Why Chris Jericho Returned To New Japan: The Best Theories

Based on recent comments he made prior to his surprise appearance at last week's Wrestling Dontaku event, it seemed like Chris Jericho was done with New Japan Pro Wrestling. As it turns out, it was another case of Jericho misdirecting fans and maximizing the impact of his eventual return. But why is he back with New Japan, instead of going on another WWE run after his appearance at the Greatest Royal Rumble? Let's look at some of the most likely explanations behind what has turned out to be a surprise move on Y2J's part.

The most obvious reason we can think of is because Jericho had unfinished business with Tetsuya Naito, whom he had been feuding with in the immediate aftermath of Wrestle Kingdom 12. Fresh off a defeat in a highly acclaimed match against Kenny Omega at NJPW's answer to WrestleMania, Jericho attacked Naito the day after, at New Year's Dash, laying down such a vicious beatdown that it took several individuals to pull him apart and restore order. Cageside Seats presented some potential dates for the culmination of their rivalry, predicting a match at New Beginning in Hiroshima (January 27), or at Strong Style Evolved (March 25, in the U.S.), though that match has yet to take place.

At Wrestling Dontaku, Y2J was back for another violent attack on Naito, dropping the Los Ingobernables de Japon leader with a Codebreaker, and beating him up so badly that he left a crimson mask on the NJPW mainstay. As WWE and New Japan fans alike have hoped, both men will finally face off in the ring, as Jericho hopes to win the IWGP Intercontinental Championship from Naito at NJPW Dominion on Saturday, June 9. That's just about a month from now, but where does that leave Jericho, as far as his long-running relationship with the WWE is concerned?

Even with Jericho seemingly freelancing at the moment, as evidenced by his Greatest Royal Rumble appearance in between NJPW stints, we sadly don't think that the WWE is on top of his priority list at this point in his career. He's achieved practically everything a wrestler can dream of achieving as a WWE Superstar, and he's won a plethora of belts for Vince McMahon and company, including a record nine Intercontinental Championships. He's 47-years-old, and while he remains in fantastic shape for a man his age, he's at a point where he's best used putting younger talents over.

If we may predict what could be next for Jericho in the WWE in the coming year or two, we'd probably expect him to step back in once The Miz has tied, or has broken his record for most Intercontinental titles. (Miz is currently at eight IC titles, for those who lost count.) That should be something to watch for, but with Seth Rollins having just beaten Miz for the IC belt at WrestleMania 34, it's way too soon to expect Miz and Jericho feuding over a place in the record books.

Another possible reason why Chris Jericho may have returned to New Japan just weeks after saying that he's done with the company is that he 's edging closer to retirement, and is allowing his illustrious career to come as close to full circle as possible. Before getting his big North American break in WCW, Jericho competed in Japan, wrestling for Genichiro Tenryu's WAR (Wrestling and Romance/Wrestling Association R) promotion from 1994 to 1996. One year later, he took advantage of WCW's working relationship with New Japan, though as he recalled in his first autobiography, A Lion's Tale, he had quite the rocky start, botching several moves while working as the masked Super Liger. As we've seen in his Wrestle Kingdom match against Kenny Omega, Jericho's late-career NJPW run is going much better than his early-career run, and with all the attention he's getting, it would seem that his farewell tour as a wrestler, if that is indeed what it is, is going swimmingly thus far.

For our final two theories, we think Chris Jericho is back in NJPW because of the lighter schedule, which allows him to focus his energies on other endeavors, such as his heavy metal band Fozzy, his wrestling-themed cruise, his Talk is Jericho podcast, and the greater creative freedom he can enjoy without Vince McMahon's trademark micromanagement. Those are things we believe any pro wrestling veteran with a lot of non-WWE projects and a long and distinguished WWE resume would crave for, and with New Japan, Jericho's got all of those things going for him. Of course, we don't think Jericho is fully turning his back on WWE, but for the meantime, he's in a very ideal situation where he can attend to all his outside projects, and not have to be bound by a rigorous touring schedule, or a boss who, even at the age of 72, has the final say on all things creative.