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Chris Jericho, AEW
Wrestling legend Chris Jericho is a big name on the rumor mill about a potential WWE return coming at WrestleMania 42. Jericho is reported to be done with AEW after six strong years with the upstart promotion looking to challenge WWE. Multiple storylines about mysterious figures in WWE right now have fans thinking about Jericho, but a new update may put some doubt into that belief.
Top wrestling insider website Fightful reported that AEW “froze” Jericho’s contract to keep him under a deal longer:
“Fightful Select reports, Chris Jericho is still firmly under AEW contract. The belief from those around Jericho and in AEW is that his deal was frozen after he took time off in 2025.”
The term “frozen” ties into a talent missing time due to injuries or personal time and having that same amount of time added to their existing contract. Jericho took time off to tour with his band Fozzy for months and the time missed from work was legally allowed to get added to his contract time. Previous reports of Jericho’s contract ending at the end of 2025 see it now going into 2026.
How Much Time Did AEW Add To Jericho?
No one knows the exact time of how long Jericho will be under contract from the extra time since it’s not publicly announced. The expectation is that Jericho will have to remain tied to AEW for a couple of months before having the chance to join WWE once that contract expires.
AEW President Tony Khan used to have a stronger moral stance on letting talents out of contracts once they expired. However, various controversies involving insults being exchanged by companies and WWE allegedly negotiating with the Lucha Brothers while under AEW contract led to change.
Both WWE and AEW now will extend time to block talents from joining the other company as part of the wrestling wars. Fightful reporter Sean Ross Sapp has claimed that he believes Jericho is under contract until the day that he’s removed from the public AEW roster page. Jericho is still there today to confirm that AEW has him locked into the frozen contract.
Can Jericho Return In Time For WrestleMania?
Jericho wrestled his last AEW match all the way back in April, but it is impossible to know how much time he missed. Time home due to AEW not having creative plans for him does not count towards his frozen time.
Only the off-time Jericho requested for Fozzy shows in 2025 and similar things in previous years under his contract as a touring musical artist would count. WWE fans wondering if WrestleMania is still active will likely be met with bad news.
The contract ending at the end of 2025 confirms that only a month and a half of frozen time has passed so far. One would assume AEW has added over three months to his time to make it more likely he’ll miss WrestleMania. Jericho is still expected to join WWE, but fans must hope that AEW changes their stance for him to join the company by early April.
Joey Haverford Joey Haverford is a seasoned sports content writer with over 12 years of experience. He has covered the NBA, WNBA, MLB, NFL, and professional wrestling in the sports industry. More about Joey Haverford
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