Summary

Chris Jericho's shortened on-air name in AEW was not a production mistake.

A new report says Jericho specifically wanted to be introduced simply as "Jericho" when he returned to AEW Dynamite on April 1, his first appearance for the company in nearly a year. Even so, he is still expected to be called Chris Jericho on television at times.

That return was already one of the bigger talking points on the April 8 episode, and Jericho's return address heading into AEW Dynamite framed his comeback as a notable piece of AEW programming.

What changed with Jericho's AEW presentation

Fans quickly picked up on the fact that commentary and the broadcast presentation referred to the former AEW World Champion only as Jericho during his comeback appearance.

According to the report, that was Jericho's own preference. The same report added that AEW will not treat the full name as gone for good, meaning Chris Jericho can still be used on television depending on the situation.

What it could mean for Chris Jericho's return run

Jericho using a shorter ring name gives this return a clear reset point, even if AEW does not fully abandon the Chris Jericho name on air. That matters because the company has also locked him in on a new multi-year agreement after his previous deal expired near the end of 2025.

With a fresh contract and a slight presentation change arriving together, AEW has an easy way to signal that this version of Jericho is meant to feel different from the one viewers last saw before his long absence.

Sources

As reported by Fightful.