Chris Jericho shocked the world when he left WWE and signed with AEW in 2019. 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, no great surprise when he's widely believed to be among the highest-paid stars in the company (the fact that a longtime WWE Superstar signed with AEW was a huge deal at the time).
Jericho's contract ends later this year, and after being written off television way back in April, he made headlines last week 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.
In an update from Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio, it's said that there's been a "lot of talk" backstage in WWE and AEW about Jericho returning to the company where he first made a name for himself.
"There’s been a lot, a lot of talk about WWE," the insider shared. "I know from the WWE standpoint that there is a lot of talk there about Jericho. You know, people speculating [the] Royal Rumble. Nobody has officially said anything, nor will anyone officially say anything."
WWE is still pretty red hot, and with AEW on the decline—Jericho is like a moth to a flame when it comes to the "in" thing—it wouldn't be remotely surprising if he's had a change of heart when it comes to a possible WWE return. He indicated as much earlier this year, despite repeatedly saying that he'd remain with AEW for the rest of his career.
"I would have considered a return to WWE before things changed. I mean, you’d be crazy not to consider it," the former AEW World Champion said earlier this year. "Once again, there are two teams you can play on, which is amazing. And it’s one of the reasons why I wanted to take a chance and go to AEW in the first place. It was a real gamble."
"So, yeah, of course I would consider going back there. I would also consider not going back there, too. It just depends on what the situation is and what’s going on with me at the time. It’s not even a ‘never say never’ thing. It’s more like, 'Consider all your options and choose wisely.'"
He added, "And if you’ve followed my career, you know I’ve never had a problem with changing, evolving, reinventing, or taking chances. I’m not scared of that."
As noted, Jericho was one of AEW's biggest acquisitions, and he's remained a top star in the company ever since. Unfortunately, even after becoming the first-ever AEW World Champion, Jericho's star has never risen quite as high as when he was in WWE. A return to that company does seem inevitable, as does a WWE Hall of Fame induction.
Stay tuned for updates as we have them.