4 People who will be negatively affected by Chris Jericho returning to WWE

There are rumors that former WWE superstar Chris Jericho is headed to WWE. Jericho's appearance is anticipated at the Royal Rumble event next year in Saudi Arabia. The Y2J star, who left WWE in 2018, joined Tony Khan's All Elite Wrestling (AEW) in 2019. He became one of the biggest stars of the promotion in the next six years.

However, the 55-year-old superstar has grown apart from the promotion in recent months. His last appearance came in April this year, and since then, Jericho hasn't appeared on any AEW show. There are rumors that his contract with AEW will expire this month, and after that, he is expected to return to WWE.

However, there are people in the Stamford-based promotion who might not be pleased with his arrival. Jericho had a brush with some of these superstars in the past, and his return to the company may not be that easy.

In this listicle, we will discuss four superstars who will be negatively affected by Jericho's return.

#4 CM Punk

Chris Jericho and CM Punk have some real-life heat between them. The two never had a face-to-face confrontation, but there is a mutual dislike between them. Jericho has been against Punk since the Straight Edge Superstar left the company in 2014 and started speaking ill of the promotion. The Y2J superstar has on numerous occasions said that Punk should have handled his exit gracefully.

Moreover, they were together in AEW from 2021 to 2023, but were never paired together. The creative team didn't consider taking the risk of getting the two involved in a feud, since they were not comfortable with each other. Jericho had called Punk's exit from AEW a "regretful moment" after his fracas with Jack Perry at the All In event in August, 2021.

So, his return to WWE may not go down well with Punk. The two superstars don't gel well, and the company might also not risk bringing them together for a storyline.

#3 Seth Rollins

Seth Rollins does not have a real-life heat with Chris Jericho, but Rollins has had issues with superstars who left WWE, jumped to AEW, and then came back to the company. CM Punk's return is a prime example. Rollins was there when Punk returned at Survivor Series: WarGames 2023. His initial reaction was well recorded by the fans, where he is seen yelling at Punk for coming back after speaking so badly about the company.

Chris Jericho can face a similar reaction from Seth Rollins. The Architect is, although injured and out of action, he might return by the time Chris Jericho comes back. Rollins has always called WWE his home and spoken against superstars who have spoken against WWE after their exit, and later came back. It will be interesting to see if he gives an earful to Chris Jericho also, if the Y2J star comes back.

#2 Drew McIntyre

Drew McIntyre can also be against Chris Jericho's return. The Scottish Warrior has always called out other superstars for stealing his spot and denying him the opportunity. If Jericho returns at the Royal Rumble next year and wins it to challenge Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed Championship, then certainly, he will be at odds with Drew McIntyre.

But there's no real-life heat between them. In fact, Chris Jericho has in the past praised McIntyre for his physical transformation and his talent. It will be interesting to see how McIntyre perceives Jericho's return to WWE.

#1 Former WWE Champion, Brock Lesnar

Brock Lesnar is another superstar who might not like Chris Jericho's WWE return. The two have a real-life heat due to a serious backstage issue that happened after SummerSlam 2016. Lesnar nearly came to blows with Jericho backstage, but the incident was averted after Triple H intervened.

Brock Lesnar had walked out of the guerilla position after beating Randy Orton in the match. Lesnar had given a terrible beating to Orton, hitting him with his elbows, causing The Viper to start bleeding profusely. The finish wasn't a work, and the blood was real.

Jericho was furious seeing this, and he confronted Lesnar backstage, asking him about that finish. Lesnar snubbed Jericho, saying, "Go ask Vince." The two nearly came to blows, but other superstars intervened. Speaking about the incident, Jericho had even said that he was going to "bite his nose off".

Even though Lesnar makes fewer appearances now, there is a possibility that he might come across Chris Jericho at the Royal Rumble event next year. It will be interesting to see how the two interact after a nine-year fight.

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Edited by Mohammad Bilal