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#4 Chris Jericho praised Kevin Owens for "reigniting his passion" for professional wrestling
Chris Jericho is a big fan of Kevin Owens. The pair first teamed together in WWE in the summer of 2016, with their association lasting for much of KO's reign as Universal Champion.
As part of one of his Q & A live-stream sessions last year, Jericho revealed just how much he had enjoyed working with Owens during that time.
'Le Champion' had only been due to return to WWE for a short period to face AJ Styles at WrestleMania 32, but ended up extending the run in order to work with Kevin Owens:
"I went back for three months (in 2015/16) around WrestleMania time, to work with AJ Styles. I suddenly started working with Kevin Owens and realised very quickly that he had the same mentality, same passion and thought that I could really do something with him. I had so much fun with him, and it was one of the best stories that year. We had a lot of good times. Nothing but love for Kevin." said Jericho.
The Jericho and Owens partnership made for some highly entertaining television. However, their time as a unit is just as fondly remembered for the manner in which it ended.
The 'Festival of Friendship' segment in which Owens turned on Jericho in Las Vegas was fabulously executed. One of the best angles seen on RAW in years when it took place in February 2017, the turn led to Owens and Jericho squaring off at WrestleMania 33.
Whilst their WrestleMania match was ultimately underwhelming, the duo certainly produced plenty of quality in the build-up. Though Jericho made the jump to AEW in early 2019, he and Owens remain good friends.
Had Jericho not had such a great time working with Kevin Owens, it is entirely possible that he could have opted to call time on his in-ring career back in 2016. Given the impact that Jericho has made in AEW, that would not have been a positive for wrestling fans.
