Sources within WWE reportedly expect Chris Jericho to return once his AEW contract expires, according to a recent report from WrestleVotes.

“People in WWE have expected Jericho to come back once he was finished with AEW since last August,” WrestleVotes stated.

That belief has been consistent for months. Back in August 2025, WrestleVotes Radio reported internal interest in bringing Jericho back, with multiple people inside WWE including active roster members pushing for his return. At the time, sources suggested a deal could be completed as soon as his AEW contract ran out, and that expectation has remained in place through the end of the year.

Jericho’s current deal with All Elite Wrestling expires on December 31, 2025. He has not appeared on AEW television since April following a loss to Bandido, and reports have indicated there have been no creative plans for him since. He was also absent from the Worlds End pay per view.

Jericho has not shut the door on a return. During a December 27 live stream on his YouTube channel, he responded to a fan asking about WWE by saying, “You never know. You never know.” Earlier this year, he also told media, “I’m pretty sure you’ll see me in 2026 in a wrestling ring somewhere.”

With his AEW deal expiring at the end of the year, Jericho would become a free agent on January 1. WWE’s January 5, 2026 episode of Monday Night Raw takes place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, and with the company expected to heavily load that show, a Jericho return there is viewed as a real possibility.

People in WWE have expected Jericho to come back once he was finished with AEW since last August. https://t.co/2SaJma6BAb

, WrestleVotes (@WrestleVotes) December 28, 2025