Chris Jericho On What Surprised Him About Vince McMahon Stepping Down

It's been two weeks since Vince McMahon retired from his posts as WWE CEO, Chairman, and Head of Creative, and some within wrestling are still in shock over the development. Among them is AEW star Chris Jericho, who worked for McMahon in WWE for nearly 20 years and always considered the two close.

In the latest episode of "Talk Is Jericho" with Wrestling Observer Newsletter's Dave Meltzer, Jericho discussed his shock over McMahon's retirement after being on top for so long and eluding previous controversies.

"40 years plus of wrestling and Vince McMahon synonymous and then done, that quick. Boom, gone," Jericho said. "And it really did surprise me because, once again, maybe because you and I live within kind of the wrestling bubble where it's like, 'It's just wrestling. Nobody in the corporate world takes wrestling history. He beat the government, and he's been through this scandal, and he's been through that scandal, and this one will just go away.' I was really thinking for a while that it was just going to be kind of a flash in the pan, and Vince would make it disappear like he did everything else."

This is the first time Jericho has reacted to the investigations and allegations surrounding McMahon in almost a month. During an interview with the "True Geordie" podcast, Jericho expressed little surprise regarding the allegations but was also skeptical about McMahon facing any punishment, believing that the situation would ultimately be forgotten months later.

Jericho will next be seen next Wednesday on "AEW Dynamite: Quake By The Lake," where he will challenge Jon Moxley for the AEW Interim World Championship. As revealed by Jericho this past Wednesday, he will be wrestling under the "Lionheart" persona, which he used during the early days of his career in promotions like CMLL, New Japan, and WCW.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Talk Is Jericho and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription