What’s the story?
As reported by sescoops.com, the rumoured reason why Kevin Owens used an outside DDT on Chris Jericho, instead of his usual powerbomb to the apron, was to pay homage to Jake Roberts and Ricky Steamboat.
The Background
Jericho needed to be written off WWE television this week as he is about to start a tour with his band Fozzy and will be taking a hiatus from the company for the foreseeable future.
While many expected some sort of assault from Owens to lead to an injury angle for Y2J, fans were surprised that KO didn’t use his apron powerbomb which has sidelined many of his opponents.
Instead, Owens’ brutal attack on his former best friend began with a DDT to the concrete outside the ring; this was very reminiscent of an injury angle used by Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts and Ricky Steamboat way back in 1986.
The heart of the matter
According to sescoops.com, this was a deliberate choice by Jericho and Owens to pay tribute to the infamous moment that saw Steamboat sidelined after Roberts’ attack on an edition of Saturday Night’s Main Event.
The Roberts vs. Steamboat match was filmed 31 years before this week’s SmackDown LIVE, almost to the day, but it would not be aired until June of that year.
For those who are not familiar with the Steamboat DDT on the concrete, you can view the incident below.
What’s next?
It is unknown how long Jericho will be away from WWE, but this angle suggests that he might return at some point. Because of the way Y2J has been written off, he will have a ready made feud with Owens should he choose to return.
As for KO, now that he has reclaimed the United States Championship, he can continue his ‘New face of America’ gimmick, providing that he can get past his next challenger, AJ Styles, at the upcoming Backlash event.
Author’s take
Chris Jericho has been known to pay homage to legendary wrestlers and classic moments from WWE, so I would not be at all surprised if this rumour is true.
It’s sad to see Jericho leave as he has been arguably the most entertaining character in all of WWE over the last year or so; however, this was the perfect time and perfect way for him to leave.
Also read: 10 Milestones of Jeri-KO: A Eulogy to WWE’s greatest friendship
Send us news tips at [email protected]
Do you love to play crosswords, Wordle or other exciting games? We'd like to connect with you. Fill the form here!
