Chris Jericho’s Expected WWE Return Date Revealed

Chris Jericho may be off AEW television, but if the latest report is accurate, he won’t be off WWE programming for long.

On December 28, 2025, Sports Illustrated’s Jon Alba took to Twitter with a major update on Jericho’s future—and it’s the most concrete sign yet that Y2J is WWE-bound.

“Last night, @AlexMcCarthy88 reported that Chris Jericho’s #AEW contract expires at midnight on Dec. 31, he’s WWE-bound, and that he may debut as early as Jan. 5 on Raw. My sources also believe he’s going to show up on #WWE TV very soon.”

The news comes a day after Jericho made his first public comments regarding the rumors, responding to a fan during his Christmas Dinner with The Winnipeggers YouTube livestream. When asked if he might return to WWE for one more run, Jericho simply replied, “You never know. You never know.”

That quiet tease now hits a lot harder in light of this latest development. Jericho hasn’t appeared on AEW television since April 2025, when he walked out on Big Bill and Bryan Keith during a segment that ended with him voicing disappointment in their performance. Since then, he’s disappeared from AEW programming entirely—and reports have indicated that he hasn’t been involved in creative discussions, either.

What raised even more eyebrows was Jericho choosing to stream live on YouTube during AEW Worlds End, rather than appear or be involved with the show. The move appeared symbolic, distancing himself even further from the company he helped launch in 2019.

If Jon Alba’s sources are correct, WWE fans could see Jericho back in a ring much sooner than expected—with a potential return just days into the new year.

Would you welcome a Jericho return to WWE? And where should he fit in if he shows up on January 5? Drop your thoughts in the comments below.