Chris Jericho & Kenny Omega On Who Has Potential To Step Up In AEW

Chris Jericho and Kenny Omega were asked who they see with the potential to step up in a big way in AEW. The two spoke in the post-show media scrum and were asked about which stars might follow in Swerve Strickland’s footsteps and step into the spotlight. You can see highlights below:

Jericho on the up and comers he sees a lot of potential in: “I mean, I think there’s so many wrestlers that have a bright future. I think that’s one of the things we concentrated on from day one, was building as many homegrown AEW stars as we could. Because you couldn’t just have Chris Jericho do it every night, or Kenny Omega. I think we’ve done such a great job. Tonight, Darby Allin in the main event, you know? It’s the same reason why the Inner Circule was started, and the Jericho Appreciation Society was started. And we’ve got stories going with a lot of these guys.

“I think if I had to pick, one of these guys that we’re gonna be focusing on in some of the stories that will be upcoming is Danny Garcia. I think he’s got something very special. I didn’t know at first anything about him. When Tony and I put the JAS together, I said, ‘All right, the story dictates it. Let’s see. As we started working together, I was like, ‘F**k, he’s good, man.’ He’s only 22, 23. And wrestling is fine, you know my opinion on matches, he’s great. But his character, his understanding of the business, his willingness to do whatever needs to be done to get to the next level. That’s what wrestling is, you know? And he’s really got that. So I’m really looking forward to expanding his role here in AEW in the best possible wayy with the stories that we’re telling.”

Omega on who he thinks can step up and deliver: “Yeah, I mean it’s odd that you brought up Big Swerve’s name as the first name in a long list of incredible, talented performers that we have backstage. I’ve always been a huge Swerve fan, and I remember making a point after many of his performances to kind of tap him on the shoulder and go like, ‘Dude, what you did out there was really incredible tonight. I don’t know if you need to hear it from me, probably not. Feel free to not pay any attention to me, but if it does mean anything I think you’re great and I hope we can really do something at some point, sometime in the future.’ And he’s just again, a real humble dude. Always willing to do what’s right. He’s got a great attitude. And clearly if you saw his performance today and have seen his performances lately, he’s a guy that works really hard. You’ll never feel like you’ve been slighted or like you didn’t get your money’s worth.

“And I mean like, there are a slew of talents who understand the business and will always do what’s asked of him, no questions asked. And there are guys like Butcher [and] Blade, Kip Sabian, who show up every single week and they’re doing the right thing. And when they have their entrances and come out, I see, ‘These guys look like wrestlers. These guys look like asskickers.’ And maybe they won’t win. Maybe they won’t, but they understand how the business works, how it operates. And they’re always guys we can count on. We have an incredible roster of people we can count on. And as a huge fan of women’s wrestling, any time the women can show out, I’m super happy for it. Like recently, we’ve seen Julia [Hart] come into her own. SHe’s performing incredibly well, feeling comfortable in her own skin. The character work is impeccable, looks more comfortable in the ring too. So when I see things like that, it brings a smile to my face. I’d love to see more people like that get more time to be able to show what they can do. Because the roster that we’ve assembled, every single one of them given the opportunity can steal the show.”

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit AEW with a h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.