How Chris Jericho’s AEW Return Came Together Despite WWE Rumors

Chris Jericho’s AEW return didn’t just happen out of nowhere — and a new update has revealed what was really going on behind the scenes.

Speaking on the post-AEW Dynamite show, Sean Ross Sapp said Jericho’s status had been uncertain for weeks, with internal conversations pointing to a complicated situation involving his deal, time off, and outside commitments. Sapp explained that the first signs of movement came about a month ago, when word started circulating that Jericho’s contract situation wasn’t straightforward.

“So I want to say about two or three weeks ago I talked to somebody in AEW — or no, it was probably about a month ago. It was when I got word that the deal had been frozen or extended due to the time he had off.”

The uncertainty came after months of WWE rumors, and it didn’t take long for those talks to pick up again internally. According to Sapp, Jericho’s outside projects became a major factor in how serious any WWE possibility actually was.

“There were also people I talked to who said Jericho may or may not have told them he didn’t really want to give up his outside projects, and that WWE would probably make him do that. That played a role. It wasn’t that WWE didn’t want to pay him what he wanted.”

At one point, the situation leaned enough toward WWE that even people in AEW weren’t confident about his return. For about a week, the belief was that Jericho could actually be on his way out.

“Then there was some pushback, because for about a week it seemed like he might be WWE-bound. There were people saying, ‘I don’t know if he’s coming back here.’ I was about to really dig into that and reach out to WWE sources, but they didn’t know anything — they hadn’t heard anything.”

That’s where things stalled. Despite months of rumors and a brief surge in momentum, nothing concrete ever surfaced on WWE’s side. Then the direction flipped again. Over the weekend leading into Dynamite, Sapp got word that Jericho was heading back to AEW — a shift that quickly became locked in. From there, the return was handled quietly. Chris Jericho traveled into Winnipeg without drawing attention, keeping everything under wraps until showtime.

“Then this past weekend, I got a message: ‘Yo, I think he’s coming back.’ I think he’s coming back to AEW. And then today it became very definitive. I found out he traveled into Winnipeg last night under a shroud of mystery — and Chris Jericho is back with AEW… without ever really leaving AEW.”

The situation was more about timing, contract flexibility, and outside commitments than a full-on departure. Then came the on-screen moment. During the April 1 episode of AEW Dynamite, Tony Schiavone was in the ring preparing for a contract signing between MJF and Kenny Omega when Jericho’s music hit. The segment stopped immediately as Jericho walked out and took in the reaction after being gone since April 2025.

Jericho’s return drops him back into AEW at a key moment with Dynasty approaching, instantly putting him back in position to impact the top storylines. More importantly, the backstage update makes it clear that what looked like a potential WWE move was never as close to happening as it seemed. Now that he’s officially back, all eyes are on what Jericho does next — and whether this situation changes how future contract rumors are viewed.

Do you think Chris Jericho was ever seriously close to returning to WWE, or was this always heading toward an AEW comeback? Let us know your thoughts below.

Please credit Ringside News if you use the above transcript in your publication.