Chris Jericho's AEW status might be more complicated than first thought.
The wrestling future of the former AEW World Champion has been a huge topic of speculation over the last few months. The popular belief has been that Y2J was on his way back to WWE as soon as his contract with Tony Khan's promotion expired.
A recent update from Fightful Select, however, suggests that things might not be that simple. According to the site, the belief is that Jericho's deal was frozen when he took time off from AEW in April last year:
Chris Jericho is firmly under contract to AEW, and Fightful Select’s Sean Ross Sapp is told the belief from those around Jericho and in AEW is that his deal was frozen after he took time off in 2025.
In an interview last November, President Tony Khan had also suggested that Chris's AEW absence had to do more with working out dates of his deal rather than creative differences.
The wrestling veteran's contract with AEW was believed to run through 2025, so many expected him to become a free agent at the start of 2026. Though if the company paused his deal, it means Jericho can remain under contract until he returns to AEW to fulfil his remaining obligations, or the two sides come to an agreement for his release.
