"I hope he does"- Chris Jericho’s WWE return backed by veteran

WWE Hall of Famer JBL has backed Chris Jericho's potential return to the Stamford-based wrestling promotion. The veteran hopes for the move to take place.

Y2J is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling. His contract with Tony Khan's wrestling promotion is due to expire by the end of the year, and there has been speculation about him leaving for a WWE return. A recent report claimed that he could make the switch back by Royal Rumble 2026.

During his appearance on the Something to Wrestle with Bruce Prichard podcast, John "Bradshaw" Layfield noted that he hoped for Chris Jericho to return to WWE. He pointed out that The Ayatollah of Rock and Rolla was a massive star in the global juggernaut back in the day. The 58-year-old recalled watching Jericho in the early 90s.

"I hope so. Because he made such a big name there. He was the first (undisputed) champion, all this stuff, beat The Rock and Stone Cold on the same night. I remember seeing him back in the early 90s, I was overworking for Tenryu as my first big-time step up in a Japanese company. They were doing the junior heavyweight tournament there, and Chris was part of that when he was younger," said JBL.

JBL added that he was deeply impressed with what Chris Jericho could do. He pointed out that the latter has been a massive star in every promotion he wrestled for. The veteran noted that although he wasn't aware of the negotiations taking place, he hoped for the AEW star to be back in the Stamford-based company, as he watched a lot more WWE shows than any others.

"I remember seeing him then and thinking, 'Man, if this guy lives, he's gonna be fantastic' - I say that because they were doing so much crazy stuff at the time, it was wild what they were doing. Everywhere he's been, he's been a massive star. I don't know if this negotiation... if he's not coming in, this is great negotiation for whatever he's doing, it's smart. Chris is obviously a very smart guy, all the stuff that he's done outside of the business. I hope he does. Mainly because I watch a lot more WWE than I watch anything else, and I'd love to be able to see him," added JBL. [H/T: WrestleTalk on X]

You can check out the podcast below:

Chris Jericho hasn't stepped inside the ring in nearly five months

Chris Jericho has been on a hiatus from professional wrestling since April. The veteran took the break to join his band Fozzy on a musical tour. Although the tour has ended, Jericho has yet to make his return.

Chris Jericho's last match against Bandido at AEW Dynasty. He wrestled the 30-year-old in a Title vs. Mask Match. Bandido won the bout to end Jericho's 168-day reign as the ROH World Champion.

It will be interesting to see how much longer Chris Jericho takes to step back inside the squared circle and if he makes the much-talked-about WWE return.