by Fourth
Chris Jericho
1 reign for 182 days
He was the reason AEW got off to such a hot start and was taken seriously. Chris Jericho is one of the greatest men to ever lace wrestling boots and has gotten over every gimmick tossed his way. The first World Champion in AEW NEEDED to be a household name, and Jericho punched that ticket. He was the first champion with live crowds in the stands, and fans were hot to see him beat!
The championship run was also the Genesis for “The Inner Circle”, the biggest faction in AEW History thus far. There wouldn’t have been a “Pinnacle” if it wasn’t for The Inner Circle. Hell, I will go one further and say there may have not been a Bloodline in WWE had it not been for Jericho. WWE saw the attraction and fan interaction and made one themselves.
Mix in the fact that Chris Jericho defeated Cody Rhodes at Full Gear 2019 in a 30 minute masterpiece. He had won the belt to become the inaugural champion from Hangman Adam Page at All 2019 in another gem.
Chris Jericho is high on this list because of the name value he put on the AEW World Championship, and then the work he put in to continue to get it over. It’s just that simple.
Which means the title fight at ALL IN will be swerves first big defence of his title at a PPV then…