Chris Jericho’s AEW Contract Frozen: No WWE Return Imminent Despite Tease

Jim Parsons February 17, 2026 in AEW, WRESTLING, WWE Tagged Chris Jericho - 2 Minutes

AEW star and wrestling icon Chris Jericho remains firmly under contract with All Elite Wrestling (AEW), according to a new report from Fightful Select. Thought to be thinking about a jump to WWE and with rumors that he could show up at the Royal Rumble (he didn’t), then could be the mystery man in the box on Monday Night Raw (not logical from a storyline perspective), fans were looking at the Elimination Chamber or WrestleMania for him to make a return.

Unless something drastic happens, it doesn’t sound like either is a possibility.

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, @FightfulSelect has learned.

Full details are now available for Select subscribers. pic.twitter.com/l3i3HQttzf
— Fightful Wrestling (@Fightful) February 17, 2026

The veteran wrestler, who hasn’t appeared on AEW television since April 2025 (following his loss of the ROH World Championship at Dynasty), has been the subject of ongoing speculation about his future.

However, sources close to Jericho and within AEW indicate that his deal was effectively frozen (or paused/extended) after he took time off in 2025. This could stem from factors such as injury-related extensions (common in wrestling contracts), a possible re-signing clause, or another factor that kept his original agreement end date from triggering. As a result, Jericho continues to be listed on AEW’s official roster page.

Fightful notes that no internal announcements or memos from AEW have signaled a departure, which is typical when talent leaves the company.

Jericho Not Returning To WWE?

This doesn’t mean Jericho will never return to WWE. What it might mean is that, should he want to, things are delayed, or a deal needs to be worked out with AEW.

Jericho has previously expressed openness to a WWE return but has cited concerns about having to relinquish outside projects (like his music career with Fozzy, the Jericho Cruise, and convention appearances) that AEW has allowed him to pursue more freely. It isn’t assumed that Jericho would be back full-time, and WWE seems more open to those kinds of outside projects than they used to be.

Now that he’s not an immediate free agent, whether these things are true remains a question mark that won’t be answered until he does or doesn’t appear. There’s no confirmed timeline for when his AEW contract might ultimately expire or if he’ll return to television for the promotion.

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