AEW star Chris Jericho has opened up about portraying legendary professional wrestler Gorgeous George in the new limited series “The Greatest,” which explores the life and rise of boxing icon Muhammad Ali.
During an interview with FOX 5, Jericho discussed how he landed the role and the preparation involved in bringing one of professional wrestling’s most influential personalities to the screen. Although his appearance is limited to a single episode, Jericho explained that he spent considerable time studying Gorgeous George’s distinctive mannerisms, voice, and flamboyant personality.
Jericho revealed that the production team had struggled to find someone suitable for the role before he auditioned. To prepare, he tracked down an old film featuring Gorgeous George and used the footage to develop his portrayal of the wrestling legend.
“Well, I auditioned for it. It turns out they were looking for a Gorgeous George for a while and couldn’t find anybody. I found this old movie that George starred in, so I kind of imitated his drawl, his accent, some of his motions, his persona.”
Beyond the opportunity to portray a wrestling icon, Jericho explained that Gorgeous George played an important role in shaping the public persona of Muhammad Ali, who was still known as Cassius Clay when the two crossed paths.
According to Jericho, the young boxer was already exceptionally talented inside the ring but had yet to develop the charismatic personality that would eventually make him one of the most recognizable athletes in history. That changed after an encounter with Gorgeous George, whose ability to generate strong reactions from audiences left a lasting impression.
“It turns out, the reason it was such an important part is that Cassius Clay was a great boxer, but didn’t have the personality. He was really inspired by Gorgeous George and they actually had a meeting at a radio station in Las Vegas where George told Cassius, it’s not about the fighting, it’s about connecting with the fans.”
Jericho further explained that George’s philosophy of entertaining audiences, whether by making them cheer or boo, became a defining influence on Ali’s approach to promoting his fights and connecting with the public.
“Making them love you, making them hate you, that’s what sells tickets. That’s something that Ali always remembered and based all of his persona on from that time forward.”
Gorgeous George was one of professional wrestling’s earliest mainstream attractions, becoming famous for his elaborate entrances, theatrical presentation, and ability to provoke intense reactions from audiences. His influence extended beyond wrestling, with Ali frequently acknowledging the impact of professional wrestling’s showmanship on his own approach to self-promotion.
For Jericho, who has built much of his own wrestling career around larger-than-life characters and reinvention, portraying such an influential figure was a particularly meaningful opportunity.
“It was a great moment in Ali’s career and a great moment in mine, getting to play such an outrageous character in a such a massive show.”
“The Greatest,” which chronicles Ali’s journey from his early years as Cassius Clay to becoming an international sporting icon, is currently available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.
