How Chris Jericho Helped AJ Styles Become Phenomenal in WWE

Is Chris Jericho to thank for the meteoric rise of AJ Styles? In an interview with Busted Open Radio, Y2J opened up about helping the WWE newcomer assimilate. Along with showing him the nuances of WWE style, Jericho gives high praise of the Phenomenal One:

“When it was time for me to stand up for myself and say I need to get this victory, and most of the time it was just putting over guys and not putting over – and you mentioned AJ (Styles), I took great pride in the fact that when he came into the company I know how Vince doesn’t care about what people have done outside of the walls of WWE. I knew if I could work with him for a couple of months I could work with him on the small little things that he didn’t know about WWE, which he picked up in about two weeks, and also get him over right away. And that’s basically what happened, AJ is the best in the world I would say at this point. He was when he came into the WWE, but still, there’s a little bit of a transition.”

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The pairing of Jericho and Styles was a thoughtful one. It may not have been the sexiest feud of all time, but it certainly worked. Remember how salty fans were when Jericho pinned AJ Styles in the middle WrestleMania 32’s ring? People actually feared that AJ Styles would be buried by WWE. Then remember how we all forgot about that after Styles would pin John Cena multiple times and become WWE Champion within the year?

The question begs, could Style have been catapulted like this without being shown the intricate ropes by Jericho? Maybe, but there was something imminent about AJ. He’s not only met expectations in all of his feuds but far surpassed them.

A year removed from Styles/Jericho, it’s hard to find two WWE talents who had a better 2016. We’re all gleefully aware of what Styles did, but Jericho enjoyed a tremendously successful campaign as well. With the List of Jericho and the dreaded “It” along with several other catch phrases we drank in, Y2J showed us that no one on WWE’s roster knows how to connect with an audience like he does. Couple that with a dynamite Kevin Owens storyline and Jericho is officially in the running for Wrestler of the Year.

Now more than ever, we should watch how Jericho maneuvers in WWE. Who he’s assigned to and how he squeezes out stories, are flesh and bone lessons on how to be a professional wrestler.

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