Tony Khan Addresses Chris Jericho's AEW And WWE Future

Chris Jericho has been a staple of AEW programming since its launch, and with his future with the company up in the air, AEW founder Tony Khan is weighing in on what lies ahead.

Jericho is rumored to be bound for WWE upon the expiration of his AEW contract, and has not been seen on TV since April, after saying in-character that he needed to step away for a while. With rumors of a potential WWE return swirling, Khan addressed Jericho's future on Busted Open Radio on Monday.

“Yeah, I love Chris Jericho. He’s a huge part of AEW. He’s been here since the beginning," Khan said. "And you know, I think we’ll see what happens here in the coming months. But Chris is always a welcome, big part of AEW. We’d always want to have him here. So I absolutely am so grateful to Chris Jericho for everything he’s done."

The 54-year-old Jericho was a foundational piece of AEW's launch, something Khan is evidently very grateful for.

“You mention that AEW book, looking at the history, well, Chris Jericho is a huge part of that history. The very first AEW World Champion, and somebody who’s now a nine-time world champion, and has won several of those championships here with us,” he said.

“So I am very, very grateful to Chris. And Chris is always a very welcome, huge part of AEW.”

Jericho's AEW Tenure

Chris Jericho as Ring of Honor World Champion. | Lee South - All Elite Wrestling

Y2J's jump from WWE to AEW proved to be one of the most significant moves AEW could have pulled out of the gate of its launch in 2019. He debuted at AEW's launch press conference in Jacksonville in January of 2019, shocking wrestling fans around the world that he was tying his name to the upstart brand.

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Jericho would go on to, as Khan noted, to become AEW's first world champion, main eventing several pay-per-views and surrounding himself with some of the promotion's youngest high-upside talent such as MJF, Sammy Guevara, Daniel Garcia, and others.

One of the most decorated champions in wrestling history, Jericho is also a two-time Ring of Honor World Champion from his tenure in AEW.

What is the latest with Chris Jericho? @davidlagreca1 asked Tony Khan.#bustedopen247 pic.twitter.com/rX42wr9EqB
— SiriusXM Busted Open (@BustedOpenRadio) October 20, 2025

While nothing is confirmed at this juncture about his future, his extended absence, combined with his recently announced 2026 cruise that won't include AEW talent for the first time since the promotion's launch, gives credence to the rumors of an upcoming departure.

The belief from those within WWE has reportedly been that they expect him to come back to the company by the start of 2026.

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