Speculation continues to swirl around Chris Jericho’s future in pro wrestling.
The pro wrestling legend has been off AEW television since April, is set to become a free agent at the end of this year. The former AEW World Champion has been with the company since its launch in 2019, but talk of a WWE return has picked up steam in recent weeks.
Dave Meltzer reported in the latest issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter at F4WOnline.com that some within AEW believe Jericho won’t be re-signing once his deal expires, with the idea that he could make a surprise return at the 2026 WWE Royal Rumble. However, nothing has been confirmed on either side.
“There has been a lot of talk regarding Chris Jericho this past week. Neither Jericho nor Tony Khan have said anything about this when asked but not denied anything either. Jericho’s contract expires at the end of the year. There are those in AEW who believe that he’s not going to be back and will start in WWE as a Royal Rumble surprise,” Meltzer reported. “The only thing we’ve heard from WWE is that they expect him, but keep in mind at this stage of everything if he’s looking to go there or negotiate with them, he’s going to give that impression. I can tell you we’ve heard the same about other AEW stars over the years that WWE was pretty sure they were getting, and some went and some stayed.
“A few months ago we wrote here about it and my thoughts were and still are that all things being equal, WWE is the place for him. But all things may not be equal, when it comes to money, and other factors.”
Jericho previously explained that his April exit was due to wanting a break after receiving negative crowd reactions. More recently, he fueled speculation by liking an Instagram post about a potential WWE return.
