Chris Jericho revealed that WWE approached him about returning with “The List” gimmick in 2022, but he declined the opportunity. Speaking with Chris Van Vliet, Jericho discussed his reasons for signing with AEW in 2019 and his commitment to creative evolution.
I never wanted to be a nostalgia act, still don’t. It’s one of the reasons I went to AEW in the first place in 2019, I didn’t want to go back to WWE and do The List. Which I knew they wanted me to do, and this is three years later and the List was not a thing for me back then.
During the conversation, Jericho emphasized his dedication to pushing boundaries and elevating other performers.
You want to continue to push and grow and evolve and stay as relevant as possible and still build the business and build other guys and you can do all those things as long as you understand what the business is all about.
Chris Jericho Shares His Current Wrestling Motivations
Jericho addressed questions about his continued in-ring career during a separate segment of the interview. The ROH World Champion explained his ongoing passion for professional wrestling.
If I didn’t love it, I wouldn’t do it. I’m not doing it for money at this point. It’s the creative fulfilment, there’s a challenge. Contrary to popular belief, I don’t demand to be on every show every week. My boss books me for shows because of what I bring to the table, and is still enjoying it and still really working on how can we make things better, how can we do more storylines, and what can I do this week that was different from last week.
The wrestling veteran signed a three-year contract extension with AEW in October 2022, securing his services through October 2025.