Why Chris Jericho Won’t Leave AEW For WWE

Chris Jericho’s potential return to WWE has been a popular topic recently.

But as of 2025, Jericho remains under contract with All Elite Wrestling (AEW) through December 2025. He signed a three-year extension in October 2022, which also expanded his role behind the scenes as a producer and creative advisor.

The Demo God has been vital to AEW’s growth, and although he has not wrestled since April 2025, he continues contributing backstage. The buzz around his WWE return stems mainly from social media activity and fan speculation. However, insiders suggest WWE has some interest in bringing Chris Jericho back, but they have no definitive plans yet.

Chris Jericho Is Too Old for WWE

On the Story Time podcast, Dutch Mantell explained why Chris Jericho likely won’t leave AEW for WWE. Mantell believes Chris Jericho is likely to remain where he is because WWE may not be actively pursuing him.

He argued that while Y2J is a tremendous talent, age is a factor, and it’s harder to maintain the physical condition needed to compete at the highest level at 54. Mantell also noted that younger wrestlers often have greater drawing power, and the AEW star might not match that demand.

I think he’s going to stay where he is. I don’t think they (WWE) would be (interested in him). You know, I think he’s a great talent, but he’s a little bit, as they say, long
in the tooth. How to do it. So, hey, I’ve been there. I mean, when you get out of that ring, and you get out of that, then you get out of shape, and you know, it gets harder and harder and harder. So, when you’re young, you can go and get in shape, and I don’t know how much drawing power he would have.

Mantell added WWE might prefer Chris Jericho in a non-wrestling role if he returned. With Jericho being 54, Mantell believes his prime wrestling years are behind him. They suggested the ex-ROH Champion could still be valuable as a manager, agent, or spokesperson, but doubted WWE would use him regularly as an active wrestler.

If it was me, I would say I’d be interested in him as an agent or a manager or some kind of a, you know, mouthpiece. But in the ring, I think his better days are behind him. And I think he’ll even tell you the same thing. At 54, you’re not the same guy you are when you’re 24 or 34 or even 44. [3:07 onwards]

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