Speculation about Chris Jericho potentially becoming a free agent anytime soon may need to be pumped down after new details surfaced regarding his contract status with All Elite Wrestling.
Jericho has remained a consistent presence in AEW since the company launched in 2019, but questions about the timeline of his current deal have started circulating again. According to comments from Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio, there is strong belief behind the scenes that Jericho’s contract may have been extended due to time missed in 2025.
Meltzer explained that contract “freezing” clauses are common in the wrestling industry, meaning a promotion can pause a contract clock when a wrestler takes time away from television or in-ring competition. Meltzer then clarified how those clauses typically work across wrestling promotions when talent step away for a stretch of time.
“I would be 95% sure that that’s true. I mean, I’ve heard things along those lines. And the fact that nobody has said that it’s not true… usually when something like that’s not true, somebody will say it. And nobody has.”
“The whole idea of freezing a contract… if you’re out for a period of time, they can add that time back on. That’s standard in wrestling contracts.”
If Jericho’s deal was indeed paused during time away last year, it would effectively push his contract expiration date further into the future. That would delay any potential free agency window and make any near-term speculation about his next move unlikely.
Additional context came from Sean Ross Sapp during a recent Fightful Select Q&A. A reader asked Sapp what might cause time to be added to Jericho’s deal, noting that the AEW star had not publicly dealt with a major injury and wondering whether time away for other projects could trigger an extension. Sapp explained that contract structures vary significantly and that time taken away from a promotion can sometimes be added back onto a deal depending on the terms involved.
“Well, every contract is different and they’re becoming more and more different. They used to be pretty uniform with some exceptions obviously, you know, Hogan and some of the bigger stars like that. But yeah, time can be added to your deal if you take time off. It’s not exclusively the case. It’s not universally across the board a thing. But yeah, that’s what was added rather — the time that was taken off last year. I don’t know who instigated or suggested the time off, but that’s where the deal is effectively extended from. Again, every contract is different, but I would imagine that these will be points of contention for some talent moving forward and some of them will want the option, a mutual option to extend said deal and some won’t.”
The explanation gives fans a clearer look at how contract timelines can shift behind the scenes even when there isn’t a publicly reported injury. In Jericho’s case, the time he spent away from AEW programming appears to be the key factor potentially pushing the end of his deal further down the line.
For now, Jericho remains firmly part of AEW’s roster, and any talk about him becoming available on the open market may have to wait longer than some fans expected.
Do you think Chris Jericho will eventually finish his career in AEW, or will he return to WWE for one final run down the line? Let us know what you think in the comments.
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