Both WWE and All Elite Wrestling have taken some major turns lately.
And when working to compare both companies, no more prominent comparison springs to mind right now than looking at the performances of WWE's Goldberg and AEW's Chris Jericho.
Both have been heavily featured in varying ways for their respective company's title scenes, and those usages speak to the profound differences in approach as both barrel toward the always-important WrestleMania season.
Here's a comparison of the modern legends and what it means for WWE and AEW, and wrestling as a whole.
Chris Jericho has been nothing but a boon for AEW from the jump.
While functioning with or without the promotion's top title, Le Champion has gone out of his way to put younger up-and-coming talents over. Whether he's getting in the ring for work against Jungle Boy, Darby Allin and a host of others or introducing the world to Sammy Guevara via his Inner Circle, it has been all about everyone else for the veteran.
That ultimately led to Jericho dropping the belt to Jon Moxley at the Revolution pay-per-view on February 29. It was the perfect time as the feud had run its course. Now things transition to chase mode, where Jericho will play the foil to Moxley but doesn't necessarily figure to remain in the title scene for a long time.
AEW brought in Jericho for this very reason. He's not putting on matches like he did a decade ago, but he is can't-miss television, an incredible promo and has given the next generation of stars a massive platform.
WWE has deployed Goldberg as the big-money prizefighter.
His sprint of a quick rivalry with Brock Lesnar was a memorable one and really pounded home the idea some WWE fights can have a UFC-lite quality to them in that they can end in moments. That hasn't always been a well-replicated idea since, but the veteran deserves credit here.
Unfortunately, Goldberg's returns have undeservedly railroaded talent in the process. He dropped Kevin Owens for no great reason, then took the title off Bray Wyatt's The Fiend. He's not really saying or doing much in the process, either.
Match quality has to enter the conversation, too. Jericho isn't exactly killing it anymore in the ring, but Goldberg's matches have sent the video editors into a fit trying to make it work. There was the infamous botch-fest with Undertaker in Saudi Arabia, and one could argue his title win over The Fiend was just as bad, especially when the finishing move (Jackhammer) classified as a botch.
There's no question Goldberg is still driving ratings and keeping a segment of fans interested, but the longlasting functions of his appearances are much muddier in clarity.
There are some necessary distinctions between the two brands as a whole to consider here.
AEW is doing everything it can to grow in its own lane. It would've been foolish to pass on Jericho, and it would've been even more damaging to have him just be a champion who squashes everyone while running amok. That's not what the promotion needed.
WWE is in a much more luxurious situation. The attention and fanbase isn't going anywhere. It can afford to anger a segment of its audience with what it hopes is a draw that will bring in even more casual viewers for big events. And the roster is so deep it can counter the anger by giving fans what they want with the Brock Lesnar-Drew McIntyre main event at WrestleMania 36.
Whether massaging the Goldberg-Roman Reigns ordeal with other matches will quiet the backlash is hard to say. But there is verifiable proof that AEW's booming success, largely championed by Jericho, has already led to an extended television deal and a dedicated fanbase of its own.
AEW is clearly on the rise in the sense it's competing for attention but happily in its own lane. A new television deal and massive attention is one heck of a good way to build momentum into something special for the long term.
It should go without saying, but Jericho's role in this has firmly thrown him in the "greatest-ever" conversation if he wasn't in it already. AEW isn't where it is today nor is it as set up for the future as it is without him.
But let's be blunt...WWE is going to be just fine. It can afford to make these mistakes and willingly does so at times for the sake of reactions. Those in charge have no problem ripping a belt off a full-time talent and derailing them to slap it on a part-timer for a match that didn't need a belt anyway.
The context here is a little more concerning than usual, though. After another botched showing in Saudi Arabia, Goldberg is in the predictable Spear match with Reigns, where WWE will try yet again to get The Big Dog cheered, this time by taking down the part-timer.
It's admittedly a little tiring and proof once more that WWE has its eyes on the short-term outlook. With the exception of McIntyre (and we'll have to wait and see given the company's track record), WWE just isn't interested in building long-term Superstars and Goldberg's usage perfectly exemplifies the issue.
Jericho, on the other hand, is well representative of AEW's very long-term outlook. And based on how things have unfolded so far, it shouldn't be a surprise to see the gap between the two promotions shrink significantly over the next few years because of it.
