Major Update On Chris Jericho's AEW Status And WWE Future

The Chris Jericho AEW Era is seemingly over, and the wrestling legend appears to be WWE-bound after all.

Rumors have swirled for months that Jericho was wrapping up his time with AEW, with speculation across the industry being that he would be returning to WWE after more than seven years away from the company. The 55-year-old hasn't been seen on AEW television since April, when it was indicated that he would be going away for a while.

It was previously reported that WWE was lining up potential creative for one final Jericho run, and those now seem to be in full swing. Alex McCarthy of Wrestling Intel reports that not only is Jericho leaving AEW, but his WWE arrival may be sooner than many previously thought possible.

McCarthy noted on Saturday night that Jericho's AEW contract expires on Dec. 31 at midnight. While fans saw the Royal Rumble in Saudi Arabia at the end of January as a logical debut date, McCarthy reports that WWE is considering debuting Jericho at the one-year anniversary of Monday Night Raw on Netflix on Jan. 5.

WWE is loading up that particular show from Brooklyn, N.Y., with Bron Breakker challenging CM Punk for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. The Takedown on SI can independently confirm that multiple higher-ups in AEW are under the impression that Jericho is done with the company and will be returning to WWE.

Jericho's AEW run comes to a close

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

Though Jericho's days in AEW may be numbered, that doesn't mean his run with the company wasn't a successful one.

Jericho shocked the wrestling world by signing with AEW before it held a single event, debuting at the company's introductory press conference in January of 2019. He immediately was positioned towards the top of the card, defeating Kenny Omega in the main event of the first AEW pay-per-view and becoming its first world champion months later.

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Throughout his AEW tenure, Jericho also captured the Ring of Honor World Championship twice while leading several factions, including the Jericho Appreciation Society, The Inner Circle, and The Learning Tree. His final bout with the promotion was on April 6 at AEW Dynasty, losing the ROH World Championship to Bandido in a Title vs. Mask match.

He wrestled his last WWE match, ironically, in Saudi Arabia, participating in the 2018 Greatest Royal Rumble event. Jericho is widely considered to be one of the most prolific WWE performers of all-time, and in addition to being a multi-time world champion, is a nine-time WWE Intercontinental Champion.

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