NewsBeat
WWE fans think they ‘dodged a bullet’ as Chris Jericho makes shock AEW return
After months of speculation, Chris Jericho has returned to All Elite Wrestling.
For the first time since April 2025, the legendary wrestler appeared on AEW Dynamite after a long period where people believed he might be making a shock WWE comeback.
Despite reports linking Y2J to a return at the 2026 Royal Rumble and even the first Monday Night Raw of the year on Netflix, nothing materialised, and he remained on AEW’s online roster.
On Wednesday night, Jericho had his comeback in front of a hometown crowd in Winnipeg, where he described Tony Khan’s company as ‘home’.
While there were cheers from the crowd, and fans are intrigued to see what the next stage in the 55-year-old star’s career holds, many WWE fans appear relieved he didn’t end up rejoining the promotion.
On X, fan @jennaia07 wrote: ‘Ngl WWE kinda dodged a bullet, cuz a 2026 Jericho run would’ve done the company no favours.’
‘*shrugs* I really had no interest in seeing Jericho back in WWE in the year 2026 anyways 🤷♂️,’ added @Raaaaaaaandyyy.
Others shared similar sentiments earlier on Wednesday, when reports first emerged suggesting Jericho was staying in AEW.
‘Don’t give hope. I swear if Jericho shows up on my WWE TV I’m gonna lose it. Keep his a** in Jacksonville,’ raved @Jon_Mitchell3, while @LoserStoneDsh_n added: ‘NO CHRIS JERICHO IN MY PRECIOUS FEDERATION’.
Some fans had expected Jericho to go to WWE for a Hall of Fame induction and WrestleMania retirement run, but now there are plenty hoping he gets a similar sendoff in AEW after time appeared to be added onto his contract following his long absence.
‘Sting got the best retirement run ever in Wrestling history, Jericho will do the same,’ @Chuck_Senpai wrote, while @PittsburghPug86 added: ‘Honestly, what’s left for Jericho to do in any promotion? Glad he’s back, but he’s done it all. Maybe a retirement tour this time around? 🤷’
Others insisted that while he isn’t ‘needed in AEW’, he can still contribute ‘as an upper mid-card legacy babyface’, using his name value to build the future.
As reported by Fightful Select in the hours before Dynamite, Jericho – who recently trademarked ‘Cornerstone’ – was the subject of plenty of chatter backstage in AEW, while there were ‘absolutely’ talks between the former world champion and WWE.
The outlet said: ‘We’re told that there absolutely have been talks between Chris Jericho and WWE in recent months. However, at no point has creative been set for him that we’ve heard about.
‘He was never planned for the WWE Raw on Netflix anniversary, Royal Rumble, or Elimination Chamber.’
Will Chris Jericho ever return to WWE?
Metro’s wrestling expert Alistair McGeorge looks at what the future could hold.
You can never say never in wrestling, but it’s hard to imagine Chris Jericho returning to WWE now.
There were already doubts about a comeback, given his age and more recent work in AEW, while he had even been met with ‘please retire’ chants from live crowds.
It remains to be seen how this run goes, but Jericho and AEW will have to work to build up goodwill if he’s going to be a heavily featured, regular player again.
In WWE, he would likely have been used in a short few-month run to keep building GUNTHER’s career killer character by allowing him to retire another legend, which would have been just about the best use for him in the company, along with a backstage role sharing his creativity.
Despite a wealth of older champions across Raw and SmackDown, none are in their 50s, and this month’s WrestleMania card shows a focus on youth with the likes of Oba Femi, Je’Von Evans and Trick Williams all set for major matches.
Of course, someone of Jericho’s experience is always valuable to a company when they’re used properly, and WWE has already lost some of that on the regular main roster after AJ Styles retirement. However, the likes of Randy Orton and Rey Mysterio (despite being injured) are still veterans who can help the rising stars.
Even assuming Jericho only stays with AEW until the end of this year, that’s another 12 months where the wrestling world moves so fast.
Could he return to WWE in 2027? Nothing can be ruled out, and I don’t think a Hall of Fame induction is unlikely over the next few years.
However, it certainly seems like Jericho has set the stage for an AEW retirement run rather than a similar farewell in WWE.
It’s not clear how long Jericho will be around in wrestling, as he recently admitted he’s nearing the end of his career after more than three decades in the business.
He was recently asked by GamesHub what concerns he has for the future health of the current crop of wrestlers who are embracing a very physical in-ring style, and in his answer, he dropped a hint about his future plans.
‘What worries me about the guys working today is here I am at 55, 35 years in, with still some career left to go. I don’t know if it’s a year, two years, four years — I’m not sure,’ he said.
‘But I don’t know how many of the guys working now will have the option to go 35 years. Hopefully, all of them. But you can already see what serious injuries do — a bad neck surgery changes everything.’
Got a story?
If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.
MORE: Former WWE star reveals moment referee genuinely thought they were dying in ‘puddle of blood’
MORE: WWE icon Jesse Ventura demands Barron Trump enlists with a swipe at ‘draft-dodging’ dad
You must be logged in to post a comment Login