Chris Jericho didn’t spend his year away from AEW sitting around waiting for a return call. He used the break to rebuild himself, chase outside projects, and come back feeling better than he had in years.
While speaking to Renee Paquette during the Close Up podcast, Jericho explained that his time away from professional wrestling gave him a full reset physically and mentally. Jericho said the break filled up fast. He focused on acting, handled major Fozzy commitments, and found time to change the parts of his life that had started to wear him down.
“I mean, it wasn’t like I was just, you know, at home doing nothing, right? Yeah. And it just it really just kind of worked out. I did a lot of acting in that time. Some really big projects came up, a lot of stuff with Fozzy, you know, and then it just kind of recalibrated.”
That recalibration also included a serious lifestyle change. Jericho said he changed his training routine, adjusted his diet, and dropped weight before making his way back to AEW.
“I kind of changed my training routine and my diet and I lost some weight and it’s just, you know, when I came back I feel I felt better than I did, you know, five years prior or two years prior.”
That makes his April 1 return on Dynamite feel a little different now. Jericho showed up during the MJF and Kenny Omega contract signing, soaked in the crowd reaction, and made it clear he was back with one simple line: v
Jericho had been away from AEW television since April 2025, when he made it clear he was finished with The Learning Tree. By the time he returned a full year later, he wasn’t just bringing back an old version of himself. He says he came back lighter, healthier, and with a different mindset. Jericho also said the year moved quicker than people might think because he stayed busy the whole time.
“So, you know, and when you’re gone for that long, it goes by really fast. It’s amazing how time just just takes, especially when you have lots of other cool stuff going on.”
So Jericho’s AEW comeback was not just about returning to television. It was the result of a year spent acting, touring, changing his body, and getting himself back to a place where he felt ready to perform again.
Do you think Chris Jericho’s time away helped refresh his AEW run? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
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