Chris Jericho Says NXT Is The Minor League, Names Raw and Smackdown as AEW’s Competition

– Chris Jericho is echoing Seth Rollins’ claim that AEW is the minor leagues, but is instead pointing the finger back at their same-night competition in NXT. Jericho appeared on the Wrestling Daft podcast and discussed the so-called “Wedneday Night War,” which AEW has won (ratings-wise, at least) for the first three weeks.

“NXT is still the minor league,” Jericho said when discussing AEW winning the ratings (per Cultaholic). “Those guys are still unknown performers, it’s not a competition to us and I knew we’d win because we have more star power. When you look at the end of our first week of TV who was out there at the end? Chris Jericho – we know him! Dustin Rhodes – we know him! Jon Moxley – we know him, he used to be another name and but we know who that is. Jim Ross is commentating – I know that guy!”

He went on to say that he believes Vince McMahon put NXT up against AEW to keep the focus off of AEW vs. Raw or Smackdown, saying, “Our competition is RAW, is SmackDown, is Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar, and all those guys! I think it was a stroke of genius by Vince McMahon to put NXT on against up because it took the focus off ‘the main show and AEW’ and put it on ‘the minor league and AEW.'”

It’s worth noting, of course, that Rollins garnered controversy when he referred to AEW as “the minor leagues.” It was a comment that Jim Ross took serious issue with, criticizing Rollins on Grilling JR and saying it “[made] him look bad” and “doesn’t do the business any good.”