Tony Khan Says Chris Jericho Was a Free Agent, When AEW Return Was Planned

Tony Khan has confirmed that Chris Jericho was a free agent before returning to AEW, and revealed how long Jericho’s return was planned for. Jericho made his return AEW TV last week for the first time in nearly a year. The return was a culmination of months of speculation as to Jericho’s status and whether he may go to WWE.

Khan gave a few details on Jericho’s return to AEW on The Coach & Bro. When asked how close Jericho was to going to WWE, Khan said he didn’t know, but said Jericho was a free agent and chose AEW. He also noted that Jericho said he wanted his return to be on last week’s show in Winnipeg and that the date had been “circled” as far back as last year. You can see the highlights below:

On How Close Jericho Was To Going To WWE:

“Well, I’ve always wanted Chris to be part of AEW from the very beginning. And I’m very glad Chris is a part of AEW going forward. He always will be. And I can’t say with any certainty—I do know Chris had a choice, and he wanted to be in AEW. He would be the best person to ask.”

On Jericho’s AEW Return:

“But I know that I’ve been in communication with Chris. He definitely told me he wanted to be at AEW, and very specifically, he told me he wanted to be in Winnipeg on that date. We’ve had that circled for a long time going back to last year. And it was a choice that Chris made, that he’d rather be in AEW than wrestling anywhere else. I think that’s awesome.

“I can’t say for sure, Coach, where his mind was and what he was thinking. But I know that he definitely always has been consistent that he loves AEW and that he wants to be here. I’m glad that he chose to be here in AEW. That’s a choice that he made, because he was a free agent.”

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit The Coach & Bro with a h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.