Unless he's secretly signed a new AEW deal, Chris Jericho should now be a free agent. He was written off television in April, and quickly made headlines for liking a social media post speculating about what a possible WWE return could look like.
Despite previously being dismissive of the idea of a WWE return in interviews, his tune has changed this year. Jericho has remained fiercely loyal to AEW and Tony Khan over the years (which isn't hugely surprising when he's widely believed to be among the highest-paid stars in the company), but fell out of favour with fans during the last year or so of his run.
Whether the dissatisfaction AEW devotees expressed with Jericho seemingly prioritising himself over the younger talent he shared the ring with extended to Khan isn't clear. Either way, all signs point to Le Champion wanting to end his career in a WWE ring.
It's been widely reported that WWE is planning a retirement tour for Jericho, followed by an inevitable WWE Hall of Fame induction. The fact is, AEW isn't as hot as it was when he shocked the world by signing with the company in 2019, and the multiple-time WWE Champion returning to a promotion that's drawing far more interest makes sense.
Now, a photo of Jericho looking slimmed down and in great shape is going viral on social media. Often criticised for his physique in AEW (there was a time when he gained a fair bit of weight), this does rather look like Jericho is preparing to make an imminent in-ring return.
During a live stream on his YouTube channel last week, Jericho responded to a fan question about the possibility of a WWE comeback. "You never know. You never know," he teased. It was earlier this year when he was quoted as saying, "I'm pretty sure you’ll see me in 2026 in a wrestling ring somewhere." It being a WWE ring now seems like a sure thing.
WWE has a few options when it comes to Jericho's return. It happening during the upcoming January 6 edition of RAW would be a headline-grabbing moment, as would a comeback at the Royal Rumble at the end of this month.
As noted, it's been widely reported that WWE has a retirement storyline planned for the former WCW star, likely culminating in a WWE Hall of Fame induction in 2027 or 2028.