Chris Jericho’s AEW Deal Frozen Amid Rumors of His WWE Return at the Elimination Chamber

Chris Jericho is firmly under a contract with AEW, as his deal with the company has reportedly been frozen indefinitely.

Chris Jericho’s AEW Deal Frozen Amid Rumors of His WWE Return at the Elimination Chamber

Chris Jericho [via- WrestleZone]

In Short
  • Chris Jericho's AEW contract is reportedly frozen, preventing a WWE return.
  • WWE has expressed interest in Jericho, but he remains listed on AEW's roster.
  • Speculation surrounds a mystery crate at Elimination Chamber, with Jericho unlikely to be involved.

For those hoping to see Chris Jericho back in WWE in the near future, there’s only one thing to say—just pump the brakes on it. The 55-year-old is currently on a UK tour with his band Fozzy. While it’s capping off on the 21st of this month, Jericho still might not end up in WWE anytime soon because he’s not legally in a position to do so.

As per a new report from Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful, the general belief from people close to ‘Y2J’ is that his AEW contract is currently frozen. It might’ve been that way for a while, possibly since the moment he took time off from AEW in mid-2025. The report also added that some of the reasons why his deal could’ve been extended were tacking on injury time or if he had quietly re-signed with AEW.

It must be noted that Sean Ross Sapp hasn’t seen a copy of Chris Jericho‘s AEW contract, so nothing at this point in time can be said with certainty. The details of the veteran’s wrestling future are being kept very tight-lipped. The inaugural AEW Champion had previously told people close to him that he would be open to a WWE return but also feared how it would hamper his non-wrestling avenues.

For months, WWE has been interested in getting Jericho under a contract should he become available. Since it hasn’t happened yet and ‘The Demo God’ is still listed on the official AEW roster page, any rumors of him agreeing to a WWE deal could be deemed false.

Who could end up being the crate reveal at Elimination Chamber if not Chris Jericho?

On this week’s Raw, a giant crate was delivered to WWE with the date of the Elimination Chamber PLE written over it. Adam Pearce couldn’t figure out how to deal with it, so he ordered the box to be sent to SmackDown for Nick Aldis to have a look. Shortly after the segment aired, the fans on social media started freaking out and even predicted that Chris Jericho would be unveiled from the box office next weekend.

Chris Jericho
Chris Jericho [via- TPWW]

Some fans are also calling that it would be full circle moment for Chris Jericho to return at the Elimination Chamber in Chicago since he debuted for WWE in the same city in 1999. But with the latest bombshell on Y2J’s AEW deal being frozen, it technically rules him out as the eventual reveal of the mystery crate. If not him, then who else could be inside it?

Andrew Baydala noted in his assessment of the situation that while he isn’t expecting the 9-time Intercontinental Champion as the surprise at the Elimination Chamber, he subtly picked Danhausen as his prediction. Baydala used the phrasing “very nice, very evil.” For the unversed, it perfectly describes Danhausen, who made his AEW debut in January 2022.

The 35-year-old wanted out of AEW after not having been used on television since 2024. He requested his release in August 2025, which wasn’t granted, and even saw some injury time being added to his contract. Fightful reported last December that Danhausen’s AEW deal would be up in February.

Based on that timeline, the Michigan native looks good to sign elsewhere, particularly with WWE. The Stamford-based promotion was believed to show interest in Danhausen once he hit free agency. It appears like an offer has already been made and agreed to if the man who claims to be very nice and very evil debuts at the Elimination Chamber as the one inside that crate.

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