Real Reason WWE Is Teasing Chris Jericho For Raw TONIGHT (WWE News)
WWE leans into rumours of Chris Jericho's big return.
With plenty of speculation that Chris Jericho's WWE return is imminent - possibly as soon as tonight - there's now a little bit of an update on why WWE is leaning into such chatter.
By all accounts, Jericho's AEW contract expired at midnight on New Year's Eve, with strong rumours that the inaugural AEW World Champion could be set for one final run in WWE. While many have predicted the 55-year-old as a surprise entrant in the men's Royal Rumble later this month, others have suggested the future Hall of Famer could appear on tonight's Raw, which is a much-hyped episode to mark the one-year anniversary of WWE on Netflix.
To add further fuel to the fire of Chris Jericho appearing on Raw tonight, Adam Pearce - the red brand's General Manager - posted his usual pre-Raw promotional video on social media, where, as well as his standard pushing of announced matches, he posed the question of "Who can break down the walls and claim the gold?" Of course, "break down the walls" is a phrase synonymous with Jericho and his famed Break the Walls Down entrance theme.
— Tweet
Per the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, part of the reason that Pearce made such a blatant Chris Jericho tease was as a way to get walk-up fans to buy a ticket for tonight's Raw. The Observer also notes that the idea of a Jericho return has been talked about "heavily" within the business, and talked about "like it was happening."
Interestingly, the Observer points out a time when the four-time WWE World Champion was previously set for one of his big returns, only for that return to be pushed back one month specifically due to people reporting the initially intended return date. That return was pushed back at Jericho's request, with him wanting to maintain the shock and surprise element of his return.
On top of this Observer report, former WWE announcer Jonathan Coachman is under the belief that Chris Jericho will not be returning on tonight's Raw, but that he'll instead return at the Royal Rumble with "a whole new look and character."
Jericho last wrestled at AEW Dynasty back in April, where he lost the ROH World Title to Bandino in a Hair vs. Mask match. Since then, Le Champion made one subsequent TV appearance before completely vanishing from AEW programming, with various reports that WWE is interested in bringing the veteran in for a "retirement run."