Chris Jericho shocked the professional wrestling world when he left WWE to sign with AEW in 2019. While the newly launched company had already acquired the likes of Cody Rhodes, Kenny Omega, and The Young Bucks, having a top WWE star on board was a game-changer.
Since then, Y2J has become a mainstay in the company but has frequently fallen out of favour with fans for seemingly prioritising himself over the younger talent he shares the ring with. Regardless, Jericho has remained fiercely loyal to AEW and Tony Khan, which isn't hugely surprising when he's widely believed to be among the highest-paid stars in the company.
Jericho's contract reportedly ends later this year. After being written off television way back in April, he made headlines over the summer for liking a social media post speculating about what a possible WWE return could look like.
Khan often benches those who have expressed a desire to leave the company, and many believe that's the case with Jericho (despite recent comments from the billionaire suggesting otherwise). We've since heard that WWE wants Y2J back for a retirement storyline and WWE Hall of Fame induction.
During a recent interview, Jericho played coy when asked about his future, but confirmed that he's not close to being done with professional wrestling.
"Well, you never know, man. That’s the thing is — I’m not done yet," he teased. "So, still figuring out everything and we’ll see where I end up. But I’m pretty sure you’ll see me in 2026 in a wrestling ring somewhere."
"There’s always things going on that kind of come across my plate. And it’s always cool to see — obviously there’s always wrestling stuff and there’s music stuff and there’s podcast stuff. But when you get some of these other opportunities, like we said, to host a pilot about the cursed Bridgewater Triangle up in your area, that was fun as well, too."
"So you never know what’s going to be coming up for me, but it’s always busy. And, you know, even this week, the Kuarantine shows were going to be kind of the end of the year for me. And then another gig came up for me the following week to film some stuff for a show. So, it never ends and things happen. And when they happen, they happen quickly. So you just have to be ready to go."
"But the most important thing is I enjoy all of the stuff that I do," he concluded. "I love all the stuff that I do. And it’s always an honor to get a chance to live out these dreams and have these experiences."
It would be shocking to see Jericho return to an AEW ring, and while he definitely has a few more years left in the tank, there's arguably more for the multi-time World Champion to accomplish in WWE. As of now, a return at next month's Royal Rumble seems the most likely possibility.
You can hear more from Jericho in the player below.