Chris Jericho announced yesterday that his time with WWE has come to an end once again. It is believed that his contract with the company ended following Tuesday's SmackDown taping in Providence, Rhode Island. Sending out a tweet this afternoon, he said:
'So long to @WWE for now2013 was one of my favorite in ring yrs ever! Thx for always sticking w Y2J & see u on the road soon w @FOZZYROCK!'
Jerichos departure marks the end of his latest stint with WWE but his tweet suggests that he will return to the company again in the future. His most recent stretch with WWE has arguably been less successful than previous tenures, with mainly minor feuds and only a few noteworthy victories. He made his second return to WWE in early-2012 and was highly-tipped to win that years Royal Rumble match, promising that it would be the end of the world as we know it at the event. However, the former Undisputed WWE Champion failed to win the Rumble match; the last superstar to be eliminated. Jericho feuded briefly with WWE Champion CM Punk following the Rumble but failed to capture the championship on two occasions; at WrestleMania XXVIII and Extreme Rules the next month. Following successive losses to Punk, Jericho turned his attention to the World Heavyweight Championship. At Over the Limit, he was defeated once again; pinned by Sheamus in a match for the championship that also featured Randy Orton and Alberto Del Rio. After defeating Dolph Ziggler at Summerslam 2012, Ziggler won a rematch the following night on Raw. Per a stipulation put into place by General Manager AJ Lee, Jerichos contract was terminated and he wouldnt appear for the company again until he was reinstated by Vickie Guerrero in January of this year. After lasting 47 minutes in the Royal Rumble match, Jericho was eliminated by Ziggler. He would feature in a minor feud with Fandango which concluded with him suffering defeat at WrestleMania 29, before winning a rematch at Extreme Rules. Since Extreme Rules, Jericho has battled CM Punk at Payback and Ryback at Money in the Bank, defeated on both occasions. In his final match at last nights SmackDown taping, Jericho was defeated by Intercontinental Champion Curtis Axel before being attacked by Ryback after the match. Throughout August, Jericho will return to Europe with Fozzy for a tour across the continent, followed by a second leg taking place in North America in September. It is possible that Jericho could return to WWE in October or November but a return to coincide with his next books release in early-2014 might be more likely.