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Chris Jericho made a stunning return to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) on Wednesday night after months of speculation over whether he would return to the company he joined in 2019.
Jericho hadn’t been seen on AEW programming in nearly a year. He was last with The Learning Tree faction, but it disbanded shortly after he lost the Ring of Honor World Heavyweight Championship to Bandido at last year’s AEW Dynasty pay-per-view.
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Chris Jericho is introduced during the “AEW Dynamite – Beach Break” taping on January 26, 2022 at the Wolstein Center in Cleveland. (Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
As fans geared up for “Dynamite” in Winnipeg, Canada, Jericho’s music hit before the contract signing between Maxwell Jacob Friedman and Kenny Omega.
“Winnipeg … AEW … I’m home,” he said before walking out of the ring.
Jericho didn’t make any other statements or call out anyone on the AEW roster. But his presence was felt in the town where he grew up.
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Chris Jericho attends the All Elite Wrestling panel during the 2019 New York Comic Con at the Jacob Javits Center on October 4, 2019 in New York City. (Noam Galai/Getty Images for WarnerMedia Company)
There were months of speculation about Jericho’s future after he was out of AEW programming. Some pro wrestling fans were hoping he would make a surprise WWE return at the Royal Rumble or another premium live event for the company.
But that turned out not to be the case.
Chris Jericho will appear during AEW Dynamite at the Footprint Center on February 22, 2023. (Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports)
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Jericho joined AEW in January 2019 and was part of the company’s inaugural event, Double or Nothing. He is the first AEW World Champion in company history. He also held the FTW Championship and is a two-time Ring of Honor World Champion.
