By James Caldwell, PWTorch assistant editor

WWE star Chris Jericho talked about his WWE return, how long his current run may last, working with C.M. Punk, and changes to his physical conditioning in an interview with WWE Magazine published this week.

"I had no intention of coming back. I was happy doing what I was doing," Jericho said before entering storyline/character mode. "But when I saw C.M. Punk performing all of my stuff, it inspired me to return and remind everyone just what's going on."

Jericho said in recent interviews that the main reason he decided to come back to WWE was to work with Punk when he saw an opening to do something different than when he left WWE in 2010.

As for how long he plans to stay during the current run, Jericho said he may leave and come back again. (He has multiple "Fozzy" tours lined up, as he talked about in an interview here.) He also hinted at an Undertaker-like schedule being able to come and go until he feels he can no longer perform up to his personal standard.

"Why would it be the end?" Jericho said in response to a question on whether this current run will be the end for his career. "I outclass everyone in the company. It'll be the end when I decide it's the end. I might leave and then come back. Listen: When you get to this level, you don't have to play by the rules anymore. When I can't compete at a top level anymore, then I won't come back."

One reason why Jericho says he can continue to perform at a high level is his physical condition. Although he did not mention DDP Yoga in the interview, Jericho talked about improvements to his health.

"I really kind of changed my whole training regime and diet," Jericho said. "I made a lot (of) overall changes, lost a lot of weight. And when you're physically sharper, that makes you mentally sharper as well."

FYI: Jericho's full interview can be read in the current WWE Magazine issue cover-dated May 2012.

[Torch art credit Travis Beaven (c) PWTorch.com]

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