Chris Jericho is currently on his longest absence from AEW television since joining the company, and there is speculation about his future. A report from Fightful Select states that as of now, Chris Jericho’s contract with AEW is scheduled to conclude at the end of 2025, unless an extension is signed or the deal is frozen.
The report notes that Jericho has not been brought up creatively within AEW, but his creative is typically discussed directly with AEW President Tony Khan. Khan himself has made it clear that he wants to see Jericho back. It was claimed within AEW that the relationship between the two sides remains “still strong,” though Fightful had not heard from anyone close to Jericho regarding his view.
Even though Jericho’s contract is not up, Fightful Select’s Sean Ross Sapp confirmed that multiple companies on a national and global level are interested in using him, including WWE. The report adds that he has been “brought up among higher-ups in WWE,” though there has been no word of direct conversations or creative ideas being discussed.
It was clarified to Fightful that a couple of months ago, Jericho was not discussed from a creative perspective within WWE. However, a staff member did say that they felt his mentions on WWE programming and the positive reaction he received from audiences were a “good sign for his interest.”
One WWE source indicated to Fightful that Jericho would “almost certainly get offered ‘several million dollars’ annually” for a return. That same source noted their belief that AEW could match that offer and said they were not sure what Jericho’s motivations were at this stage.
Jericho has been off AEW television since April 2025. This week, AEW President Tony Khan addressed Jericho’s status on Busted Open Radio, stating, “I love Chris Jericho. He’s a huge part of AEW,” and, “Chris is always a welcome, big part of AEW we’d always want to have here.” Speculation about his future has increased recently, as his 2026 “Rock ‘n’ Wrestling Rager at Sea” cruise was announced without any AEW talent listed, a first for the event.
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