Summary

Aubrey Edwards said she did not know Chris Jericho was returning to AEW until roughly five minutes before Dynamite went on the air in Winnipeg.

While discussing Jericho's comeback, Edwards said they stayed in touch during his year-long absence, but she never expected him to reveal any plans ahead of time. She also said the late notice meant she suddenly knew what she would be doing on pay-per-view again after a full year away from officiating one of Jericho's matches.

That return has already led Jericho into a program with The Demand. He lost to Ricochet at AEW Dynasty, and the group followed that up by attacking him on AEW Dynamite Spring BreakThru.

Quote from Aubrey Edwards

"So here's my thing, I had no idea what was going on with Chris (Jericho). I had texted him a couple of times. He texted me on my birthday, I texted him on his birthday. We kept in touch throughout the year but I'm not gonna ask him, like, 'Hey bro, you coming back?' Because he's not gonna tell me anyway. If he's got a plan, he's gonna keep it close to the chest. That's how he's always been. So I'm secretly hoping he's gonna show up, and I literally had no idea he was going to come back until about five minutes before we went on the air in Winnipeg. So, I'm just like, 'Oh my God. I know what I'm doing on a pay-per-view for the first time in a year. This is fantastic' and there's just some sense of calmness that came over me and I'm like, Chris is back. All is right with the world. I do all of his matches, yes."

What Jericho's return means for AEW television

Jericho's return immediately put him back into a featured AEW television role, and Edwards' story shows how tightly the company protected the Winnipeg surprise until the last possible moment.

It also makes clear that AEW is not treating the comeback as a one-night hometown moment. With Jericho already tied into Ricochet, Bishop Kaun and Toa Liona after Dynasty and Spring BreakThru, the return has quickly become part of an active feud rather than a brief appearance.

Sources

Aubrey Edwards on the Bryan and Vinny Show