Chris Jericho Pulls Back Curtain On AEW Return

After months of speculation that he would be signing with WWE, Chris Jericho returned on "AEW Dynamite" last night in his hometown of Winnipeg, Canada. Earlier this week, rumors started to pick up again when Jericho filed to trademark "The Cornerstone," and with "Dynamite" taking place in his hometown, fans expected for "Y2J" to finally return to wrestling after being away from the ring for a full year. 

An hour after kicking off "Dynamite," Jericho took to social media to upload a video of himself moments before he walked through the curtain.

"Alright, here I am in the parking garage of the MTS Centre in Winnipeg. It is 6:50 and in 10 minutes I am going to shock the world by returning to AEW. Join the ride."

At first, it was believed Jericho was going to be a surprise entrant at the Royal Rumble in January, but after he didn't appear at the event, WrestleMania was the next rumored destination for the "Lionheart" to come back to WWE. That said, it was reported yesterday that Jericho and AEW had been in talks regarding his return to the ring for the last couple of months, but that he did enter discussions with WWE at some point during the last year. Additionally, "Wrestling Observer's" Dave Meltzer claimed that WWE was interested in booking Jericho for a retirement tour.

After Jericho walked out to his iconic theme song "Judas" last night, he cut a very brief promo saying "I'm home," before quickly leaving the ring. At this time, it's uncertain what the creative direction for Jericho will be upon his return to AEW.