Chris Jericho has named the AEW wrestlers that he considers to be needle-movers when it comes to television ratings.
Speaking on the WTF with Marc Maron podcast, Jericho explained his interest in the weekly ratings, saying:
“If you get put in that top position and you don’t draw and people don’t watch your matches…TV ratings are so important.”
It’s not just the hourlies or whole show ratings that interest Jericho, however, with the AEW coach and creative consultant explaining:
“I read the minute-by-minute TV ratings every week to see, how did I do? How did this guy do? Who is drawing every week?
“You can kind of see this pattern of whenever he’s on, the ratings go up.”
With his interest in the numbers going far beyond his own performance with the audience, Jericho went on to state:
“Swerve Strickland is one of those guys. He’s not a ratings bonanza, but whenever he’s on, the ratings go up.”
Jericho would suggest that the connection with the audience is the reason for this, naming Jade Cargill as another wrestler with the connection and presence to make the numbers move:
“They [Swerve & Jade] are stars and I want to see what this person is doing. That matters.
“If you don’t draw…my boss, Tony Khan is a numbers fanatic. If you are put in that position and the ratings go down, you won’t be put in that position anymore.
“That’s part of it. You have to connect and people have to watch you on screen. If not, you won’t be on screen in that position, or maybe you won’t be on the main show, you’ll be on the next show. There are levels to that too.”
Jade Cargill remains undefeated as TBS Champion and is the longest reigning champion in AEW history.
