AEW is a company which lacks a solid roster of heel characters. While The Inner Circle was meant to fill that role, it is impossible to be against Chris Jericho at this point in his career. Despite that, he is responsible for helping with one of the best heel characters in the company. This is the biggest role model in the company, the wrestling dentist: Britt Baker.
Before her heel turn, she was floundering but now is one of the best parts of the show, be it her matches, her brutal beatdowns, or her interactions with Tony Schiavone. While her talent is what is making the character work, she grabbed inspiration from a great source.
Britt Baker Got Character Influence From Old Chris Jericho Promos
A student of the game, Britt Baker was watching old wrestling for ideas to improve her own character, which was leaning towards her becoming a delusional heel. During an interview with Bleacher Report, she spoke on this. “I was watching old Chris Jericho WCW promos late at night,” she said. “I was like, ‘Oh, my gosh, this delusional, self-proclaimed role model. This could so work for my story.’ I’m a dentist, I’m a wrestler. I’m this, I’m that. I texted Tony about it, which is so cool that we have such an open communication line with Tony, and he loved it. He’s like, ‘Oh, my gosh, this is awesome. Let’s talk more.’
“Before I talked about it with him more, I wanted to talk to Chris because he would know more about what makes that work than anybody, because he did it. It was the best conversation ever with Jericho. It was before Dynamite one week, and he’s just like, ‘This could be really, really good for you. I think you definitely need to run with this.’
This is a perfect example of a current wrestler pulling from the past, and why Chris Jericho is such an asset to All Elite Wrestling. He is both able to draw in crowds with his name value, and is helping boost young talent like Britt Baker & Sammy Guevara. Britt Baker is only getting started, and is already one of the best heels in the company alongside MJF.
Do you think more young talent should be pulling from the career of legends like Chris Jericho & Matt Hardy to improve their characters? Let us know what you think in the comment section down below.
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