Fantasy Booking 101: Why Chris Jericho Should Go Back to WWE

One of the benefits of having two national, financially pro wrestling companies in the United States (as well as multiple other promotions on television or touring nationally) is that wrestlers have the opportunity to move on when things hit a wall.

Or in this case, The Walls of Jericho.

In full transparency, this column was begun at the beginning of August because there were some articles and social media posts about Chris Jericho waiting on creative from AEW and that’s why we hadn’t seen him on TV. With “Le Champion’s” his AEW deal reportedly expiring at the end of 2025, the question arose — should he return to WWE?

Jump to this weekend, Jericho (being the savvy businessman that he is) liked an Instagram post asking if he should go back. It’s now become the chatter of the wrestling world, including Busted Open 24/7 discussing it on Monday August 18.

So let’s dive into the question. Should Chris Jericho return to the WWE? Well, if you saw the title of this column, you’ll know that this writer believes that is the best decision for Chris Jericho, but also WWE and for AEW.

Chris Jericho is the master of reinvention. We’d don’t need to link to any articles, videos, or podcasts to back that statement up. If you’ve watched wrestling over the past 30 years, you know that Jericho is the king of changing things up. Whether it’s his hair, his gear, his music, his catchphrases, his move set — Jericho is always evolving.

And that’s why he needs to part ways with AEW.

Chris Jericho has literally accomplished everything possible in both AEW and Ring of Honor.

First, and foremost he was a cornerstone on which AEW was built. He was the first major, mainstream pro wrestler to sign with the company, immediately giving it undeniable credibility. He was their first champion and was rightfully entrenched in the main event scene for years. He main evented television and pay-per-views. He helped establish numerous up-and-coming wrestlers by taking high profile losses.

In what’s probably, at best a lukewarm take, Chris Jericho is a first ballot AEW Hall of Famer, who is as important to the success of the company as The Young Bucks, Cody Rhodes, Kenny Omega and Jon Moxley are.

So what’s left for him to do? Win the ROH Pure Title? Snag the coveted AEW Six-Man Titles?

No, Jericho needs to ride off into the sunset, and with his absence, the AEW fanbase which has grown weary of him, will begin to fondly remember the days of his death match with Nick Gage, Le Dinner Debonair, Stadium Stampede, “Judas” singalongs, and of course, a little bit of the bubbly.

Meanwhile, AEW has evolved beyond “Le Champion.” Jericho was the big name they needed for credibility with the audience, to prove they weren’t yet another fly-by-night promotion that would celebrate their grand opening and grand closing on the same night. He was the guy they needed in the “post punk” era after Brawl Out.

However, over the last year and half (or so), AEW has moved past a WWE Lite, sports entertainment heavy focus. “Where the Best Wrestle” became their established a new ethos. Their bench of stars in the men and women’s division became much deeper with a cavalcade of newer, fresher and younger talent having become main event players. AEW doesn’t need to rely on Jericho and his latest faction or catchphrase to bring in ratings. His absence has opened up TV time for different talent to get over and for the company’s longevity that’s a good thing.

Let’s also not deny the AEW fanbase and their feelings. The vibes, as the kids would say, in AEW are pristine right now (as are the ratings). AEW does not need to constantly lean on Jericho like they did in the past. And that constant lean, definitely burnt fans out. The need to get those ratings in order to secure a new TV rights deal, and the lack of depth in the main event picture, forced AEW to keep going back to the well with Jericho. He was never able to take extended breaks to get fresh. By the time The Learning Tree started the fans were done with Jericho. So, bringing him back now would be a bad idea. It would be an immediate record scratch and the ire of the fanbase would be drawn.

If the book is to close on Jericho and AEW — it should be written that Chris Jericho was an important founding father for the company, and he accomplished the job of establishing a second profitable, nationally (and internationally) televised pro wrestling company. He was a vital part of the company, and he left it (if he does leave) in great shape.

So this begs the question, why would WWE want to bring in Chris Jericho?

The answer is quite simple (and multifaceted) — Chris Jericho returning to WWE would be huge business for both parties.

WWE is supposed to start on ESPN in 2026 (although there are rumors it may start with the yet-to-be-titled-maybe-its-wrestlepalooza PLE in September), and what better way to kick off this new era than with a huge surprise. Of course that first show, again if it’s not the untitled September PLE, would be The Royal Rumble. Just imagine hearing the countdown in The Royal Rumble “5…4…3…2…1….BREAK THE WALL DOWNNNNN!” The crowd would go apoplectic, inconsolable with the return of Y2J.

Jericho wouldn’t need to win the Rumble and headline Wrestlemania — he’s already won the night with his return and that inevitable Road Warrior pop he’d receive. And he will get that pop as the extreme sense of notsalgiacore that WWE fans can’t get enough of would be through the roof.

Here’s some facts (h/t Cagematch) Chris Jericho has not been seen in WWE since April 2018 during The Greatest Royal Rumble. Before that it was on the July 25th episode of Smackdown! when AJ Styles defeated him and Kevin Owens for the United State Titles. That means, in the continental United States, he has not appeared in WWE for six years. As for his beloved home country of Canada — he has not been there as a part of WWE since March of 2017. This is a lifetime in pro wrestling and his return will equal one very important thing for WWE (and Jericho) … money.

Imagine all the RAW is Jericho, Smackdown is Jericho, ESPN is Jericho and Netflix is Jericho shirts that’ll be produced. Imagine all the tickets sold to see his return in the US and Canada. It’s a lay-up.

From a talent standpoint, the WWE needs Chris Jericho. When 2026 hits, they will be without John Cena as he’ll be officially done with wrestling. Brock Lesnar’s future with the company is not defined. Roman Reigns is a part-timer. WWE could use the injection of a readymade star, with legend status attached for their weekly TV, and for their ESPN PLEs.

Jericho will never be accused of not making towns, so you know he’ll show up and he’ll wrestle, cut promos, host segments, etc. He’s someone who could have a hot feud with Cody Rhodes or CM Punk (that one would be interesting) or Seth Rollins. However, this writer feels his value will come in when it comes to the celebrities WWE are bringing in. Jericho’s mind, even in AEW, is entertainment leaning so he’d be a natural foil for any babyface celebrity you’d want to bring in. Could you see a Jericho vs. Jelly Roll feud? Of course, Jericho would get it over with the crowd, and then make ol’ Jelly Roll look like a million bucks.

As for Jericho, returning to WWE after nearly a decade away is the fresh start he needs. It’s a new canvas to apply to his paints. He can easily play the greatest hits of catchphrases and get over with the crowd, but as we saw in AEW, Jericho is apt to change things up. There’s new opportunities for new phrases, looks and matches for him in WWE, whereas he literally fought everyone possible in AEW.

WWE exposure will do wonders for Jericho’s outside wrestling ventures. You could easily see Talk is Jericho being added to the WWE podcast network. He’d have a whole slew of guests — old and new — he can interview. Also, this benefits his band Fozzy. A higher profile for their frontman means more listens, more tickets sold, etc. Jericho could also work with WWE on the Jericho Cruise. This didn’t work out years back, but given the new owners’ proclivity for monetizing everything they can, getting into the cruise business makes a lot of sense.

Chris Jericho returning to WWE makes all the sense in the world for Chris Jericho, for WWE and for AEW. A few years ago, it would have been a disastrous move for AEW to let one of their cornerstone talents walk, but now with both WWE and AEW making profit (and good ones at that) a talent like Jericho can sign with a company that will him handsomely and he’ll benefit from creative and financially while the other company can move on, and give new talent a chance to fill the boots of Jericho.