Chris Jericho has done surprise returns to WWE, is he doing a surprise exit?

Even before folks started in with the "cool dad" jokes, Chris Jericho was getting heat from fans for diminishing returns on WWE comebacks from "out of nowhere".

Seeing as he's a heel again, is he now pulling the reverse?

This morning, after being beaten cleanly by Dean Ambrose in Chicago on Sunday night at Payback, Y2J sent out this Tweet:

Thanks @wwe....its been real. See you next time.

— Chris Jericho (@IAmJericho) May 2, 2016

He's been active on Twitter during this run promoting potential fueds and angles, with the assumption being that he was at least sticking around to work the Japan tour in early July. Rumors even had the pop culture jack-of-all-trades sticking around until SummerSlam.

Considering trolling the internet has been a key component of his latest rudo character, it's entirely possible the Tweet is a work - or part of one. Jericho has been forthright in interviews about his love of working house shows ever since he stopped working as a full-timer, too, so he could be done with television and still be a part of the two dates in Japan in a couple months.

And the SummerSlam talk was never more than rumor, anyway. With John Cena due back at the end of May, and reports putting Randy Orton and Seth Rollins close to comebacks, "the Best in the World" at what he does may have filled a gap for Vince McMahon, and, with that mission accomplished, be off to focus on rocking out with Fozzy, making internet comedy shorts and talking about the paranormal.

He did leave the Allstate Arena with a meltdown, throwing a fit after losing to Ambrose, which is part of the Y2J exit script. And he said on Instagram last week that he was starting work on his fourth book...

We'll have another clue tonight when we see if he shows up for Raw in St. Louis.