Chris Jericho Reveals What You Need to Do to Have Longevity in Pro Wrestling

What's Chris Jericho's next move in pro wrestling? If he has his way, you probably won't see it coming.

We haven't seen Chris Jericho on AEW programming since last April. While many have expected a potential WWE return in 2026, that has yet to happen. Jericho has made it clear that he's open to returning to WWE, but there's no real evidence to imply that he's departing AEW as of yet.

Whatever Jericho does next, it will probably be a new version of his character that we've never seen before. It's clear that the days of Y2J and Le Champion are well behind him.

Chris Jericho AEW — Chris Jericho | Lee South - All Elite Wrestling

All Elite Wrestling's Chris Jericho was a recent guest on UNTAPPED with Spencer Matthews. When asked about his desire to constantly reinvent himself in a world that wants him to stay the same, Jericho said that while it's hard, he likes doing the opposite of what people expect him to do.

"It's exactly that. I like doing the opposite of what people expect. And it's hard. You're taking a chance in kind of not turning your back on your fan base. But, you know, give the people what they want? Agreed. But you also have to satisfy yourself creatively. It's all based around David Bowie. That's one of my biggest inspirations when it comes to that. He always reinvented himself.

"I never wanted to be a nostalgia act. And it's like people still chant 'Y2J,' which is great. I love the fact that you chant that, but that was 20 years ago. You know what I mean? Like, there's a lot of other things that—you just made the list 10 years ago now. A very short period of time, and people love that. I could say you just made the list for the rest of my career, or I could just leave it and let it stay there, because that's where it should be, and I'm glad that people love it.

"But let's create some new things. Let me write some new songs, so to speak. And I think that's part of having longevity, is you have to have different eras. And some people like this version, some people like that version, some people hate this version, some people hate that version. But that's all part of it. That's kind of what you have to do to have longevity in this business."

What would be an unexpected move for Chris Jericho in 2026?

If Chris Jericho wants his next move in wrestling to be unexpected, it would be returning to AEW programming instead of making the jump to WWE.

Over the weekend, Ricochet took to social media to call out Jericho for a future matchup for the AEW National Championship, tweeting out:

"Hey @IAmJericho when you're done with your karaoke tour, I got a #NationalTitle match waiting on you. *Crown emoji,*" Ricochet said in a post.

Hey @IAmJericho when you're done with your karaoke tour, I got a #NationalTitle match waiting on you. 👑
— Lightskin Kingpin (@KingRicochet) March 1, 2026

No one in their right mind would expect Jericho to respond to this challenge. The leader of The Demand is still locked into a rivalry with Jungle Jack Perry, which will likely run all the way to AEW Revolution in Los Angeles later this month.

If Ricochet were to successfully defend his title on pay-per-view and Jericho were to make his shocking return to AEW, congratulations would be in order, because that move on the road to WrestleMania is the exact opposite of what fans are expecting right now.

Will Chris Jericho shock the wrestling world with his next move? We'll find out soon enough.