Chris Jericho’s name continues to hover over wrestling headlines as fans speculate about a possible WWE return, but a new report suggests the situation may be far less straightforward than social media buzz would have you believe.
With WWE kicking off the new year and the road to the Royal Rumble officially underway, rumors picked up steam that Jericho could be on his way back to “Raw.” However, Fightful Select is reporting that there has been no indication from within AEW that Jericho has left the company. In fact, sources told the outlet that Jericho remains under contract.
Jericho reportedly re-signed with AEW following All Out 2022, with the deal said to run through 2026. While the former AEW World Champion has been absent from AEW television for much of the past year, his hiatus was written into storyline. After dropping the ROH World Championship to Bandido at Dynasty, Jericho told Big Bill and Bryan Keith that he needed to step away until his Learning Tree stable got itself back on track. Whether that time off resulted in any contract changes remains unclear.
Another notable detail is that Jericho is still listed on AEW’s official roster page. This stands out even more after multiple talents were quietly removed earlier this week following the expiration of their contracts. Fightful also attempted to get confirmation directly from AEW regarding Jericho’s status but reportedly received no response.
On the WWE side, sources told Fightful that Jericho was not part of creative discussions and was not included in plans for Monday’s episode of “Raw,” at least from what they had seen. That said, even those within WWE acknowledged that surprises happen and that misinformation isn’t exactly rare in wrestling circles.
Fueling the speculation further, WWE appeared to have some fun with fans when “Raw” General Manager Adam Pearce used the phrase “who can break down the walls” in a social media video promoting the show — a clear nod to Jericho’s iconic entrance theme. Despite the tease, both Fightful and PWInsider Elite reported that Jericho was not backstage at the Barclays Center for the show.
For now, the evidence points to Jericho still being an AEW talent, with WWE teases likely serving more as playful bait than confirmation of anything imminent. As always with Chris Jericho, though, the line between storyline and reality is never entirely clear — and that’s exactly how he likes it.
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