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What WWE Had Planned For Chris Jericho Revealed, Future In AEW

By John Canton • Published Apr 03, 2026 13:10 EDT
Chris Jericho AEW Dynamite April 1
Chris Jericho AEW Dynamite April 1 - Image via @AEW on X

Chris Jericho shockingly returned to AEW TV on Dynamite, and new details have emerged about his talks with WWE.

On AEW Dynamite in Winnipeg, the first-ever AEW World Champion, Chris Jericho, returned home to the city he grew up in, Winnipeg, and also home to AEW.

That’s why when Jericho spoke after saluting the crowd for a few minutes, he simply said this:

“Winnipeg….AEW…I’m home.”

It was Jericho’s first time appearing on AEW TV since April 2025. During his time away from AEW, there were a lot of rumors that Jericho could return to WWE, where he spent nearly 20 years of his career as a pro wrestler and is a 6-time World Champion.

Since returning to AEW television, there have been reports that Jericho spoke with WWE, most likely because his AEW contract may have expired, but ultimately, he chose to return to AEW, where he’s worked since the company launched in January 2019.

WWE Wanted Chris Jericho For Retirement Storyline

At the age of 55, Chris Jericho is closer to the end of his pro wrestlig career than he is to the beginning. There aren’t many full-time, or even part-time, wrestlers still going at 55, so the fact that Jericho still wants to wrestle is impressive.

In the Wrestling Observer Newsletter., Dave Meltzer reports that WWE wanted Jericho to do a retirement storyline if he signed with them, which would likely lead to a WWE Hall of Fame induction.

“We had been told that WWE only wanted to bring (Jericho) in for a retirement tour and farewell. At one time, we were told that the 2026 year would be built around retirements for AJ Styles, Brock Lesnar, and presumably Jericho.

But even though there were teases by (Adam) Pearce and another by CM Punk, we had been told repeatedly that you should not believe any of the stories going around involving WWE and Jericho.”

As for the future, Jericho is in AEW for the long term, according to Meltzer.

“There are more questions than answers right now as nobody is talking about the details. The belief is that him going to WWE is now dead and he’s back in AEW for the long term. What he’ll be doing and how the crowd will react to what he’s been doing will be a lot more clear in two weeks when they are out of Canada.”

AEW is advertising a Chris Jericho appearance on the April 8th edition of Dynamite, where he may say more about his return to the company.