Last week, Chris Jericho's name made headlines when it was reported that he could be interested in returning to WWE with his AEW contract set to expire at the end of this year. Although Jericho has been one of the key pieces to helping AEW grow since its inception in 2019, Dave Meltzer revealed in the"Wrestling Observer Newsletter" that many within the company expect the "Lionheart"to finish his career in WWE. Additionally, Meltzer notes that those in AEW believe Jericho will return at the WWE Royal Rumble, and also stated that theConnecticut-based promotion expects to hear from 35-year veteran.
Meltzer continued by reiterating his thoughts about Jericho's contract status from his previous reports, stating that WWE is the best fit for him going forward. He explained that AEW promising their talent a lighter schedule isn't the grand incentive that it used to be years ago, and with Jericho being in his mid-50s, he's confident WWE will be accommodating when it comes to limiting his time in the ring, similarly to CM Punk, who rarely wrestles on television. Despite Jericho leaving can be viewed as a loss for AEW, Meltzer stated that "Y2J" is also one of the highest paid wrestlers on the roster, and will likely not be used in the title picture or main event scene going forward. Therefore, if Jericho signs with WWE, it gives AEW the opportunity to spend their money on younger stars or main event players.
Meltzer also believes that the fan reception for Jericho in WWE will be much different from AEW. He compared the 54-year-old's status with AEW toPunk and Cody Rhodes, who were booed by a large portion of AEW's audience during their run with the company, but became instantly beloved by the WWE Universe when they decided to jump ship. Similarly to Punk, Meltzer noted that Jericho has been a top star in WWE before, and feels that their audience would react strongly if he were to surprisingly return.
Despite Meltzer believing that Jericho heading to WWE will provide AEW President Tony Khan with some extra cash, he explained that his departure could still hurt the company depending on his success in WWE, using Punk and Rhodes as examples of stars that damaged AEW's reputation once they joined the competition. Nevertheless, Meltzer claimed that several people in WWE are confident they can sign Jericho by January if the company is interested, but still questions if Khan will make an attempt to keep "The Learning Tree." In addition to the uncertainty behind the entire situation, Meltzer revealed that neither Jericho or Khan have provided any details on the matter when asked, but have not denied last week's rumors either.
