Tony Khan: I love Chris Jericho ‘very much’
Chris Jericho’s status remains a mystery seven days into 2026.
The end of 2025 marked the end of Jericho’s AEW contract, though he is still listed on the promotion’s roster page at the moment. There is no official confirmation as to whether he will be remaining with AEW or returning to WWE. A WWE return has been heavily rumored and there was speculation that he could show up on Raw this Monday, but Jericho did not appear on the episode.
Tony Khan did not offer much new information when asked about Jericho during an appearance on Unlikely with Adrian Hernandez. Instead, Khan spoke about how much he loves Jericho and how important Jericho has been to AEW.
“First of all, I’m really grateful — when I talk about people that have been here since the beginning and talk about that first show [Double or Nothing 2019] in Las Vegas — none of it would be possible without Chris Jericho, who has been instrumental in AEW from the very beginning,” Khan said.
“I love Chris very much. And I would say that Chris is always a big part of AEW, and I think this promotion is here to stay. Chris Jericho’s a huge part of our history. And we’re really proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish, and Chris is an instrumental part of it.”
Jericho was AEW’s inaugural World Champion and was a fixture on AEW television until April 2025, when he took a break from the promotion amid negative crowd reactions he was receiving.
If Jericho does come back to WWE, it would reportedly be for a retirement run and Hall of Fame induction. WWE is holding the 2026 Royal Rumble in Saudi Arabia at the end of this month, so there is sure to be a lot of speculation about a surprise Jericho return if he has not popped up anywhere by then.
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.