Chris Jericho has been pushed to the limit by his heated rival, Tommaso Ciampa, in bringing back his popular gimmick at AEW Redemption 2026. The former World Champion appeared in a backstage segment on the July 15 episode and reflected on his loss to Ciampa at Beach Break last week, standing in darkness.
Jericho said that he wanted to battle Ciampa one more time at AEW’s newest PPV, Redemption 2026. However, this time, he wanted to raise the stakes. Right after, Jericho emerged into the light, revealing his iconic Painmaker face paint and hat, and said:
“Last week on Dynamite, you left me bloodied and battered, but I liked it. So let’s do it again, July 26, at Redemption. But let’s raise the stakes shall we? You bring the pain, I’ll bring the PAINMAKER.”
This will be the first time in years that Chris Jericho will be donning his popular gimmick for a match. His last match as the ‘Painmaker’ came on an episode of Dynamite 2023. Jericho teamed up with Sammy Guevara in a Texas Tornado Tag Team Match against Darby Allin and Sting, which they lost.
On the other hand, his rivalry with Tommaso Ciampa has been an engaging and heated storyline for weeks. The Psycho Killer left Y2J bloodied and battered after picking up the victory over him last week on Beach Break. However, with the Painmaker coming for Ciampa at AEW Redemption 2026, it will be interesting to see if the former DIY member will be able to stop this version of Chris Jericho.
