Tony Khan has confirmed for the first time that Chris Jericho was operating as a free agent heading into his return to AEW, revealing that the veteran had a choice about where to go and chose to stay with the promotion. Khan addressed the topic during an interview on The Coach and Bro Show.
"He always will be part of AEW. I can't say with any certainty — I do know Chris had a choice, and he wanted to be in AEW," Khan said. "He definitely told me he wanted to be at AEW, and very specifically in Winnipeg on that date."
Khan said the Winnipeg date had been a target well before it was publicly known, with plans circling around it going back to the prior year.
"We've had that circled for a long time going back to last year," he said. "It was a choice that Chris made that he'd rather be in AEW than wrestling anywhere else. He was a free agent there."
A Fightful Select report earlier this year suggested Jericho's deal had been frozen during his hiatus, with the belief that he remained under contract while inactive. Khan's comments now indicate that, prior to his return, Jericho had no binding deal in place and could've discussed a potential return with WWE.
Khan declined to confirm or deny whether WWE had any contact with Jericho during that window, leaving the question open when hosts pressed him. He also refused to address Jericho's contract status in a January 2026 media scrum.
