Chris Jericho has signed a contract extension with All Elite Wrestling (AEW) that will keep him with the company through December 2025, PvNew has learned exclusively.
In addition, Jericho will take on increased responsibilities behind the scenes in AEW and will now serve as a producer and creative advisor in addition to continuing as a mentor to young talent.
“Chris Jericho long ago cemented his legacy as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, and we’re fortunate to have his skills, charisma, knowledge and insights in AEW for years to come,” Tony Khan, CEO, GM and head of creative of AEW, said in a statement. “Chris has discovered a fountain of youth this year, and he’s having some of the very best matches of his legendary career against some of the top names in wrestling. In expanding his responsibilities, he’ll continue to serve as a valuable leader with our roster having the opportunity to utilize one of most creative minds in the history of wrestling.”
Jericho was one of the original stars to sign with AEW in helping to launch the promotion, which included a six-month run as the inaugural AEW world champion. Most recently, the wrestling legend won the Ring of Honor (ROH) world championship, with Khan having purchased ROH in May 2022. He will defend that title against Dalton Castle tonight on a special Tuesday edition of “AEW Dynamite” on TBS.
In an interview with PvNew, Jericho had a simple answer as to why he has chosen to stick with AEW and signed this extension.
“I guess the simple answer is ‘Why not?'” Jericho said. “Things have been going so well in the company, and I really do feel that this is my company. It’s tattooed on my heart, so to speak. I’ve been here since day one, and there’s really no reason not to be here continuing forward.”
“When AEW first started, I think basically it was Chris Jericho and a group of very talented people that might not have been as well known,” he continued. “Within three months that changed and now within three years, we’ve got at least a dozen, maybe two dozen, of our own homegrown stars that came into their own on AEW television.”
Jericho has proven incredibly popular with wrestling fans over the years due in no small part to his ability to reinvent himself and innovate within his character. Currently, he is going by the nickname “The Ocho,” as the ROH championship marks the eighth world championship he has held during his career.
“I think evolving and always reinventing myself is what keeps me going,” he said. “And now I have this freedom to be creative, to just do anything that I think is going to work. I’ve never really had that before. I don’t have to worry about anybody else opinions. Obviously, Tony Khan weighs in from time to time, but it’s really just an open canvas to just paint whatever pictures that I want to paint and that makes it so much more fun.”
In terms of his role within AEW, Jericho compares himself to hockey great Gordie Howe, who played at the top levels of the sport into his 50s. He also says that he considers himself an “elder statesman” of the locker room and spends most of his time at AEW working with other, less established talent on their matches and offering tips on how they can improve.
Finally, Jericho addressed his hopes for his run as ROH champion, stating that he wants to make the belt the most prestigious in the business behind only the AEW world championship.
“It’s very simple. I’ve said I want to desecrate the legacy of Ring of Honor,” he said. “Well, who’s gonna stop me from doing that? We haven’t found out yet, but when it happens, suddenly they slayed the dragon and they become a bigger star as a result.”
