Professional wrestling legend Chris Jericho, whose career has spanned decades, continents and various top promotions, has found himself ensnared in a shocking controversy in which he’s being compared to former Hollywood producer and convicted sex offender Harvey Weinstein.
The stunning comparison was casually made on Friday’s episode of “Haus of Wrestling,” a pro wrestling podcast co-hosted by Nick Hausman and Robert Karpeles.
Hausman didn’t mince words when he alleged that Jericho had used his considerable stature in both the wrestling and music industries (Jericho moonlights as the frontman of rock band Fozzy when he’s not wrestling) to take advantage of those lower on the totem pole.
While acknowledging Jericho’s impact as one of All Elite Wrestling’s original big names (he was its inaugural world champion), Hausman said he finds the “universal praise” heaped on Jericho “disconcerting.”
“When you have that kind of clout and you have that kind of power, it’s very important to use that responsibly,” Hausman said, adding, “There are issues with Chris behind the scenes.”
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“I know of a lot of people who have been hurt by Chris and his actions and, you know, it’s very uncomfortable to me to see him lauded as often as he is with only the focus on that,” he continued.
“I do think that there’s a lot of questionable stories about Chris that will find their way out over time, and when people are ready to tell those stories, that will cast him in a very different light.
“I mean, look, Harvey Weinstein won a lot of Oscars. Harvey Weinstein produced a lot of very popular films. Harvey Weinstein is now in jail,” Hausman said.
“I’m not saying that’s going to happen to Chris, but your narrative can very quickly turn if, you know, you’re hiding a lot of skeletons in your closet.”
Adding fuel to the fire, amateur X sleuths quickly appeared to stumble on an allegation involving Jericho and fellow pro wrestler and brief AEW signee Kylie Rae.
Pure speculation but he might be referring to Kylie Rae. pic.twitter.com/gpOJ72XscM
— ISO Wrestling (@italkwrasslin) December 30, 2023
Those completely speculative allegations drew an interesting response from both Rae and Hausman: a simple heart emoji.
— Nick Hausman (@Nick_Hausman) December 30, 2023
Jericho has not been charged with, let alone convicted of, any crimes, and as of Saturday afternoon, he was still listed as part of AEW’s “Worlds End” pay-per-view tonight.
