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Chris Jericho chose to remain with AEW, returning to the company’s programming on last week’s episode of AEW Dynamite, held in Winnipeg, Canada.
Alongside his return, there has been speculation that the former AEW World Champion may have signed a new deal with the company, rather than simply extending his previous contract, which was set to expire on December 31, 2025.
According to Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select, while nothing has been officially confirmed, it is highly likely that Jericho did, in fact, sign a new contract with AEW—one that was reportedly much more lucrative than WWE’s offer.
“Can you explain what happened with Jericho? I see people saying he chose AEW over WWE, but wasn’t he under AEW contract the entire time? Did he sign a new deal? Did he speak with WWE? Yes, he did speak with WWE. However, AEW offered more money and a more favorable contract.”
The journalist also noted that even if Jericho was still under contract with AEW, the company did not prohibit him from speaking with WWE and hearing their offers, meaning there was no tampering involved.
“There is a common misconception that wrestlers cannot, or are not allowed to, speak with other companies while under contract. That is generally frowned upon. But in this case, there was no tampering—they allowed him to explore his options.”
Jericho is scheduled to appear on this week’s AEW Dynamite, where he is expected to address his status with the company and discuss his future.