WWE News: Former Superstar Says Chris Jericho May Have Been Company’s Top Locker Room Leader

Although it’s been more than two years since he last set foot in a WWE ring, Chris Jericho is still fondly remembered by his former colleagues as a positive backstage influence. This was proven recently when Rusev put the inaugural AEW World Champion over as one of the WWE locker room’s most prominent leaders when both men were working for the company.

As quoted by Wrestling Inc. on Monday, Rusev appeared on a recent Twitch stream where a fan using Jericho’s AEW nickname “Le Champion” subscribed to his channel. This prompted the former United States Champion to impersonate Jericho’s “a little bit of the bubbly” catchphrase and share some memories of the time they worked together in WWE.

“Chris is a great dude. Having him backstage when I was with the WWE was great just because he’s a great leader man. He cares so much. He was probably the biggest leader of the whole locker room, to be honest. When people were down and out, or whatever, you could always go ask Chris for advice. He would definitely help you out as much as he could.”

After close to a decade working for WWE, Rusev was one of several performers released by the promotion last month due to financial concerns brought about by the coronavirus pandemic. His release, however, came after months of rumors suggesting that he and WWE were stalemated over the terms of a new contract and various reports pointing to the 34-year-old’s alleged unhappiness with how the company was booking him.

Rusev and Zack Ryder are the latest superstars to be released by WWE. pic.twitter.com/62zUFrH6Vf

— B/R Wrestling (@BRWrestling) April 15, 2020

At the moment, Rusev appears to be focusing less on his future plans in the wrestling business and more on his love of video games. As previously reported by The Inquisitr, the “Bulgarian Brute” took to Instagram earlier this month to announce the imminent launch of his Twitch channel, adding that he will only be talking about his next in-ring career move when he feels the time is right.

Due to the impact that the coronavirus crisis has had on various businesses around the world, including the wrestling industry, it remains uncertain whether AEW will show interest in signing Rusev, thus allowing him to reunite with Jericho. However, the wrestling legend has been known to lobby for certain former WWE colleagues as potential additions to the rival promotion’s roster. These include recent signee Brodie Lee, who previously competed in WWE as Luke Harper and is now a key part of AEW storylines as the supposedly Vince McMahon-inspired “Exalted One” of the Dark Order stable.