WWE fans know the feeling of legends returning all too well. When a chapter is finally closed, it is made official. Unless retirement is announced, fans will always anticipate the return of their icons.
2025 saw the return of WWE legends such as Nikki Bella, Goldberg, and AJ Lee. Going forward, we can expect the same in 2026. Chris Jericho is just one of the legends who will return, and he might be the first.
Chris Jericho's AEW contract expired on December 31, 2025. After helping to shape the AEW brand in the early days, it was always obvious that he would return to WWE someday. It will surprise absolutely nobody when he enters the ring again in 2026, but it will still be epic nonetheless.
The painfully obvious reason Chris Jericho is returning to WWE
Chris Jericho's return to the WWE may have been long-awaited, but there is a high chance this is the final time fans will be awaiting his return. He is more than likely returning to the WWE to retire.
Chris Jericho is 55 years old now. Age means less and less as the years go on, since wrestlers take much better care of their health in the modern era. However, there's no escaping from the fact that Jericho is in the latter stage of his career.
Hopefully, Jericho won't retire straight away. It doesn't seem like he is ready for his guard of honor right now, but that storyline already seems to be taking shape.
It's also obvious who will (and should) be Chris Jericho's final match
In Gunther, WWE has a new legend killer. The role once taken on by Randy Orton has been not-so-quietly taken by the Ring General. Having retired Goldberg and John Cena in the space of a few months, there is no stopping the Austrian.
Gunther doesn't need titles. He needs to be the final nail in the coffin of legend's careers. It might seem cliché, but don't be surprised if Gunther adds Chris Jericho to his Grim Reaper list eventually.
Chris Jericho's return to the WWE, even if it is for the sake of retiring, benefits everybody. Jericho himself will get the standing ovation he deserves as he bows out, AEW makes room for new stars (Jericho hasn't featured there in a long time, so it was coming), and WWE gets a serious merch-driver back.
Jericho has not publicly commented on wanting to retire. However, he hasn't shied away from the fact that there is something in a retirement match. Back in 2024, Jericho said:
"I haven’t really thought about [retiring]. I’ve never been the guy who’s like, ‘Year-long retirement ceremony.’ That seems, ‘Eh.’ But there might be some merit to doing a final show."
"But I don’t think about that stuff. I really live in what’s going on right now. I’m sure when the time is right, I’ll know it, and we’ll figure out a way to do it and then go from there. But when I retire, it’ll be I’m retiring. I don’t want to do the one where you come back.”
All things considered, Chris Jericho's return to WWE is something to be excited about this year. He deserves the opportunity to go out on his own terms, given not just what he provided to WWE, but professional wrestling at large.