Backstage WWE and AEW Rumors on Chris Jericho, Naomi and More

Chris Jericho has been synonymous with All Elite Wrestling since the start, a huge figure in the industry who understood the vision of Kenny Omega, The Young Bucks, Cody Rhodes and Tony Khan, and hitched his star to the young promotion.

Now, the future Hall of Famer finds his name in the headlines as his contract nears its end and rumors emerge surrounding his future.

The Nueve headlines a crop of insider reports that also features the latest on Naomi and WWE's Wrestlepalooza premium live event on September 20.

Update on Chris Jericho

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Could one of the most decorated champions in WWE history return to the company upon the conclusion of his AEW contract later this year?

Dave Meltzer reported on Wrestling Observer Radio that there has been a lot of of talk in WWE about a potential return for Chris Jericho later this year, with some even believing it is inevitable that he will be back.

Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select reported: "WWE sources that we spoke to said that Jericho's name hasn't come up whatsoever around the creative process, so if conversations have happened regarding him internally, it wasn't in that department."

Regarding current plans for the future Hall of Famer in AEW, he added: "We haven't heard of any creative discussions regarding Jericho in All Elite Wrestling of late, but also Jericho tends to speak with Tony Khan directly regarding his creative."

Jericho is among the most important stars in AEW, as a major star who bought into the vision for the company and helped attract eyes to the product.

He was the first AEW world champion and the centerpiece heel of the company for the first year or two of its existence.

The 54-year-old also has a rich history in WWE, where he was the first-ever undisputed champion and remains the most decorated intercontinental champion in company history.

A return to WWE would be a significant occurrence in that it would bring back one of the top stars of the last 25 years.

Before we get there, though, Jericho still has time left on his AEW contract, with no outward indication on his end that he has a desire to leave or will not be re-signing.

Latest on Naomi's Pregnancy and Effect on WWE Creative

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Women's world champion Naomi announced Monday night on WWE Raw that she is pregnant and relinquishing her title, though she also made it clear that she is coming back for it when she can.

Sapp reported: "As one would expect, Naomi's pregnancy has caused some huge creative shifts."

Considering her status as the champion of the Raw women's division, her unsettled issues with Bianca Belair, and a rivalry with Jade Cargill that WWE could easily revisit at any time, the effect of her absence on the product cannot be overstated.

WWE has yet to announce how it will go about crowning a new champion or what the timetable for that looks like, with the only known issue being Stephanie Vaquer is owed a title shot after her victory at Evolution, so expect La Primera to factor into the coronation of a new titleholder in some way.

With that said and despite the creative reshuffling, "everyone was ecstatic for her and Jimmy Uso backstage," Sapp wrote.

Wrestlepalooza Main Events Update

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WWE officially announced Wrestlepalooza will take place on September 20 in Indianapolis, the first of the company's premium live events to air on the new ESPN DTC platform.

Mike Johnson of PWInsider reported the expected main events for that show will see John Cena battle Brock Lesnar, and Cody Rhodes defend the Undisputed WWE Championship against Drew McIntyre.

The show will counter-program AEW's All Out, currently slated for the same day and time from the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.

Those two matches are considerable offerings from the company, no doubt looking to make a big splash in its first appearance on the new ESPN streaming platform while also taking viewers from the competition.

Cena vs. Lesnar is a one-on-one match fans have not witnessed since 2014, when The Beast Incarnate squashed wrestling's top star and took the WWE Championship from him in the main event of SummerSlam.

Appropriately, it was the summertime spectacular where Lesnar made his return to the company, laying Cena out with an F-5 to setup the marquee match.

McIntyre assaulted Rhodes on the first SmackDown after SummerSlam, setting himself up as the next opponent for The American Nightmare.

One of the best and most engaging performers on the WWE roster, it is a long overdue spot for McIntyre and one that puts him back at the top of the company after an acclaimed rivalry with CM Punk a year ago.

Wrestlepalooza Name Update

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Speaking of Wrestlepalooza, the name may be a throwback to the glory days of ECW, but it was not an easy sell to all backstage executives.

WrestleVotes reported that the name was the front-runner for the show, despite negative pushback from higher-ups at Raw on Monday night.

The inaugural Wrestlepalooza took place on August 5, 1995 at the ECW Arena in Philadelphia and featured The Gangstas (New Jack and Mustafa) vs. Public Enemy (Rocco Rock and Johnny Grunge) in a Stretcher match.

It would be a staple of the ECW calendar from there, with the only exception being 1996.

Tommy Dreamer, The Sandman, Shane Douglas, Al Snow, The Dudley Boyz, Taz, Sabu and even the great "American Dream" Dusty Rhodes competed in the main events of those shows, a who's who of the company's rich history.

One would assume Heyman was behind bringing back the title of the show.

And to have it now featured so prominently as part of the new ESPN platform has to be a surreal moment for the man who took a ragtag bunch in a bingo hall in south Philadelphia and with a little motivation and creative genius, turned ECW into one of the most influential promotions in wrestling history.