian at Fight for the Fallen, meaning he is riding a wave of momentum into August's grand pay-per-view.

However, AEW should avoid pushing Page too aggressively too soon. He has plenty of upside and is over with the audience, but his popularity could peak prematurely if he wins the world title at All Out.

On the other hand, Page is as elite as it gets and doesn't have the stigma of being a former WWE guy, unlike Jericho. The only way the company can create new stars is by giving fans a reason to care about the up-and-comers, and beating an established icon like Jericho would accomplish that.

The inaugural AEW World champion should be someone AEW plans to build around for the foreseeable future. It's unknown how frequently Jericho plans to appear for AEW once the weekly television show starts up in the fall or whether he will be as full-time as everyone else.

In May, Jericho mocked WWE's decision to put the Money in the Bank briefcase on Brock Lesnar, yet AEW might be in a similar situation depending on how active he ends up being. As an alternative to WWE, AEW should not be following the tired Lesnar formula with Jericho.

AEW needs its new blood to shine to show that the promotion serious about focusing on the future, not the old guard that Jericho represents.

If Jericho isn't the best bad guy in all of wrestling right now, he must at least be considered the top heel in AEW. No one else—besides potentially MJF—comes close to the level Jericho is on and the nuclear heat he generates every time he makes an appearance and has a mic in his hands.

In other words, AEW fans will be paying to see him get his comeuppance, and having him lose so early into his stint at AEW would be a mistake. Sure, it would be a monumental moment for Page, but if he were to defeat Jericho and become champion, he wouldn't have many other enemies to conquer for the remainder of his title reign.

Babyfaces such as Page are at their most interesting when in chase mode, so for Hangman's sake, Jericho capturing the championship at All Out would be the correct call.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, is an Endicott College alumnus and aspiring journalist. Visit his website, Next Era Wrestling, and "like" his official Facebook page to continue the conversation on all things wrestling.