Following the AEW Worlds End 2025 pay-per-view, reports circulated that Chris Jericho was leaving All Elite Wrestling when his contract expires on December 31.
With WWE said to be interested in his signature, it has also been reported that Y2J could make his return to the company on the January 5 Monday Night Raw.
This could create some interesting directions that WWE could go towards with Jericho returning to the promotion on the first Raw of the new year.
Here are seven potential Chris Jericho WWE return plans on the first Raw of 2026.
7. Confronting Dominik Mysterio & Challenging For WWE Intercontinental Title
On the December 29 edition of WWE Raw, it was announced that Dominik Mysterio was out indefinitely following his injury suffered on the AAA Guerra de Titanes.
However, reports indicated that Mysterio will not be out for long and is expected to be cleared to compete in time for WWE Royal Rumble 2026.
The company could have “Dirty Dom” address his injury status on the January 5 edition of WWE Raw, which could set up Chris Jericho to interrupt the reigning Intercontinental Champion.
Jericho returning to confront the son of one of his greatest rivals and potentially challenge for his tenth Intercontinental Championship would be an interesting way to have him make his comeback in an impactful way in Brooklyn, New York.
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6. Facing Off With Logan Paul
Logan Paul has established himself as one of the top stars on Monday Night Raw as a member of The Vision.
The social media megastar has become one of WWE’s most prominent heels and would make for an intriguing opponent against a returning legend.
Chris Jericho making his WWE return could see him interact with any star on the roster, but Paul might be the most interesting rival for him to have.
Jericho facing off with Paul would be a fresh, new rivalry and put the former AEW star in direct opposition with the top faction on Raw in The Vision.
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5. Attack On Rey Mysterio
One of Chris Jericho’s greatest rivals of his illustrious career has been Rey Mysterio.
Dating back to their time together in WCW and ECW, Jericho and Mysterio have been at odds with one another for decades.
Mysterio and Jericho have battled over the WCW Cruiserweight Championship and WWE Intercontinental Championship in the past.
To restart their legendary feud, Jericho could attack Rey Mysterio upon his return to set up these two longtime rivals going at it at the upcoming WrestleMania 42 premium live event.
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4. Reigniting His Rivalry With AJ Styles
Another former rivalry for Chris Jericho that could be rekindled upon his comeback is AJ Styles.
During his last stint with WWE, Jericho got paired up with Styles after he signed with WWE in 2016.
This partnership led to a betrayal and subsequent feud between the Y2AJ members. With the two competitors doing battle at WrestleMania, Jericho helped to introduce Styles to the WWE landscape.
Jericho returning in 2026 could see him reignite this rivalry with Styles upon his return on the first Raw of the new year and face off with “The Phenomenal One” to start the final year of his own career.
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3. Challenging CM Punk For World Heavyweight Championship
Another longtime rival of Chris Jericho who could be in opposition to the former AEW World Champion is CM Punk.
Not only have Punk and Jericho crossed paths during their last stints with WWE, but the two men have some animosity from their backstage interactions and differences in All Elite Wrestling.
With Punk currently holding the World Heavyweight Championship, it would be appropriate if Jericho immediately thrusted himself into the main title picture on WWE Raw.
If Jericho returns on the January 5 edition of Monday Night Raw, Jericho could confront Punk and make himself the new number one contender for the top prize on the brand.
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2. Becoming The Newest Member Of The Vision
Back at WWE Survivor Series 2025, a masked assailant helped The Vision, Drew McIntyre and Brock Lesnar defeat CM Punk, The Usos, Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns in the Men’s WarGames.
Following the appearance of this mystery person, rumors started to speculate if the eventual reveal would see Chris Jericho be behind the mask.
However, this was not the case, as Austin Theory was revealed as the masked man and latest member of The Vision stable on Raw.
Based on his history with Paul Heyman working in ECW, Jericho could become the newest member of The Vision and bring a great deal of star power to the group.
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1. Latest Legend To Face Off With GUNTHER
At the December 13 edition of WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event, GUNTHER defeated John Cena in his final match.
This followed GUNTHER also retiring former WCW World Heavyweight Champion Goldberg back in July.
With these two legends being retired at his hands, it would not be surprising if “The Ring General” targeted any and all future Hall of Famers left in WWE or coming into the company.
GUNTHER targeting Chris Jericho upon his WWE return would make for a compelling story to watch unfold and lead to a high profile showdown immediately for the former AEW star.
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