Update On Chris Jericho's WWE Royal Rumble 2026 Status

Unless there is a sudden change, Chris Jericho won't be involved at the WWE Royal Rumble on Saturday, January 31 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

As of the time of writing, Jericho was still featured on All Elite Wrestling's roster page, which suggests he is still a part of AEW. A fake rumour emerged on social media which claimed WWE had trademarked 'Judas', but that is not the case.

The belief was Chris Jericho's AEW contract expired at the end of 2025, and the expectation for months had been that Jericho would exit AEW and return to WWE, with WWE having plans in place for the former Undisputed Champion to embark on a retirement run.

WWE even teased a return for Chris Jericho ahead of the first episode of Monday Night Raw of 2026 as Raw GM Adam Pearce asked, "Who can break the walls down and claim the gold?" during a preview of the show. "Break the walls down" ultimately refers to the entrance music used by Jericho across his WWE runs between 1999 and 2018.

Chris Jericho has been a part of All Elite Wrestling since 2019 and he was the inaugural AEW World Champion. The 55-year-old, however, has not appeared on TV since dropping the ROH World Title to Bandido at Dynasty in April 2025.