Big Update on Chris Jericho's Relationship with WWE

Earlier this week, it was reported by EW.com that Chris Jericho has signed on to host Robot Combat League, an upcoming Syfy show centered on giant operator-controlled robots battling each other in action-packed fights.

While the whole premise sounds a little silly (Boxing robots? Really?), it nonetheless marks Jericho's most significant mainstream gig since his appearance on ABC's Dancing with the Stars.

He has also picked up parts in the movies MacGruber and Android Apocalypse, as well as a role on the short-lived Disney show Aaron Stone. While he has not exactly had Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's success (In fairness, who has?), he nonetheless appears to being quite nicely for himself in Hollywood.

In addition to Robot Combat League and his acting career, Jericho is also extremely busy with his spoof heavy metal band, Fozzy.

Since the show is on Syfy, one would presume the former WWE Champion will pop up SmackDown (which, of course, also airs on that network) to promote the project when it debuts in February of next year.

So, we likely will see Jericho on WWE television again for a one-off promotional appearance. But what about a wrestling return? What is his future in the company?

Well, in this week's (subscribers-only) Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer notes that things remain cool between Jericho and his former employer, with his Fozzy's upcoming touring schedule clashing with WrestleMania season and the company currently having no notable plans to use him in the future:

"

Jericho and his band Fozzy are doing a European tour from 11/23 to 12/15, starting in Cork, Ireland and doing UK shows from 11/27 to 12/6, then to Germany, The Netherlands, France, Austria and Switzerland. He will be doing his first spoken word show on 11/25 in London. In late February, the band has an Australia tour where they work underneath Metallica. The timing doesn’t rule out coming back the last few weeks before Mania, but no long-term storyline looks possible and there have been no rumblings of an angle for him this year that I’ve heard.

"

While this is undoubtedly disappointing news for Jericho fans, for anyone who has followed this story, it is not at all surprising. 

Indeed, Jericho's outside ambitions have often clashed with his wrestling career, with the star even noting in a recent interview with the Daily Star website that he had encountered problems with the company over his band and other projects: "As you and I know, WWE lives in its own world and you can see that for any outside ventures that they do."