Chris Jericho shocked the world when he walked away from WWE and signed an AEW deal 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, which isn't hugely surprising when he's widely believed to be among the highest-paid stars in the company (a longtime WWE Superstar signing with AEW was a huge deal at the time, and he remains the company's most famous wrestler).
Jericho's contract ends later this year, and after being written off television way back in April, he made headlines earlier this month 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.
Today, PWInsider.com is reporting that there have indeed been conversations in WWE about Jericho returning to the sports entertainment giant. Talent is also said to be discussing the possibility, and it's believed that Jericho has made overtures to see whether the company has interest in him after his deal with AEW expires.
During a recent edition of his podcast, AEW Senior Producer and commentator Tony Schiavone weighed in with his take on what's happening with Jericho.
"If there is smoke to that fire, it has not been thrown my way," he started. "I don’t ask because I don’t want to get blamed if it leaks. The less you know, the better."
"I was backstage with Tony Khan most of this entire trip. Chris Jericho’s name was not mentioned, but that doesn’t mean anything," Schiavone continued. "Tony a lot of times will make this — he’ll get on the phone with that person and not tell anybody."
"He likes to keep things close to the vest. I don’t know, I really don’t know. I’ve been wondering myself. I guess I should’ve asked and then I would’ve known," he concluded.
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.
You can hear more from Schiavone in the player below.