With fans looking forward to the potential that Chris Jericho could re-sign with WWE in 2026, there are already ideas for his return opponent.
From younger stars on the rise to fellow legends that he has rich history with — there are some incredible options for feuds should Jericho return “home”.
Here are seven potential return opponents in WWE for Chris Jericho.
7. Dominik Mysterio
While Chris Jericho’s return program would certainly depend on whether or not he was a babyface or a heel — it is likely his initial feud would need to be with a heel.
Since fans would be overjoyed at his return after so long away from WWE, it would probably be difficult for them to react strongly against seeing the legend.
However, if he were paired up with Dirty Dominik Mysterio — the duo would undoubtedly be able to make magic.
Able to continuing to build up Mysterio even in potential defeat, Jericho would be able to have a triumphant return “home”.
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6. Carmelo Hayes
Another young heel that could be one of the first to take on the returning Jericho is Carmelo Hayes.
After being drafted in the first round of the WWE Draft 2024 from NXT to SmackDown, his future felt limitless.
In the subsequent year, while he has had a number of interesting twists and turns including a long feud with Andrade and the short-lived Melo Don’t Miz tag team with The Miz — there is clearly still more potential yet to be tapped.
With Carmelo Hayes continuing to look for a major storyline, the program with Chris Jericho could come at the perfect time in his career.
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5. LA Knight
Although LA Knight remains a fan favorite, he could benefit from a showdown with a WWE legend to boost his profile.
Still in search of a feud that becomes a piece of his overall legacy in WWE, taking on someone with the gravitas of Chris Jericho could be ideal.
Able to go toe-to-toe on the mic and certainly create compelling TV, the pair wouldn’t need to have a long series of matches to settle their rivalry.
With rumors and fan theories swirling that LA Knight could be on the verge of turning heel — perhaps a future feud with Chris Jericho could be the perfect fit.
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4. Randy Orton
There could definitely be a legendary battle between Randy Orton and Chris Jericho building from their past feuds.
Assuming that Jericho made a return and his intentions were unclear —it could be known locker room leader Randy Orton who would be his first opponent in effort to sort it out.
Positioning Orton as the deciding factor between whether or not Jericho was “accepted home” could be an intriguing departure from past returns.
Delaying the reveal of whether or not Jericho was returning for good or evil, his character could immediately become bigger than life to an audience who possibly haven’t seen him in over five years.
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3. Ricky Saints
Seemingly poised to be on the main roster sooner rather than later, it would be an intriguing pairing to see Chris Jericho tangle with Ricky Saints.
Given their shared history in AEW — seeing the pair play out a feud in WWE could be incredibly interesting.
Able to blur the line between reality and fiction as well as totally fabricate whatever they want to make it spicier – Saints could conceivably pin his AEW benching on Jericho and go from there.
However, if WWE wanted to truly take old backstage drama from AEW and convert it into cash — there’s a very intriguing option still on the table.
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2. CM Punk
There could be a complete re-imagination of real life events in order to make a wildly interesting WWE storyline between CM Punk and Chris Jericho.
Inspired by real life events, Punk could have some sort of backstage fracas with Chris Jericho — leading to WWE capitalizing on intrigue surrounding AEW lore.
Able to land as just another storyline to WWE fans who have no context, the storyline would make headlines week-to-week with sleuths looking to compare past real-life events to the on-screen feud.
While this particular rivalry becoming reality in WWE seems improbable, it is not impossible — meaning there could be a chance.
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1. Xavier Woods
It is unlikely that Xavier Woods has forgotten his rivalry with Chris Jericho, despite being a completely different character today.
While The New Day (Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston) are currently in mourning on WWE Raw now — they were featured in mourning in 2016 as well.
After Chris Jericho destroyed their beloved trombone Francesca, the trio were devastated. Not to mention the time that Jericho put Woods on his infamous list.
Giving space for a potential showcase of the more serious side of Woods now that he is a heel, a rivalry with Jericho could be both fun and brutal.
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