Chris Jericho Makes AEW Return on Dynamite Amid WWE Speculation

After months of speculation about his future, Chris Jericho has officially made his AEW return.

The former inaugural AEW World Champion made a surprise appearance to open Wednesday’s episode of AEW Dynamite in his hometown of Winnipeg. Wearing a sparkly purple jacket and black jeans, Jericho interrupted Tony Schiavone, who was preparing to introduce the contract signing between Kenny Omega and MJF for the AEW Dynasty event later this month.

Jericho took in the crowd reaction for several moments before addressing the audience with a brief message. “Winnipeg…I’m home.” He did not elaborate further, leaving his intentions unclear for now.

This marked Jericho’s first appearance in AEW since April 2025, when he exited television alongside Bryan Keith and Big Bill as The Learning Tree faction came to an end.

In the months leading up to his AEW return, there had been widespread speculation that Chris Jericho could be headed back to WWE, especially after he mentioned in prior interviews that his contract was set to expire in December 2025. However, AEW President Tony Khan repeatedly stated that he wanted Jericho to remain with the company. Reports during that period also suggested Jericho’s contract had been frozen during his absence.

Additional developments in recent days pointed toward his AEW return. Jericho filed a trademark for “The Cornerstone” last week, and both Dave Meltzer and Fightful reported earlier on Wednesday that a WWE return was not expected.

At 55 years old, Jericho has not indicated that retirement is near. In fact, he has previously suggested the opposite when asked about his future in wrestling.

Jericho’s return adds another major name back into the AEW mix, though his next move remains to be seen following his brief but impactful appearance.