WWE-Linked Chris Jericho Surpassed Icon As 'The GOAT' Due To AEW Run - Kurt Angle Once Claimed

Jericho's contract with AEW expires at the end of the year, and if he leaves, it will mark the end of five years with the promotion. He became the inaugural AEW World Champion and has enjoyed many highs in the company, creating new characters as he did back in WWE.

The 55-year-old seems a certainty to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame once he calls time on his illustrious career. That could come after a retirement run in WWE, with reports indicating such plans have been offered to the former six-time WWE World Champion.

Angle, who worked with Jericho during his time in WWE, once explained why he had surpassed Shawn Michaels as the best wrestler in history. He told the AEW star on The Kurt Angle Show back in March 2022:

"Chris, I want to tell you this. I’ve always thought Shawn Michaels was the greatest of all time. And I’m not saying this to blow smoke up your ass, but what you’ve been able to accomplish in AEW, and how long you’ve been able to have this career, I think that you have taken over Shawn as the greatest of all time."

Jericho is one of the most decorated wrestlers in history, having found success in every promotion he has performed in. One of his greatest matches, ironically, came against Michaels at WrestleMania XIX, and that was just one of several classics he's put on during his storied career.

But another ability which Angle used to back up his point was Jericho's creativity, able to perform different gimmicks as has been the case in AEW when he went from Le Champion to the Painmaker. The WWE Hall of Famer told Lucha Libre Online:

"What he’s been able to do with his characters, changing and innovating himself and being able to be as effective as he is in the business this late in his career, at 51, 52 years of age, and being in the business for over 30 years."

Jericho has also taken on other roles in wrestling, including commentary work in AEW. This is something he is considering once his in-ring career comes to an end and perhaps that could come in WWE.

Jon Moxley Echoed Kurt Angle's Claim

Angle isn't the only one who views Jericho as the best wrestler of all-time, as AEW star Jon Moxley also opined that his body of work puts him at the top of the podium. The former WWE star, who is one of Jericho's most high-profile rivals in AEW, told Bleacher Report Live in January 2020:

"To me, you can't ever pick a greatest of all time in wrestling. It's just too long of a discussion. There's too many people on the list, but for me, for my money, Chris Jericho is really making a case for being the greatest of all time. He's done it in the '90s, the 2000s and the last two decades. He's doing it again. He's doing something completely new and breaking new barriers still even in 2020 with AEW,"

Jericho has worked in ECW, WCW, WWE and AEW and been able to adapt to new eras with a creative mind that many feel is among the best in the business. If he does return to WWE his knowledge will be beneficial and he could work with younger talent as he did taking Sammy Guereva under his wing in AEW.