3 Reasons why Chris Jericho not signing with WWE is a good thing and 2 why it’s a bad thing

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The Royal Rumble came and went without an appearance from Y2J. The next big spot for a potential return would have been during WrestleMania season.

Now that he’s picked his home for the foreseeable future, it has some benefits and downsides. Chris Jericho not signing with WWE is a good thing for three reasons and a bad thing for two reasons.

#5. A good thing (for AEW) – He just needed a reboot

Chris Jericho has been a fixture on AEW programming since the company formed in 2019. He was the first AEW World Champion and has held several titles under Tony Khan.

His presence was getting to the point where some fans would chant “please retire” every time he appeared on Dynamite and Collision. It even became part of his Learning Tree gimmick, referring to it as “TV Time.”

Making a drastic move back to WWE could have signaled that he felt desperate and had nothing more to give to AEW. Had the fans booed when he showed up, it would have been a mistake.

By returning to AEW after nearly a year, fans will accept him again as long as he doesn’t dominate programming. A lengthy hiatus changed how fans felt about Roman Reigns, Charlotte Flair, and Ronda Rousey at different points.

#4. A bad thing – It would have been a great surprise WWE needed for WrestleMania 42

Despite how some felt about Cody Rhodes before he came back to WWE, the fans welcomed him back with open arms in 2022.

The build to WrestleMania 42 has seen Randy Orton turn on Rhodes, as well as the involvement of a few celebrities. Jelly Roll dominated a few episodes of SmackDown over the last few weeks.

Pat McAfee, iShowSpeed, and Lil Nachty have also shown up recently on RAW and SmackDown. Some fans love the influencers and rappers, while others wish those spots could have gone to full-time stars.

If Jericho had been one of those surprises, the fans would have likely accepted it as they did with Rhodes. It would have been a notch in the good column regarding the several curveballs Triple H and WWE have thrown at fans lately.

#3. A good thing – WWE won’t mishandle another major retirement

With many top names winding down their careers recently, it felt like Jericho could return to WWE for a similar retirement tour like John Cena. Cena had an entire year to say goodbye to fans at many big PLEs.

While he captured a 17th World Championship and rekindled some past feuds, the results were a mixed bag. His final match was at a random Saturday Night’s Main Event and not WrestleMania or SummerSlam.

He also briefly won the Intercontinental Title. AJ Styles then challenged Gunther a month later and also retired from in-ring competition instead of having a few months to say goodbye.

Jericho could have seen that and opted to stay away and retire in AEW instead of under a recent regime that’s struggled over the last two years.

#2. A bad thing – Chris Jericho should end his career in WWE

Love him or hate him, Chris Jericho became one of the greatest stars of all time after moving from WCW to WWE.

He was always entertaining on the mic and in the ring in WCW, but Eric Bischoff and officials never considered cruiserweights as main-event level stars. Once Jericho left and debuted by interrupting the Rock, it instantly changed his status.

Smaller guys like Eddie Guerrero, Rey Mysterio, and other former WCW stars also made the jump and became World Champions.

Jericho has had just as much success in AEW, but he was already a huge star. To truly end his career, it needs to happen where he became a massive star.

#1. A good thing – WWE must cultivate its younger stars

While bringing in someone with the star power of Chris Jericho would instantly help the product, it would only be a temporary fix. Over the last three years, WWE has been hesitant to go with stars closer to 30 as major champions.

Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Cody Rhodes, Drew McIntyre, CM Punk, and Damian Priest all won major gold but were closer to 40 years of age.

Bron Breakker could have changed that narrative by defeating CM Punk or even winning the Royal Rumble and getting another shot. Along with Cena and Styles, several of these names above will be hanging up the boots in a few years.

Factor in Randy Orton and Rey Mysterio, and adding another person well over 40 (Jericho is 55) to the main event scene would only further prevent the younger class from ascending the roster.