Kevin Owens attacks Chris Jericho during the “Festival of Friendship”: Raw, Feb. 13, 2017
“The public might see pro-wrestling as a glorified soap opera featuring oiled-up men in tights, but it’s still real to the WWE Universe dammit! One of the moments that most exemplified this in modern-day WWE history was the Festival of Friendship in Las Vegas featuring Kevin Owens and Chris Jericho showing off their weirdly entertaining bromance.
And boy did the fans eat this segment up like a three-course dinner. They laughed their asses off at the gifts they gave each other, they were moved to tears when the wrestlers talked about their bromance, and they paid attention to notice an uncomfortable aurora emanating from Owens. It was a bizarre sight to take in, but it resonated with fans because of how raw it all felt in the moment.
This segment had everything from a creepy picture of Owens and Jericho sitting on clouds to the return of mock WWE legend Gilberg. While those outside of the pro-wrestling community might not be able to appreciate this, those within the circle were watching two incredible men show their love for each other.
Jericho even went so far as to tell Owens that he had his back in his upcoming match against Goldberg and that he would guarantee Owens would come out the winner. Owens politely thanked Jericho for his promise, but you could tell there was something that he was holding back. It was almost like he was waiting for the perfect moment to do something.
And then, it happened. Just after all the I love you’s were said, and the two men shared one last hug in the ring, Owens gave Jericho a gift he would never forget. He said it wasn’t much, but that it was from his heart. Jericho opened the gift and pulled out a new list, which was running gag at the time, but there was one big difference with this list.
This list was labeled, “The list of KO” and Jericho was left wondering why his name was the first written on it. He didn’t have to wonder very long, however, as Owens would attack Jericho and throw him into the television set. He would then throw the gifts they had gotten each other onto the arena floor before hitting Jericho with a pop-up powerbomb on the ring apron.
The crowd went nuts at this point, especially since these two had been friends for so long.
In the end, nothing lasts forever in the world of WWE, and Owens and Jericho were no exception to this.
