What’s being said about why Chris Jericho decided to stay with AEW instead of making a WWE return
As seen during April 1st 2026 edition of AEW Dynamite, Chris Jericho made his return to the company after being off television for a year. While speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer of F4WOnline.com stated the following about Jericho’s comeback…
“A couple days ago, I woke up and received a text message, which you [Bryan Alvarez] had as well, about Jericho and WrestleMania. Five minutes later, I got a phone call from somebody saying Jericho is going to be in Winnipeg for AEW. It’s not something you can go with, but it was what I heard. So, I checked with WWE, because I know he had been talking to them. They thought at one point he was going, and their response was that he is not coming to WWE anytime soon and maybe never.
At that point, I figured that he was going, because he had just done the trademark for his return. I just didn’t know which company it would be. I figured when I heard from WWE that he was coming to AEW, Winnipeg clearly seemed like the place to do it.
During the day, there were all kinds of rumors, and there were people not only in the company but also in WBD [Warner Bros Discovery] who were aware of this. By the afternoon, it was out that he was most likely, if not for sure, going to be there tonight—and he was. He opened the show.
It was weird. They tried to make a gigantic thing out of it. They had a nice crowd in Winnipeg—over 4,500—but it wasn’t really that loud… There was definitely a pop for the surprise, and Jericho did everything to pump them up. They were reasonably excited, but if he was on a WWE show, the reaction would have been much louder. Perhaps the building wasn’t mic’d well.
They were singing along. Thank God he came out to the Judas song rather than the newer song, because the reaction would have been a lot less. His father and family were in the front row. It’s a city where he grew up. He didn’t say much—just basically that he’s back. We’ll have to see what they do from here.”
Meltzer talked about Jericho’s decision to not make a WWE return…
“I know what I was told: they wanted him for a retirement tour. With AEW, perhaps he was going to get more longevity. All things considered, WWE seemed like the place for him to go, but they’re not all equal. There are a lot of advantages for AEW, including money. He may have been offered more money in AEW.
During this whole period, we haven’t talked at all about this because I know he’s not going to discuss it; he wants it to be a secret. At this stage of his life, his financial situation is probably great. I would think he made a lot of money in AEW. At this point, especially at his age, he’s going to want to do what’s creatively fulfilling and fun.
AEW is a little bit of a risk—not creatively, because he’ll probably have more input there than in WWE—but he’d have a better audience in WWE. The better audience is part of the deal, but money is also part of the deal. Creative freedom, plans from each side, and other factors are all part of the decision.
I think there’s less risk in WWE in the sense that the crowd won’t be as difficult. But this was his decision. His decision was AEW, and I’m sure he considered every one of these points and many other factors when making it.”