WWE News: Big Update On Chris Jericho’s WWE Contract Status, ‘Y2J’ May Stick Around Beyond ‘WrestleMania 33’

Speculation surrounding Chris Jericho’s WWE contracts has been quite common since he began making months-long returns to the company. And with his current run now lasting more than a year and upcoming obligations making fans wonder how much longer this run will last, “Y2J” shed some light on his status in the WWE on the latest episode of his podcast, confirming that he has just signed a new deal with the promotion.

After occasional matches in the last few months of 2015, Chris Jericho became a fixture of WWE programming in 2016, starting from the first Monday Night RAW episode of the year. But unlike his previous returns, which were met with mixed reactions from fans and journalists, his ongoing WWE run has been quite a productive and well-received one. He was still a babyface when he began a rivalry and short-lived partnership with the debuting AJ Styles, but when he turned heel on AJ in March, that breathed new life into Chris’ character, as he began playing a villain for the first time in four years.

As good as the Chris Jericho vs. AJ Styles feud was, the best was yet to come in 2016, as the Jericho heel catchphrases “stupid idiot” and “drink it in, man” became buzzwords among fans. He also formed an alliance with fellow Canadian wrestler Kevin Owens in the summer of 2016, as both men provided some of the most entertaining moments on Monday Night RAW in the post-brand split era, playing a pair of best friends who frequently argue, yet always end up on the same page when push comes to shove.

That alliance has been rumored to be ending soon with a possible Jericho vs. Owens match at the Fastlane pay-per-view in March, according to a recent Inquisitr report. However, it appears fans might get to “drink in” the “Gift of Jericho” for a little longer.

It was only mentioned in passing early on in the podcast, but on the latest episode of Talk is Jericho, which featured troubled former wrestler Perry Saturn as his guest, Chris Jericho said on Wednesday that he has signed a new WWE contract this week, not going into the details of the length of the deal. WrestlingInc.co, however, noted that it’s likely “Y2J” will remain on WWE television “until after WrestleMania 33,” meaning after April 2.

Congratulations to my fellow metal head & friend @IAmJericho for taking home The US Championship last night? #ChrisJericho #Stryper @WWE pic.twitter.com/5HsoKw37xB

— MichaelSweet Stryper (@michaelhsweet) January 10, 2017

The question remains, though – just how long will Jericho be showing up on Monday Night RAW once WrestleMania 33 goes into the books? Based on the touring schedule of his band Fozzy, it might only be for a few weeks after ‘Mania. Cageside Seats wrote in December that Fozzy’s spring tour schedule begins with a show at Jacksonville, Florida on April 29. Bands in Town also shows the band scheduled to play at the AT&T Center in San Antonio on May 27, and at Donington Park in the U.K. on June 9 for the prestigious Download Festival.

In addition, Chris Jericho’s latest book No Is a Four-Letter Word: How I Failed Spelling But Succeeded in Life, is due for release in August 2017, which could mean promotional appearances for the book, which is Chris’ fourth book, following three autobiographies that covered different parts of his wrestling career. Unlike his previous releases, the new book appears to be centered on career advice, albeit written in Jericho’s “trademark style – jam-packed with ridiculous stories and hilarious references,” as seen in Amazon’s listing.

As far as we know, Chris Jericho’s WWE contracts have been month-to-month agreements, so it’s entirely plausible that the new deal was for another month, possibly the entire month of April; such a deal may suggest that Jericho vs. Owens may take place at WrestleMania 33 after all, and not at Fastlane as was rumored very recently. But based on how well his ongoing run has been going, it wouldn’t hurt to have him back on WWE television once his non-wrestling commitments are fulfilled, hopefully sooner rather than later.

[Featured Image by WWE]