Chris Jericho explains why he turned down WWE to stay with AEW

[RomanReigns96]

Chris Jericho opened up on Wrestling Observer Radio about why he ultimately chose to re sign with AEW earlier this year rather than pursue what had been a genuinely credible rumored return to WWE. His contract with AEW was reportedly winding down, and the rumor mill had been actively linking him with a WWE comeback before he showed up on Dynamite in his hometown of Winnipeg on April 1st and quickly confirmed he was staying put

Jericho's reasoning came down to something pretty simple in his own words, he said he has skin in the game in AEW that he simply does not have anywhere else at this stage of his career. He pointed out that AEW would not exist in its current form without his early involvement helping get the promotion off the ground, framing that history as the thing that ultimately clinched his decision to stay

He was careful to add some humility to that point too, acknowledging that wrestling existed long before him in various forms, WWE before him, New Japan before him, CMLL before him, and that AEW will obviously continue on long after he eventually leaves the business. That framing suggests Jericho sees his role now less about being irreplaceable and more about wanting to see the specific thing he helped build keep growing

Elsewhere in the same interview Jericho named a long list of younger AEW talent he would like to work with going forward, including Kevin Knight, Ricochet, Ciampa, Jack Perry, Mark Davis, Kyle Fletcher and The Rascalz, who he jokingly floated as basically becoming his own personal minions in some future storyline. That fits his established pattern in AEW of using his veteran spot to elevate less experienced talent, going back to his stints leading both the Jericho Appreciation Society and The Learning Tree

Jericho also said working things out with Tony Khan directly was not actually difficult once they sat down and talked through it. Which suggests the eventual decision to stay was more about genuine loyalty and personal investment in the company than any kind of prolonged contentious negotiation

AEW Star Reveals Why He Turned Down WWE Dealheavy.com

[EventHorizon63]

Skin in the game in AEW is such a specific way to phrase it. That is not the language of someone just chasing another paycheck, that sounds like someone who actually feels ownership over what the company represents

[Quarry57]

The list of younger talent he wants to work with reads like a genuine wishlist rather than just saying nice things about the roster for the sake of a good soundbite.

Ricochet and Ciampa specifically feel like they could both produce genuinely great matches with him

[BookerT_99]

Winnipeg being the location for his return announcement is a nice touch given it is his actual hometown.

That kind of detail always adds a little extra weight and sentimentality to these moments for the hometown crowd specifically

[BitSus]

Jericho's history with the Jericho Appreciation Society and The Learning Tree shows this mentorship instinct is a well established and genuinely consistent pattern for him at this point. Not some new direction he suddenly discovered. Good business sense either way

[Owen84]

Jericho acknowledging wrestling existed before him and will continue after him is a surprisingly humble note. This coming from someone who has spent decades cultivating one of the biggest egos in wrestling history is worth noting

[StarfleetCaptain98]

His recent feud with Ciampa being called fantastic in the article checks out from what I remember watching.

That program did a lot of heavy lifting for both guys and showed Jericho still genuinely has it in the ring even at this stage of his career

[JohnyBlue]

Working things out with Tony Khan not being hard once they actually talked is telling.

A lot of the reported drama around his contract status might have been more rumor mill noise than an actual difficult negotiation

[HarleyQuinn32]

Curious what WWE actually offered him behind the scenes.

The article does not get into specifics on that side of the negotiation at all beyond confirming the rumors existed

[Donna96]

Would be a great swan song storyline if AEW actually leans into using his final AEW contract specifically to get a handful of younger stars over on the way out. That would be a much better use of his spot than just filling midcard segments

[Peter_31]

The Rascalz being my minions line is such a classic Jericho bit. He has clearly still got that natural instinct for a good promo line even in a casual radio interview setting rather than on camera. That loyalty angle checks out