When Kevin Owens defeated Chris Jericho at WrestleMania 33, it was a moment that we were all anticipating – even though the majority of fans were aware that the feud would probably continue onwards to the next pay per view. Why? Because rematches at the PPV after Mania are about as stereotypical for WWE as their 50/50 booking technique at this point.
So here we are just a few days away from WWE Payback, and it seems likely that the Prizefighter will once again come away as the victor. That’s not guaranteed, of course, because this is professional wrestling, and we know how much Vince enjoys pulling the rug out from underneath all of us fans.
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From an outsider’s perspective, there’s actually quite a lot they could do when it comes to the booking of this match, which is exciting when you think about how their Mania match didn’t really stand out above the rest. That isn’t to say it was bad, but there was just so much great wrestling to consume on that show. However, given the abilities of both men, the sequel certainly deserves a significant amount of the spotlight.
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With all that being said, here are five possible endings for Kevin Owens vs. Chris Jericho.
#1 Jericho catches KO
This isn’t going to be a popular option, but it’s one that is a distinct possibility. Jericho and Owens will more than likely go for 10-15 minutes at the very least, and if that happens then some fans will gradually start to worry that KO won’t come away with the victory. Alas, that’s exactly what would happen in the first of our five ‘dream’ scenarios.
Owens would be preparing Jericho for the pop-up powerbomb, only for Y2J to counter the move into a roll up that manages to land him the one, two, three. Obviously, Jericho is popular enough to the point where people will likely cheer his victory, but the aftermath won’t be anywhere near as positive given how popular Owens is among the WWE Universe.
You can predict the commentary from here...
#2 Owens loses it
The personal aspect of this feud should probably affect Jericho more so out of the two, but there’s certainly room for change. In this instance, we’d have Y2J toying with Owens for the majority of the match with KO getting far too cocky when it comes to his new “Face of America” persona. That’s not too hard to imagine now is it?
Then, when Y2J thinks he’s got Owens right where he wants him, KO unleashes a barrage of vicious assaults that end up getting him disqualified. He doesn’t stop there though, instead choosing to put a lethal beatdown on Jericho that’s so impactful it sends him back on the road with Fozzy for a few months. It’s logical, it makes sense, and everybody wins. Well, kind of.
How did he pull that off?!
#3 Owens gets lucky
Chris Jericho is one of the most durable and talented veterans in the business today, and as such, you can never underestimate him when it comes to a big time match. With one win over Y2J already under his belt, there’s a grave risk of Owens doing just that by gloating over his perceived superiority in the early stages of the bout.
Also read: Why Chris Jericho and Kevin Owens' breakup was booked perfectly
If this does indeed happen, we’d like to see Jericho take the fight to Owens by pulling out every trick in the book in a desperate attempt to capture the United States Championship. Then, when all hope seems lost for the former Universal Champion, KO pulls out a surprise pop-up powerbomb that quite literally knocks Jericho out cold. Simple, yet effective.
Bah Gawd almighty!
#4 Jericho risks it all
Picture the scenario: Jericho kicks out of a pop-up powerbomb on the apron and manages to withstand all of the attacks being thrown at him by Owens. Then, after finally getting something that resembles an opening, Jericho goes up to the top rope and risks it all with an optimistic cross body. It may not sound all that impressive, but considering his age we should appreciate the guy’s dedication.
In an ideal world we’d like to see Owens catch Jericho and perhaps even finish him off with a secondary finisher. Obviously, we don’t really see secondary finishers clinch the victory, but it can happen every so often, so why not give the fans something to talk about? Kevin will seem even more dangerous, and it’ll make the US Title feel more important by default. Simple.
Don’t mess with the Prizefighter.
#5 Owens dominates
This one is very simplistic and would send a clear message to the rest of the SmackDown LIVE roster – Kevin Owens isn’t playing around, and he isn’t going to bow down to anyone. Have him control Jericho from start to finish, perhaps barring one or two moments in the middle of the bout, kind of in a similar fashion to Brock Lesnar vs John Cena at SummerSlam 2014.
Not everyone will be too keen to see a squash of this magnitude, but Owens desperately needs to feel like a bad ass on the blue brand as the back end of his run on Monday Night Raw didn’t go too well. It would put a final and definitive exclamation point on this legendary feud, which is what it deserves after months of endless entertainment.
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