Arguably the most important signing Tony Khan made when launching All Elite Wrestling with Cody Rhodes and The Elite in 2019, Chris Jericho was the start-up promotion’s first World champion. Well known for his multiple WWE runs since debuting as Y2J, the decorated veteran was not only a draw that gave the AEW product credibility, he was also one of it’s most prominent spokespeople in the company’s early years.
But Jericho hasn’t been seen in the promotion or its sub-brand Ring of Honor since April
of this year. Some of that was for a tour with his band Fozzy, but that ended in May. But Jericho was also rumored to just want “a break” before making a surprise return.
Many AEW fans agreed that Jericho needed a break. The perception that the 54-year-old was forcing his way into angles with more popular acts, and wouldn’t lose to younger wrestlers, accounting for some of the audience’s changing attitudes. But there were also whispers of inappropriate behavior behind the scenes. Those were never substantiated — so much so that the wrestling media figure who amplified them seems to have left the business entirely — but they gained enough steam to impact AEW shows for a time.
Now, it seems that Jericho’s exit this past April may not have been temporary. At least that’s what he (or someone on his social media team) want us to think. The wrestle web started buzzing last night (Aug. 17) about Jericho liking an Instagram post from last week asking if the WWE Grand Slam champion could return to that promotion in 2026 after his AEW contract expires at the end of this year:
It had previously been reported that Jericho’s current AEW contract ends in December. The longer his absence from their product lasts, the more credence people will give to the idea his run there could be ending.
Given how much trash Jericho talked in the first few years of AEW’s existence, we imagine there will be some issues to iron out before he starts working for Triple H. But if WWE thinks he can be a useful tool in their ongoing efforts to control the global pro wrestling market, we’re sure they can look past that. He was famously loyal to WWE prior to AEW’s launch, which should help smooth things over.
Interesting in another WWE run for Chris Jericho?
