WWE SmackDown Live Results: Highlights, Analysis, and Grades for May 2
By Grant Mannis
WWE United States Championship Match
Chris Jericho (c) vs. Kevin Owens
Result: Kevin Owens wins via pinfall (New United States Champion)
Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars
Our final match of the evening has two former best friends going at it to see who will leave SmackDown Live as the United States Champion. Having known and faced one another for quite awhile at this point, both men knew what to expect. Kevin Owens frequently went for the Pop-Up Powerbomb, while Chris Jericho tried to make use of his patented submission. These moves have ended one another in the past, and so they were on full-display throughout the contest.
Great storytelling was also another highlight of this match. The injured finger Owens has from Payback was a weak spot targeted by Jericho, and the Prizefighter looked for opportunities to strike like a shark. It wasn’t until a DDT on the outside that Owens had the match in his grasp. Rolling his injured rival into the ring, he secured his second United States championship with a powerful Pop-Up Powerbomb.
Celebrating with the title, Owens seemed perfectly content to simply leave the arena the victor. Once paramedics came down to help Y2J, he decided otherwise and continued his assault. Another Pop-Up followed, and to cap it off he released some verbal insults at the former champion.
Walking up the ramp, it finally seemed as though Owens was satisfied with the damage he inflicted. Then, he changed his mind again and came back down to the ring. Attaching a steel chair to Jericho’s neck, he threw his former friend into the ring post. The show ended with Jericho in serious pain as Owens held onto his newly won championship.
What did you think of this episode of SmackDown Live? Let us know in the comments below.