There are some names in professional wrestling who were ahead of their time as performers. During the 1990’s, the likes of Rob Van Dam & Jerry Lynn were having matches that set the foundation for the likes of Will Ospreay, AJ Styles, Seth Rollins & Kenny Omega.
The influence of Lynn & RVD is still felt today – and Matt Hardy feels a prime Lynn would be an instant top name in a place like All Elite Wrestling in 2023, where in-ring skills are valued above personality.
Jerry Lynn Would Be A Top Name In A More Work-Rate Focused Era
During the latest episode of the Extreme Life Of Matt Hardy podcast, Hardy would detail how professional wrestling has changed, using Lynn as an example of someone who was in the wrong era.
“I feel like back in the day, it was much more important to have a personality, and you had to really care emotionally about the performer. That was the character, in general. You had to kind of care about that person to really be invested in them. I think now the wrestling fans have just changed a lot; where if someone can go out and they can do a kick-ass match. They have a ‘high work rate,’ you know, if those guys can come out and put on a fiver or five-star match, as all these young kids talk about, I think people are excited and seeing them.
” think in this day and age, if you would have taken Jerry Lynn from WWE, who Jerry Lynn is actually a very funny guy and he’s very enjoyable got a great personality, but Vince McMahon, I don’t think Vince saw a lot of personality in him. Vince was like, ‘Oh, there’s really not much I can do with him.’ So he didn’t do much with him. If you had Jerry Lynn in his prime in the 2023 wrestling talent pool, it would be very different. Jerry Lynn would be one of the most over guys on the entire show, and there’s a few other guys I can think about that would kind of fall in that category.”
A Legend In His Own Right
Jerry Lynn retired from in-ring action in March of 2013. While he was never viewed as a top name in WWE, he was a former WWF Light Heavyweight Champion. His biggest accomplishment came in Ring of Honor, where he won the ROH World Championship in 2009, which many viewed as ROH thanking Lynn for setting the ground work for their promotion.
Lynn can be seen on ROH TV as an authority figure in 2023, while also working in various backstage roles for AEW. He’s got a solid spot in the industry, and is someone who is nearly universally praised by fans and wrestlers alike.
Do you think Jerry Lynn would be a top name in AEW? Let us know what you think in the comment section down below.
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