Summary

Chris Jericho's return to AEW on the April 1 edition of Dynamite in Winnipeg has already reopened the conversation about what comes next in this stage of his career. After being off television for a year, Jericho came back to the company, and there was also a backstage belief that he had agreed to a new deal.

That return followed earlier reporting about WWE interest in Jericho for a possible retirement run. Speaking on the Something to Wrestle podcast, JBL said he did not see a real need for Jericho to frame the next chapter of his career as a farewell tour.

Readers looking for the first step in this latest comeback can go back to Jericho's return on Dynamite in Winnipeg, which set up the broader discussion about where he fits next.

Quote from JBL

"Why end your career? You know, Jericho is still apparently very healthy. He's still on top of his game. He still looks great. To me, there's no reason to end a career. There's no reason to have a retirement tour. Have a tour, but if you want to come back again, come back again. There's no reason not to."

JBL later went on to say:

"I think there were a lot of opportunities in WWE other than Gunther. I mean, you had CM Punk, you had Roman Reigns, you had Brock Lesnar, you had Seth Rollins, you had a bunch of guys that Chris has history with that could have been really good. I don't think that, you know, if that was the pitch, I can see why he said no, because I would have definitely said no myself."

JBL also added:

"I don't think people always have to do retirement tours. I think sometimes you can just leave it open-ended. You come back for a while, people see you, then you disappear, and if you want to come back again, you come back again."

What JBL's comments say about Jericho's next run

JBL's point lands because Jericho is back in AEW after a year away, not limping toward a final appearance. If AEW has in fact brought him back on a new deal, the bigger question is not when he leaves, but how the company uses a veteran with long history against names across multiple eras.

His comments also underline that Jericho still has value as an active star rather than a nostalgia attraction. That matters for AEW because a return framed around one more meaningful program will feel more substantial than treating Jericho like a farewell act the moment he reappears.

Sources

As reported by NoDQ.