WWE Royal Rumble 2017: 5 Reasons Chris Jericho Should Win

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3. He Has Anchored Raw Since the Brand Split

The brand split opened up a lot of opportunities for superstars on both Raw and SmackDown. Chris Jericho was getting plenty of camera time before the brand split as well, but once the draft happened, he was thrust into a position where he and Owens were the undisputed anchors of Raw. While SmackDown has largely been praised as the better show, Owens and Jericho have been perhaps the brightest stars in all of WWE since the summer. So what more appropriate way is there to reward that than by giving them the WrestleMania 33 main event?

There is an argument to be made that Owens and Jericho have saved Raw’s ratings. Last week SmackDown defeated Raw in the ratings for the first time.  It was a long time coming since the blue brand has put on the better weekly show for months now, but it’s an impressive accomplishment nonetheless. It’s fair to wonder how much sooner SmackDown could have surpassed Raw if Owens and Jericho weren’t around. Their combination of top tier mic work and ability to produce consistently good matches make them the co-MVPs of Raw, and probably the MVPs of the entire WWE out of everybody not named AJ Styles.

Because of what they’ve done for Raw, it only makes sense to have them represent the flagship show at WrestleMania by facing off for the Universal title. It would essentially serve as a showcase for Raw, with them saying “These are our guys, they’ve anchored us, and now they’re going to anchor WrestleMania.” Jericho winning the Royal Rumble would allow that to happen and it would be an exceptional reward for their contributions.