Chris Jericho was key to the successful launch of AEW in 2019. The veteran Superstar has remained loyal to Tony Khan since then, but is currently on hiatus following unfortunate happenings with the All Elite fanbase. New information from within AEW outlines an interesting situation brewing, which could benefit the WWE Universe.
The Demo God has not wrestled since his second reign as ROH World Champion was nixed at the 165-day mark by Bandido at AEW Dynasty on April 6. An angry Jericho walked out on The Learning Tree’s Big Bill and Bryan Keith that week on Dynamite, declaring the best thing for him was to leave for a while. These happenings came as fans heaped more “please retire!” chants on the 54-year-old, despite how successful Jericho has been at reinventing himself, and staying relevant in the past.
Jericho really took a hiatus so he could tour with Fozzy for their 25th anniversary. There were plans for Jericho to work a new Dynamite storyline while touring, but this was nixed as the married father-of-three felt like now was the time for a break. It was recently revealed how the Canadian grappler has lost weight while away.
WWE brought back Cody Rhodes and CM Punk after their notable runs with All Elite Wrestling. While Jericho has dismissed the idea of a return to the Stamford-based company in recent years, rumors on a potential WWE return and a Hall of Fame induction for Y2J picked up before and after the aforementioned Dynamite walk-out.
Chris Jericho’s AEW Contract Coming Up
Sources reported in April that there was no timeframe for Chris Jericho’s return to the AEW storylines, expected to be another “secret” comeback. Last month it was revealed that Y2J was free to return due to the Fozzy tour wrapping, but it was noted that Jericho was just waiting a new creative program, and the call from Tony Khan.
Free agency has been a hot topic of discussion as of late, with AEW contracts expiring this summer for Private Party and Danhausen, who all have interest from WWE. Fightful Select adds that Chris Jericho is the next big potential free agent to come out of Tony Khan’s company.
The Learning Tree signed a new three-year contract extension with AEW, shortly after defeating Bryan Danielson at All Out 2022. There has been speculation on Khan potentially freezing Jericho’s contract while he’s on hiatus, which would essentially extend the time period on the deal. However, this latest update notes that Jericho’s deal was scheduled to go through the end of this year at last word.
There was recent talk that Chris Jericho’s AEW contract was set to expire this October, but now it appears he’s locked in through December. Fozzy is not scheduled to tour again until February 26-21 in the UK.