Chris Jericho is reportedly on his way out of AEW. (Credit: Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
WWE and AEW have swapped major stars back-and-forth, with the likes of Bryan Danielson, Jon Moxley, Cody Rhodes and CM Punk among the biggest names to jump ship from one company to the other.
Up next on the docket? That would appear to be none other than the man once known as “Y2J,” Chris Jericho.
According to the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t WrestlingNews.co), Jericho is likely heading to WWE after his disappearance from AEW programming: “The impression within WWE is that Jericho will be coming back to the company for a retirement tour and a Hall of Fame induction.”
Yes, the WWE-to-AEW-back-to-WWE pipeline looks bound to continue, with Jericho likely following in the footsteps of Aleister Black, Rusev, Rhodes and Punk as marquee names to leave WWE for AEW only to ultimately return to the former. The case of Jericho, of course, would be quite similar to that of both Punk and Rhodes as a massive star who left AEW in order to make a triumphant return to WWE.
An early cornerstone of AEW, Jericho is a big reason why the company is what it is today. He was AEW’s biggest initial signing upon its launch in 2019 and ultimately went on to become its inaugural world champion and a staple of its main event scene for much of his run there.
While Jericho’s AEW run had its fair share of ups and downs and Jericho was often outspoken about WWE during his AEW stint, WWE has made a habit out of mending fences with ex-stars, especially ones with the star power of someone like Jericho. Is Jericho past his prime? Obviously. Was his AEW run detrimental to the overall quality of that company’s TV product? At times, yes.
But WWE finds itself in the midst of a significant retirement tour for John Cena and reportedly has plans in place for one for AJ Styles in 2026. Though WWE fans had soured on Jericho in recent years, he’s certainly in that same stratosphere as one of the most accomplished stars in pro wrestling history.
As such, Jericho would undoubtedly be welcomed with open arms by the same fans who’ve criticized his AEW run, which admittedly went off the rails a bit in recent years with multiple underwhelming stable formations and lackluster storylines. Still, there’s obviously a real hunger among WWE’s fan base for nostalgia, and Jericho has enough gas left in the tank for a decent retirement run of his own.
Just last month, Jericho expressed that he was open to returning to WWE, and the writing has been on the wall for his AEW stint. For all of AEW’s faults, the company has done a great job of building up the likes of MJF, Will Ospreay, Adam Page, Darby Allin and Swerve Strickland as key figures in both AEW’s present and future.
AEW boasting a loaded roster, WWE recently suffering a bit of an injury bug and the upcoming retirements of Cena and Styles ensure that Jericho would fit in seamlessly in the current WWE landscape. While the likes of Black, Rusev and the once-again-AEW star Andrade have somewhat struggled in today’s WWE, Jericho would be a step above those stars on WWE’s pecking order.
While Jericho’s likely not going to win or even challenge for a world title again, he’s certainly capable of filling the gap that is clearly going to be there after the likes of Goldberg, Cena, Styles and other legends step away from the ring permanently. Six years into AEW’s existence, this should become the norm going forward, too.
Rhodes, Pun and Rusev were simply among the first to return to WWE. They won’t be the last, and Chris Jericho will probably be the next.
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