What we learned from the WWE this week: May 05, 2017

#4 Chris Jericho has improved SmackDown LIVE with just one appearance

He came, he saw, he conquered.

If there’s one thing on the minds of WWE fans this week, it's the departure of Y2J. Jericho has been an instrumental part in keeping WWE fun, engaging and relevant, in what is still very much a transitional phase for the company. His feud with fellow Canadian Kevin Owens has no doubt been the storyline of the year for 2016 and the first half of 2017.

So it was with sadness and regret this week that we were forced to say goodbye to Chris while he takes a, hopefully short, leave of absence.

What was evident this week, as if we didn’t already know, is that everything Jericho touches turns to gold instantly. In just one episode, Jericho put a spark right through the heart of SmackDown LIVE and left it a better place than when he found it.

Kevin Owens is easily the number one heel of the show after effectively semi-retiring the legend, and giving him a brutal post-match beat down for his troubles. This has, in turn, made AJ Styles the number one babyface. If it wasn’t for Jericho, and we just had a KO and Styles rivalry over the US Title, things would have felt pretty vanilla. Fans would probably have cheered for both, and the lines between heel and face would have been too blurred.

Now we have a reason to back AJ in his attempts to win the US Title from Owens. We would like some kayfabe revenge for what happened this week, and this will make WWE Backlash all the more compelling. It’s crazy to think, but Chris Jericho is someone who can do more for the wrestling world in two hours than most people can in an entire career.