Chris King’s What If: Chris Jericho vs. Kevin Owens At WrestleMania 33

Imagining a world where Chris Jericho and Kevin Owens’ battle at WWE WrestleMania 33 was for the Universal Championship.

At WrestleMania 33, Goldberg defended the Universal Championship against Brock Lesnar. Everyone, myself included, was not thrilled that two part-timers were fighting over the heavyweight title, and instead it should have been Kevin Owens defending against Chris Jericho. 

KO and Jericho were the hottest duo in 2016. What started off as a random tag team pairing quickly turned into solid gold. Both superstars had a ton of chemistry together, so when KO became universal champion and Jericho was side by side with him, it worked. Jericho’s moniker at the time, “You Just Made The List,” and his amazing scarf collection were a highlight of Monday Night Raw. 

KO and Jericho were the best of friends; Owens even helped his buddy win the United States Championship. Every time KO had a title defense, Jericho would cause some distraction or physically get involved to ensure Owens remained champion. At the 2017 Royal Rumble PLE, Jericho was held up in a shark cage hanging above the ring and still managed to try and help KO defeat Roman Reigns, but the WWE Universe had Braun Strowman to thank for that assist. 

Gearing up to WrestleMania, Goldberg would push and prod his way into getting a championship match at Fastlane. Jericho would be the one to offer him a title match; in return, the duo would immediately break up. In the historic segment “Festival of Friendship,” Jericho would give his best friend a bunch of meaningful gifts, but KO had other plans. Owens would brutally attack Jericho and throw him into the TV screen.

Let’s be honest, Goldberg and Lesnar didn’t need the title to tell an important story. ‘The Beast Incarnate’ could have gotten his revenge after his humiliating loss to Goldberg at the 2016 Survivor Series in eighty-five seconds. The two part-timers could have had their match, and KO and Jericho, former best friends, could have had their storybook ending in a fantastic match. 

We all know how Jericho got his revenge on KO, by costing him the universal championship at Fastlane. What if by some miracle, KO retained the title and Jericho still got his revenge? Both superstars would have delivered an in-ring classic match at Mania. Jericho himself has actually stated that being placed second on the card was one of the catalysts to him leaving WWE and venturing out to other wrestling companies. For the first time in his WWE career, Jericho could have been world champion as a babyface.