Chris Jericho Won’t Return On RAW; WWE Comeback Date Predicted

Chris Jericho is rumored to return to WWE soon.

Jericho’s AEW contract ended in December 2025, and he is reportedly a free agent now.

Word on the street is that he’s set to make his big WWE comeback at Royal Rumble in Riyadh or WrestleMania 42 in Las Vegas.

But Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer recently predicted that The Demo God might surprise the fans by showing up on the January 5 edition of RAW, which will mark the red-brand’s first anniversary on Netflix.

Meltzer said:

“I’ve heard plans from WWE for him, but not that he was signed. That goes back months. He could be on Raw next Monday legally. There have been rumors of that. Knowing him, I think that he’d want to debut when people don’t expect it.”

Chris Jericho Will Return At WWE Royal Rumble 2026

On the latest episode of Coach and Bro Show, Jonathan Coachman stated that he believes Chris Jericho will not make his return on WWE Raw on January 5. He thinks the former AEW star will return at the Royal Rumble with a completely new look.

My prediction, and we’re going to put a pin in this and run this back, that Jericho does not show up Monday on Netflix. He will show up at the Royal Rumble in a whole completely new look, all of the weight loss.

Coachman also predicted Chris Jericho’s future appearances, saying that WWE might book the 55-year-old veteran for major appearances at Elimination Chamber and WrestleMania next year.

I believe they’re going to do something creative with him, and then he’ll be at the Elimination Chamber and then have a major role leading into WrestleMania, but it’s going to be minimal appearances. Uh, but at all of the big events. (From 15:26)

Make TJR Wrestling your choice for news by clicking here.