Matt Menard doesn't know what's next for the Jericho Appreciation Society.
Chris Jericho formed the Jericho Appreciation Society in March 2022, and the group initially included Jake Hager, Daniel Garcia, Matt Menard, and Angelo Parker. Sammy Guevara, Tay Melo, and Anna Jay later joined the stable, which has been featured on AEW programming throughout its run. But in recent weeks, tension within the group has been apparent, as both Guevara and Jericho have teased making some changes. Plus, Don Callis has been recruiting Jericho to join his family.
Speaking on The Daddy Magic Show, Menard commented on the dissension within the Jericho Appreciation Society and noted that he didn't know what Jericho was thinking, so he'd have to see how things play out.
“This is the thing about the JAS, the dissension here. It’s not like something happened. It’s not like there’s miscommunication, this and that. Jericho outright said the other day, ‘At some point you’re gonna have to prove that you can do it on your own, without me.’ So I don’t know. I don’t really know what Chris is thinking. We haven’t really heard from him lately. I’m just gonna have to see how things play out," Menard said.
Menard was asked about the stable's group chat and admitted that it was cold, as they haven't talked much lately. He explained that the members of the group usually were in contact with each other to plan their outfits and discuss their involvement on TV, but that has not been the case in recent weeks. Menard stated that he hoped he could get everyone together, but he wasn't sure whether they should hash it out or call it a day.
“It’s cold, it’s icy cold. I mean, there were some jokes back and forth the other day, but since then, it’s pretty icy cold. Normally, there’s always a little chit-chat about the week coming up, maybe what we’re gonna wear, are we gonna match, what are we gonna be doing, talking about the matches. Realistically, we’re all over the show. The Jericho Appreciation Society is all over the show. The group chat should be hype, should be pumped, it should be alive, and it’s not. I don’t know, man. Obviously I have to get everybody together and hash things out to get on the same page or do we call it a day? I don’t know," he said.
When asked whether the cold group chat concerns him, Menard noted that it did, and he questioned where his loyalties lie. He expressed his hope that the stablemates can get together and continue as a group, but he described how they each have their own goals. Menard then stated that the issue comes down to whether those goals conflict with Jericho's objectives.
“Yeah, a little bit. I touched on it last night. Let’s say there’s an issue, Sammy and Danny [Garcia] and Chris. That’s the divide. Where does Daddy Magic’s loyalties lie? Obviously, came into AEW with Danny Garcia. If he wasn’t at our side, would we have achieved the level of success that we did early on in our tenure in the company? Probably not. Now, meeting up with Chris Jericho later on, six months later, took our careers to another level. It changed my life, changed my family’s life, owe a lot to Chris Jericho. So where does Daddy Magic’s loyalties lie in this fork, if this is the way that it plays out? I hope that it doesn’t come to that. I hope we can all get together and continue on as we have been. But obviously people have different goals and aspirations. Sammy in particular has inspirations of being the world heavyweight champion. Danny Garcia has his eye on the TNT Championship, on the International Championship and of course one day wants to be the heavyweight champion. I have my own aspirations. As we move up and climb the ranks in AEW, do those goals and aspirations conflict with Chris Jericho’s? I think that’s ultimately what it comes down to. Everybody’s gonna have to see how it plays out, and I don’t know," Menard said.
Menard recently recalled asking if he could say "suck my ass" on AEW TV. Click here to see what he had to say.
In an interview, Jericho discussed working with Sting. Check out his comments here.
Check out the card for the July 14 episode of AEW Rampage here. Fightful will have coverage of the show as it airs.
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