What Jericho’s Exit Says About AEW’s Maturity as a Brand

When AEW launched in 2019, Chris Jericho wasn’t just its first world champion—he was its insurance policy. His name value guaranteed legitimacy, his experience guaranteed stability, and his presence guaranteed that fans, networks, and sponsors would take AEW seriously. Fast-forward five years, and the very idea that AEW can withstand Jericho’s departure tells us something profound about the company’s evolution: All Elite Wrestling has grown up.

From Start-Up to Institution

Every new wrestling company faces a credibility gap. WCW filled it in the 1990s by signing Hulk Hogan. TNA tried to fill it in the 2000s with Jeff Jarrett and later Kurt Angle. AEW filled it with Jericho, Cody Rhodes, and The Young Bucks—but Jericho was the name that resonated across generations.

In 2019, his presence on AEW’s first episode of Dynamite functioned as a seal of approval. He wasn’t an “indie darling” or a YouTube phenomenon; he was a multi-time world champion from the biggest stage in wrestling history. His involvement reassured fans that AEW wasn’t a vanity project—it was a serious alternative.

Now, in 2025, AEW no longer needs a gatekeeper of legitimacy. The company’s identity, presentation, and audience loyalty have matured. Its TV deal renewals, successful pay-per-view events, and international partnerships with NJPW and CMLL are proof of its institutional credibility. Jericho’s departure isn’t a threat—it’s a graduation.

The End of the Founders’ Era

AEW’s early years were dominated by its “founders”: Jericho, Cody Rhodes, Kenny Omega, and The Young Bucks. Each shaped the company’s DNA, balancing sports-entertainment storytelling with athletic realism. But as AEW aged, the company transitioned from a movement to a machine.

Cody Rhodes’s exit from WWE in 2022 set the precedent—AEW could survive losing a key figure. Jericho leaving now underscores that AEW’s identity no longer depends on any one performer. The next generation—MJF, Swerve Strickland, Will Ospreay, Toni Storm, and Darby Allin—represents AEW’s new cultural core.

These talents don’t just fill airtime; they define the tone of AEW programming. They bring creative innovation, international credibility, and a renewed sense of urgency to storytelling. Jericho’s departure signals a symbolic transfer of creative authority to them—and that’s a sign of organizational maturity.

Evolving Beyond Nostalgia

Jericho’s AEW run was built on nostalgia as much as innovation. He cleverly recycled aspects of his past personas—“Le Champion,” “The Painmaker,” “The Wizard”—while adapting them to AEW’s irreverent tone. But nostalgia has a shelf life.

Fans who once tuned in for Jericho’s charisma are now invested in AEW’s own mythology: the rise of “Hangman” Adam Page, the MJF-Cole saga, the Continental Crown tournament, and the evolution of women’s storytelling under the “Timeless” Toni Storm persona. These are AEW originals, narratives that stand independently of WWE history.

When a promotion no longer needs nostalgia to sell tickets, it stops being a start-up. AEW is entering that phase now—confident, globally relevant, and narratively self-sufficient.

The Brand Outgrows the Builder

There’s an adage in wrestling: every company needs its “Hogan,” its “Austin,” its “Cena.” But the great promotions—the ones that endure—eventually transcend those figures. WWE didn’t fold when The Rock left for Hollywood; New Japan didn’t collapse when Shinsuke Nakamura and AJ Styles went to WWE. AEW, likewise, has outgrown its dependency on Jericho’s aura.

His departure allows the company to redefine what it values: athletic credibility over celebrity presence, long-term storytelling over nostalgia, and collective creative leadership over one-person influence. It’s a brand now driven by the idea of “All Elite” as a philosophy, not a person.

Maturity as a Cultural Statement

AEW’s maturation mirrors a broader cultural trend in wrestling. Fans today are more discerning, less loyal to personalities, and more loyal to authenticity. They crave substance, in-ring excellence, and genuine creative vision—qualities AEW continues to deliver.

Jericho leaving, then, isn’t a loss. It’s an inflection point—a visible marker that AEW has moved from being “Jericho’s new home” to being its own thriving ecosystem. The brand has developed institutional memory, fan trust, and cultural capital strong enough to survive any star’s exit.

In the End, Growth Means Letting Go

Chris Jericho will always be a pillar of AEW’s foundation. He was the company’s first world champion, its loudest evangelist, and one of its most recognizable faces. But just as Jericho himself has evolved through countless reinventions, so too must AEW.

His departure is not a betrayal—it’s proof that his mission succeeded. AEW now stands as a mature, self-sustaining brand, fully capable of defining the next era of wrestling on its own terms.

That’s not the end of the story—it’s the beginning of AEW’s adulthood.