With WWE Royal Rumble right around the corner on January 31, rumors have been abound as to whether or not Chris Jericho is WWE bound despite not making an appearance on “WWE Raw’ this past Monday and still being listed as a member of AEW’s roster on their website. Despite the uncertainty of Jericho’s AEW status, AEW CEO and President Tony Khan has still voiced the respect he has for Jericho.

“Well first of all, I’m really grateful,” Khan said on “Unlikely With Adrian Hernandez”. “When I talk about people that have been here from the beginning and talk about that first show in Las Vegas, none of it would be possible without Chris Jericho who’s been instrumental in AEW from the very beginning. I love Chris very much, and I would say that Chris has always [been] a big part of AEW. I think this promotion is here to stay and Chris Jericho is a huge part of our history and we’re really proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish and Chris is an instrumental part of it.”

As alluded to by Khan, Jericho has been signed with AEW since its inception back in 2019. He wrestled his first match for the company at that year’s AEW Double or Nothing when he faced Kenny Omega to become the first AEW World Champion, and formed the Inner Circle shortly afterwards. Jericho’s most recent appearance came on the April 9 episode of “AEW Dynamite” when he hosted an episode of “TV Time With The Learning Three Chris Jericho” shortly after losing the Ring of Honor World Championship to current titleholder Bandidio.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit “Unlikely With Adrian Hernandez” with an h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.