Chris Jericho

The first time we saw Orange Cassidy in an All Elite Wrestling ring, he stood across from hardcore legend Tommy Dreamer in the promotion's inaugural Casino Battle Royale.

Dreamer has bled, sweat and breathed the wrestling business for decades, eating chair shots to the head and plunging through tables with reckless abandon. He and a crew of misfit outlaws built Extreme Championship Wrestling in the 1990s, an unusual promotion in a very unusual industry.

But even he had never experienced anything quite like Cassidy.

Hands ever in pocket, sunglasses seemingly glued to his head and acid-washed jeans as his only ring gear, Cassidy laid into a modern icon with his trademark leg kicks. "Sloth-like" is how the announcers described them, coming not at half speed but quarter speed at best, crowd reacting to each one like it was a fight-ending blow. 

Dreamer smirked, knocked Cassidy down, dismissing him from mind. But, hands still in pocket, Cassidy kipped-up to an even louder roar than before.

From the very beginning, the AEW audience was all in on Orange Cassidy.

His popularity was unquestionable from the start—week after week, event after event, Cassidy's presence was met with the kind of crowd response normally reserved for main event stars. Despite criticism from wrestling's vocal old-school fanatics, it was obvious AEW had something special on their hands. 

Questions were met with monosyllabic grunts, his iconic thumbs-up never quite making it all the way up to a vertical position. His expression rarely changed, no matter the circumstances.

For whatever reason, perhaps because he was so different from the verbose, performative extroverts who normally populate a wrestling television show, Cassidy just worked. He was laid back to the point of nearly being legally dead, an unengagable slacker in the era of endless social media sharing. He loves his friends, loves his sunglasses and merely endures everything else.

While his popularity was evident to anyone with ears, just what to do with him was a trickier proposition. Cassidy is capable of incredible feats of athleticism, flying around the ring with hands in his pockets, casually doing wresting spots difficult under the best circumstances.

Doubt the level of difficulty? Put on your favorite pair of old jeans, insert your hands deep in the pockets, lay down and attempt to get up off the floor. 

When you're done laughing at yourself, you'll have an idea for what kind of athlete Cassidy is. But those fun moments are hard to put into the context of a wrestling match, especially one in AEW where the emphasis is on the in-ring action. As a result, the promotion has focused on using him as a tag-along for Best Friends, a solid mid-card tag team decidedly less popular than their second. 

It's taken AEW some time to solve this puzzle, but the answer should have been obvious from the start. When in doubt, dial up Chris Jericho. 

So far in his AEW tenure, he has dominated the main event scene, blew everyone away on commentary the very first time he tried it and even elevated Pineapple Pete out of the pack of enhancement talent by deciding to feud with the independent stalwart, essentially in his spare time. 

If anyone can help figure out how to take Cassidy's amazing popularity and harness it in a meaningful way, it's Jericho. The two will meet at Fyter Fest in July in a singles match—and we're already seeing a side of Cassidy we've never seen before. Blending comedy with serious wrestling action is difficult.

Luckily for AEW, Le Champion is one of the best to ever do it, seamlessly transitioning between the two emotions, sometimes during the same appearance. He will understand what makes Cassidy work with the crowd and also do his best to help him shift gears when it's time for the lethargic babyface to pick things up a notch or 12.

At Double or Nothing last year, Cassidy was an opening act and Jericho the main event, a living legend helping to establish a new brand. Just over a year later, the two are set to square off in what might be wrestling's first-ever "blood-orange" feud.

And you know what? It doesn't even feel weird. At this point, Cassidy feels undeniable. With Jericho's help, AEW might just have a truly unique babyface on their hands, a transformative character capable of both going viral and appeasing the promotion's faithful fans.

Is the Orange Cassidy era upon us? I give the idea one enthusiastic thumb halfway up.

Jonathan Snowden covers Combat Sports for Bleacher Report 

Roman Reigns just made the list.

All Elite Wrestling has found success bringing in wrestlers who made their name in WWE. Chris Jericho provided an obvious candidate when discussing with WhatCulture Wrestling's Adam Wilbourn (via Marco Rovere of Wrestling Inc) the one star he'd most like to see make the jump:

"We do have a select handful of WWE recruits, but if everybody got released and the company ended tomorrow, we wouldn't take a lot. I would put Roman Reigns at the top of my wish list for anybody because not only is he a great worker, he's such a cool guy. If they just let him be him, he'd be the biggest star in the industry. That's a guy I'd love to get my hands on for sure, one of the few I'd love to have from WWE."

John Cena hasn't officially retired but is clearly prioritizing his acting career over wrestling. That leaves Reigns as WWE's biggest, most identifiable star at the moment. Him going to AEW would be somewhat akin to Hulk Hogan signing with WCW in 1994.

The hypothetical Jericho floated, however, seemingly acknowledged the unlikelihood of Reigns leaving WWE to compete with a different promotion. It's hard to imagine a scenario where WWE would release The Big Dog or let his contract expire.

More interesting is how Le Champion intimated the promotion is underutilizing Reigns despite him occupying such a prominent position on the roster. It's not the first time he has brought up the point, either.

During interviews with Jericho, Brodie Lee and Jon Moxley vented their frustration with the general usage in WWE toward the end of their tenures there.

Moxley in particular has thrived in AEW, where he has been afforded more creative freedom and shown a completely different character than fans had seen in WWE. Even if it will probably never happen, it's fun to imagine Reigns clashing with his former brother in The Shield.

Chris Jericho may be busy with AEW, but he's not ruling out spending more time in Japan.

In his latest Saturday Night Special stream, Jericho said he would "love" a rematch against Hiroshi Tanahashi. 

"I would love to go back to NJPW and have a match with Bakahash [Tanahashi]," Jericho said (h/t Wrestling Inc.). "Bakahashi [Tanahashi] was one of my favorite matches I ever had. Such a great performer. I really enjoyed that match. We don't know what's going on with NJPW and AEW. Hopefully, we can do something."

Jericho defeated Tanahashi via submission at Wrestle Kingdom 14 in January. He had been working dates with NJPW and AEW before the coronavirus pandemic hit and limited worldwide travel.

AEW has a working relationship with its talent that allows some stars to continue working dates outside the United States. Kenny Omega is the current AAA Mega Champion and defended the title against Sammy Guevara earlier this year.

Jericho likely has all the freedom he wants in his contract, though AEW remains his first priority. It's likely that the coronavirus pandemic will need to end before Jericho has any chance of appearing back in Japan.  

The feud began 10 years ago and with a different company, but Chris Jericho is looking forward to his upcoming program with Mike Tyson on AEW.

"What excites me most? A program with Mike. We didn't have a script for Mike; we're not giving him cues," Jericho told Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated. "He's going to do what he wants, and you saw that on Wednesday night. There were guys in the ring that I didn't even know were going to be in the ring. Mike wanted them to be in the ring, so OK. That's Mike Tyson. He's a loose cannon; he can go off at any time and he's dangerous. I don't care if he's 53 or 33 or 23, he looks crazy, and he is crazy. That's why we love him."

Tyson appeared at Double or Nothing earlier this month to present Cody with the TNT championship, which at the time was believed to be a one-off appearance. Instead, Iron Mike was back in an AEW ring last Wednesday for a pull-apart brawl with Jericho that also included MMA star Henry Cejudo.

Jericho said there are several plans under consideration, likely culminating at a pay-per-view event. AEW's next pay-per-view isn't until Sept. 5 at All Out.

"Whatever we decide to do, it's the buildup that needs to be great," Jericho said. "We don't know what's going to happen. We have ideas; his people have ideas. And if we're able to work something out where Mike isn't just the enforcer, and he's in the match, then people won't know what to expect. You'll have two loose cannons, because I'm just as crazy as Tyson is, putting on a great performance for everybody that wants to see it."

Tyson recently announced a planned return to the boxing ring for exhibition fights earlier this month. Several of his training videos have gone viral, with Iron Mike making it clear he still packs a knockout punch. Jericho said the timing of Tyson's boxing return was a perfect storm for AEW. 

"Tyson is so hot and popular right now, having him on our show is very much a coup," Jericho said. "It just goes to show timing is everything. Had we done this a year ago, it wouldn't have been the same.

"It was very much a timely decision that paid off hugely with press coverage worldwide, with headlines from Chili to Portugal to Mexico to Italy to France, all about Mike Tyson appearing in AEW with Chris Jericho. It's great for our company, it's great for me and it's great for Mike. It puts him right back in the spotlight, right where he wants to be."

Tyson has a long history of appearing in professional wrestling, dating back to his role as special enforcer in Stone Cold Steve Austin's win over Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania XIV. Jericho's feud with Tyson dates back to a 2010 callback to WrestleMania, with Tyson having a D-Generation X shirt under his plain black shirt and knocking out Jericho with one punch.

If Jericho and Tyson actually step into the ring, it'll be the first time Tyson has been an actual participant in a wrestling match. 

After scuffling with former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson on Wednesday's episode of AEW Dynamite, Chris Jericho revealed his hopes for the rivalry moving forward. 

In an interview with ESPN's Marc Raimondi, Jericho suggested there is more to come from he and Tyson in an AEW ring:

"Obviously, the idea is to do something more. That's the thought process, I think between both parties. What that is at this moment, we're thinking and discussing. Look, Chris Jericho versus Mike Tyson in a wrestling match, in a street fight, in a boxing match would be big. ...

"But to me it's the buildup and the angle and all the things we can do. That's what wrestling is all about—the storyline. The match is the cherry on top. But it's the build that's really the most entertaining part, and the part that gets people really involved. So whatever it is that we decide to do as we move forward, it'll be great. You have one of the most iconic boxers—and most iconic personalities—of all time against one of the greatest pro wrestlers and personalities of all time. It writes itself."

Tyson presented Cody Rhodes with the TNT Championship at Saturday's Double or Nothing pay-per-view and then appeared on Dynamite four nights later. He emerged during the main event segment when Jericho called him out over the fact that Tyson knocked Jericho out 10 years earlier in WWE.

Tyson was flanked by MMA stars Henry Cejudo, Vitor Belfort and Rashad Evans, while Jericho's Inner Circle stablemates were alongside him. A pushing and shoving match ensued, and the show ended with Jericho screaming at Tyson.

The angle paid immediate dividends for AEW, as its 827,000 viewers for Wednesday's episode of Dynamite were its most since March 18.

While the 53-year-old Tyson is a retired boxer, he has been in the news quite a bit lately due to rumors that he is planning to return to fighting in some capacity. Tyson appears to be in great shape, and he has shown in sparring videos that he still has lightning-fast hands.

AEW has capitalized on the renewed interest in Tyson, and it is clear that Jericho hopes the company continues to do so.

If some type of match does happen between Jericho and Tyson in AEW, Le Champion is confident he will be able to get an entertaining piece of business out of Tyson:

"That's what we do. There's always a way to make it good. There's bells and whistles. You just exemplify the strengths and eliminate the weaknesses. That's the easy part. It's just coming to some sort of a deal, or some sort of acceptance, of what we want to do if we're going to move forward with this. The rest is easy. That's my job. Once the deal is done or whatever we decide to do—if we decide to do more—that's the easy part."

Tyson's arrival in AEW is symbolic since it was Tyson who helped turn the tide in WWE's favor during its ratings battle with WCW in 1998. WWE involved Tyson in the rivalry between "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels leading up to WrestleMania 14.

Wednesday's angle was eerily similar to the January 1998 confrontation between Austin and Tyson on Raw, which many wrestling fans and pundits consider to be the moment that WWE seized momentum from WCW.

AEW is already beating WWE's NXT show in the ratings on Wednesday nights consistently, but a big leap is needed in order to contend with WWE's Raw and SmackDown shows, which consistently bring in more than double the audience that Dynamite does.

Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below (warning: some language NSFW).

Several familiar faces were part of a wild brawl to close AEW Dynamite on Wednesday night, and one that may have flown under the radar was Zack "24" Clayton of Jersey Shore fame.

During a pep rally for The Inner Circle, Chris Jericho called out former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson to confront him over knocking him out on an episode of WWE Raw in 2010. Tyson was flanked by former MMA stars Henry Cejudo, Rashad Evans and Vitor Belfort.

Tyson, who presented Cody with the TNT Championship at Double or Nothing on Saturday, ripped his shirt off and flexed in Jericho's face, which set off a brawl.

As seen at the 3:40 mark of the following video, 24 was among those who were holding Jericho back as he attempted to get to Tyson:

Clayton, whose real name is Zack Carpinello, has become a recurring cast member on MTV's Jersey Shore and its related shows as part of his relationship with core cast member Jenni "JWoww" Farley.

In addition to his Jersey Shore role, Clayton is an independent wrestler in New Jersey and even took part in a tryout with WWE last year, per Pro Wrestling Sheet's Ryan Satin.

Clayton wasn't identified by the announcers during the brawl and was essentially used as an extra to help create a chaotic atmosphere, which was akin to the altercation between Tyson and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin on WWE Raw in 1998.

AEW has given no indication that Clayton is signed to the company, but his appearance on Wednesday's episode of Dynamite suggests that he is at least on the promotion's radar.

Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below (warning: some language NSFW).

More than 22 years ago Mike Tyson helped write professional wrestling history, propelling WWE and its top new star "Stone Cold" Steve Austin into the cultural mainstream. His appearance garnered nationwide attention and helped bring the struggling wrestling behemoth even with its competitors on TNT, the now-defunct World Championship Wrestling.

In 2020, once again, the 53-year-old Tyson is having a mainstream moment. The indiscretions of his past seem mostly forgotten, with fans focusing on his brutal knockouts and new, gentle personality, rather than his darker side.

A heavily edited video of the former heavyweight champion hitting pads, muscles again bulging like they did in his heyday, led to speculation that he'd make a return to the squared circle—but few imagined it would be a professional wrestling, rather than a boxing, ring.

On Wednesday night, Tyson came out with a motley crew that included former UFC champions Vitor Belfort, Rashad Evans and Henry Cejudo to answer a challenge from All Elite Wrestling star Chris Jericho on Dynamite.

Still mad, apparently, at an "Iron Mike" knockout punch from an episode of WWE Raw in 2010, Le Champion declared his desire to smack Tyson around.

After a brief back-and-forth, the two engaged in a shoving match before the locker room emptied to get between them. It was, no doubt intentionally, very reminiscent of the famous Austin-Tyson confrontation that helped launch WWE's Attitude Era. It was a spot specifically for "the returners," older fans chasing the feeling wrestling used to provide in the good old days of their past, prior to the WWE hegemony of the 2000s.

And, as much as wrestling resides in the past and feeds off this kind of nostalgia, it's simply not going to work. 

In 1998, Tyson was the most dangerous man in sports, one year removed from biting Evander Holyfield's ear off and spitting it on the mat. In 2020, he's muscle grandpa, still impressive but lacking the menace that made hairs tingle with anticipation at the height of his fame.

Sure, there will be some initial headlines at major media sites. AEW might make it onto SportsCenter and whatever other outlets exist from the legacy media of yesteryear. They might even pop a rating or two, assuming interest in Tyson extends beyond watching a 30-second clip on social media. 

But what is the path forward? 

Tyson helped launch the Attitude Era by putting the spotlight on Austin, a transcendent star just beginning his rise. Jericho, himself approaching 50 and already an established legend, doesn't need the rub. Besides, when the two shared a ring together in 2010, Tyson didn't manage to pull a rating for WWE. The days where millions would tune in to see the boxing superstar are decades in the past.

The only way this is a success is if they pull off a win in the ring with some entertaining television. Unfortunately, Tyson himself was a lousy performer in a wrestling context. He couldn't go back and forth verbally in a believable way, couldn't be trusted to work any complicated spots and even forgot Austin's name when he was supposed to put him over. 

While he didn't mess anything up too badly in his AEW appearance, neither did he do anything to light the world on fire. As a fan, I just don't see where this can go. The best-case scenario is a match where Tyson doesn't manage to screw anything up too badly.

Frankly, I've come to expect more from AEW. 

Of course, if anyone can make this all work, it's Jericho. He has spent the entire year cementing his case as the greatest wrestler of a generation, fitting seamlessly in with the avant-garde performers of AEW without missing a beat.

His interviews remain peerless, his vignettes and skits have reached the level of legendary, and when called on to fill in as an emergency color commentator, Le Champion went ahead and knocked that out the park like he was born for it.

I've learned not to bet against Jericho and fully expect he'll be moving mountains to prove doubters wrong.

But I can't help feeling like Tyson is a step in the wrong direction for a wrestling company looking to change what the sport looks and feels like. We've already seen what happens when a promotion looks to recreate the Attitude Era—TNA tried for years to diminishing returns. 

Earlier in the night, Cody pledged to defend his new TNT championship weekly on Dynamite. It was a passionate promo that harkened back to the legends of yesteryear, the brave babyfaces who pledged to do their best for the fans and their families. That was nostalgia more in keeping with AEW's mission statement to provide the best bell-to-bell wrestling on the planet.

This, for better or worse, is sports entertainment. And "sports" has one foot out the door.

Jonathan Snowden covers combat sports for Bleacher Report.