Chris Jericho Says AEW Made ‘So-Called Experts’ Look Like ‘Idiots’ With New TV Deal

In an interview with Busted Open Radio (via Fightful), Chris Jericho ran a victory lap following AEW’s new deal with Warner Bros. Discovery and took shots at their detractors. The company got a deal that is said to be $185 million a year for three years, with an option for a fourth.

Jericho said: “I think we proved a lot of so-called ‘experts,’ and we made them look like idiots. We knew what was going on with this. The landscape changes constantly; numbers go up and numbers go down, but the overall demo of what AEW brings to the table as a live sporting event is invaluable. We knew it was something that people would want to be involved with. Warner Brothers Discovery didn’t want us to go anywhere, and you can see, $185 million a year for a company that has only been going five years. That’s never happened before. Ever. Obviously, WWE is the gold standard. They didn’t have a deal like that five years in. With all the growing pains, good and bad, that AEW has, we’re still such a young company. That showed we have a real commitment. We’re not going anywhere. Tony Khan is not going anywhere. I’m not going anywhere, much to people’s chagrin. Neither is the rest of the company. It’s going to be a really great next three to five years. There is nothing worse than if AEW didn’t get a great television deal. There is nothing better for the business and the fans than for AEW to thrive and be healthy. We are.“