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After months of getting into specifics, Chris Jericho has finally explained why he chose to go back to AEW instead of returning to WWE earlier this year. One topic that received a lot of talk in the second half of 2025 was the future of the former AEW Champion. It seemed like he might have worn out his welcome with the company’s audience as he neared the end of his contract. It made a return to his former home, WWE, seem as likely as ever. Especially with rumors claiming WWE decision-makers were in favor of a reunion with the promotional legend. However, after all signs seemed to point to a WWE return, Jericho surprised many when he was back on AEW television earlier this year after over six months away. Since then, WWE fans who wanted to see “Y2J” back in his old stomping grounds have wondered why. However, whenever the wrestling legend has been asked about his decision, he has avoided going into the details. Chris Jericho: ‘I’ve got skin in the game in AEW’ Well, that finally changed in a new conversation with Wrestling Observer this week. And it seems that being a part of the birth of AEW played a massive role in passing on a chance to go back to the WWE universe. “When it was time to kind of start thinking about coming back, obviously you weigh your options. And there are a lot of factors, but the bottom line is this, and this was the one that really clinched it for me, was I’ve got skin in the game in AEW,” Jericho admitted. “I helped start AEW, and in a lot of ways, if there was no Chris Jericho, there might not have been an AEW. There was a WWE before Chris Jericho. There was a New Japan before. There was a CMLL before. And there’ll be an AEW after I leave, obviously. I can’t wait to see how much bigger the company gets over the next 10 years, etc. But when it came down to it, I like working for Tony [Khan]. We had to work some things out, which we did.” Did Chris Jericho make the right choice? It all means that for WWE fans who may still hope for a return in a few years, it is unlikely Chris Jericho will be on the company’s television during this decade. But did the one-time “Ayatollah of Rock ‘n’ Rolla make the right choice? It’s difficult to say. He clearly has a home in AEW, but it is hard to overlook the “please retire” chants that fans of the brand were giving him a couple of years ago. What if they return next year? In the end, it all comes down to the influence Jericho has backstage. If Khan allows him to be a major force in the company’s development and creative, then that makes it worth it. That is something he isn’t guaranteed to get in WWE, beyond wrestling. However, WWE would likely have put him in far more meaningful matches and storylines over the next year. Although reports suggest they weren’t interested in a multi-year deal. If Jericho still wants to wrestle for at least three more years, they probably weren’t a good fit for him. Tap Here To Add Sportsnaut As A Trusted Source on Google