Chris Jericho has taken on many roles in AEW. He is a former World Champion, Wizard, and currently the Learning Tree. However, he is stepping down from his commentary duties.
AEW has named Jericho’s replacement: Matt Menard, Jericho’s former Jericho Appreciation Society teammate, will take over commentary on AEW Rampage.
Author and podcast host Pat Laprade announced the news via X on Saturday. Menard has experience in commentary, having worked on AEW Dark and Dark Elevation. This led to occasional Rampage appearances when Jericho was unavailable.
Matt Menard is officially replacing Chris Jericho on AEW Rampage’s commentary team from now on.
— WrestlePurists (@WrestlePurists) June 1, 2024
On Friday’s Rampage, Jericho revealed his decision to leave commentary. He wants to focus more on appearing on Dynamite and Collision. Jericho will still carry on in his Learning Tree gimmick alongside Big Bill and Bryan Keith.
Matt Menard’s Commentary Experience
Menard, previously known as Matt Lee in WWE’s NXT brand, signed with AEW in August 2021 with his partner Angelo Parker. They joined forces with Daniel Garcia and eventually became part of Jericho’s faction. Together, they competed in the first-ever Anarchy in the Arena match and a Blood & Guts match in 2022.
Since the faction dissolved, Menard has wrestled infrequently, with just six matches this year. His last match was a win over Mike Bennett in Ring of Honor in early May. Parker has been off following his recent marriage to Ruby Soho. Now, Menard has a spot on television every week, and he gets to stay out of action in the process.