3 Potential final matches for Chris Jericho in AEW before he returns to WWE 

For several weeks now, rumors about Chris Jericho's status in AEW have been circulating on social media. The veteran's contract with the Tony Khan-led promotion is reportedly set to expire by the end of this year, and speculations seem to indicate that the inaugural All Elite Wrestling World Champion could subsequently return to his old stomping ground, WWE.

Recent reports suggest that the sports entertainment juggernaut might be offering Jericho a retirement run, and judging from some of the latter's recent remarks, many have conjectured that Y2J could be on his way back to his former workplace. Even if that does turn out to be the case, there is no reason why Jericho cannot put over some of AEW's top talent on his way out.

With this in mind, let us take a look at three prospective final opponents for the end of the legend's All Elite run.

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#1. Former AEW tag team champion Big Bill

Some time after his partnership with Ricky Starks ended last year, Big Bill approached Chris Jericho, who had begun transitioning into a new heel character, and asked him to take him on as a protege. The former Jericho Appreciation Society leader admitted the erstwhile Big Cass as the first student to benefit from being under his "Learning Tree." The duo was soon joined by Bryan Keith to form a villainous trio, with The Redwood and The Bad Apple regularly appearing alongside Jericho on special weekly segments on AEW TV, not to mention helping him win matches.

Since the beginning of 2025, cracks seemed to form in The Learning Tree's foundation due to Jericho's misbehavior towards Keith and Bill. After months of tension, things came to a head following Dynasty 2025 in April when The Nueve confronted his students for failing to help him retain his ROH World Title against Bandido at the pay-per-view, and for failing to win The Hurt Syndicate's AEW tag titles themselves. When Big Bill finally stood up to Jericho for himself and his tag partner, the veteran had a shocking meltdown before walking out on his students.

The implosion of The Learning Tree on AEW Dynamite [Source: All Elite Wrestling on Facebook]

Notably, Jericho has not been back on AEW television since, while both Big Bill and Bryan Keith have continued to appear regularly as a duo. It seemed like the company was planting the seeds for a potential feud between the 55-year-old and the former W. Morrissey.

If Jericho does return to All Elite Wrestling for one last run, he should be booked to face and put Bill over in a singles bout. Such a match could be set up by booking Jericho to attack and injure Keith, which might motivate his partner to put an end to his former mentor.

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#2. Former AEW World Champion MJF

In October 2020, Maxwell Jacob Friedman approached Chris Jericho to gain membership in his faction at the time, one of AEW's original heel groups, The Inner Circle. After defeating The Demo God at Full Gear, The Salt of The Earth earned his spot in the stable. Over the following weeks, Friedman exerted his efforts to secure Jericho's trust, even teaming with him to challenge The Young Bucks for the tag titles at Revolution 2021.

Shortly afterwards, however, MJF turned on The Inner Circle, revealing that he had secretly been assembling a faction of his own, The Pinnacle, to take Jericho's group down. The two sides then went to war, with Friedman's stable emerging victorious in the 2021 Blood and Guts match, and The Inner Circle picking up the win in a Stadium Stampede match at Double or Nothing. Jericho kept on pursuing MJF afterwards, losing to the latter in August, before finally defeating him at All Out 2021 in a bout with his in-ring career on the line.

MJF and Chris Jericho after their Full Gear 2020 match [Image Credits: All Elite Wrestling on YouTube]

Chris Jericho hasn't faced off against MJF in nearly four years. Both stars are currently on hiatus, with Friedman absent since his loss to Mark Briscoe at All Out: Toronto this past September. Before he leaves the company, the first-ever AEW World Champion might rekindle his rivalry with The Wolf of Wrestling one last time for a final one-on-one match. Such a showdown could be booked as a properly promoted and advertised comeback bout for both stars, ending with Jericho putting over the self-proclaimed generational talent once again.

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#3. Reigning TNT Champion Mark Briscoe

Late last year, after losing the FTW Championship back to Hook at All In 2024, Chris Jericho set his sights on regaining the ROH World Championship, which at the time belonged to Mark Briscoe. The two men squared off over the belt at WrestleDream 2024, where The Sussex County Chicken successfully retained his strap. However, later, on the October 23 edition of AEW Dynamite, The Learning Tree managed to unseat The Conglomeration member for the Ring of Honor World Title in a "Ladder War", courtesy of a major assist from Big Bill.

While Jericho has been on hiatus, Briscoe not only picked up a huge singles win over MJF at All Out 2025, but also, more recently, at Full Gear, he secured his first singles title in the company, defeating Kyle Fletcher in a No DQ match for the TNT Championship. The fan favorite is expected to defend his belt against Daniel Garcia soon, but is likely going to retain against the young Death Riders member. To legitimize his reign, Briscoe will need credible challengers, and few wrestlers on the AEW roster have the credibility that Chris Jericho possesses.

The Lionheart could make his All Elite Wrestling comeback to challenge Briscoe for his TNT Title and put the latter over. However, given recent rumors, it remains to be seen if Tony Khan will feature Jericho on AEW television at all before his anticipated exit.