WWE’s best segment of 2017 was the “Festival of Friendship” break-up between former best friends Kevin Owens and Chris Jericho.
As we head toward the celebration for 25 years of Monday Night Raw, there are a number of memorable segments that come to mind. 2017 has its own list of exciting moments and segments, but very few stands out like the Festival of Friendship. This is a moment back in February that everyone “saw” coming, but still stole not only that show, but the entire year as the best WWE segment of 2017.
The Festival of Friendship had nearly everything a professional wrestling fan could want. The buildup of an impending break up between Chris Jericho and Kevin Owens was brewing for weeks. Everyone knew the trajectory of this storyline, but that didn’t take away from the apprehension of when it was going to come. That was until it was announced the week prior; setting the stage for what would be the best segment in the company all year.
With all the well reviews and praise that would come to the Festival of Friendship, this segment almost didn’t happen, or at least it would have occurred in a different way. According to Jericho, he had to fight to keep the segment the way it was planned out as WWE Creative pushed for multiple changes.
“Once again it goes back to the principle of standing up for what you believe in. I had that idea months earlier to do a big spectacle with dancing girls and the whole thing. And then it constantly was being changed even the day of the show it was changed, and I didn’t like it and I knew that my way was better,” Jericho said during an interview on Baby Huey and Bimbo Jimbo of 107.7. “I stood up for it even to the point of calling Vince when he was on a plane in the middle of the air and pitching my case. Not taking no for an answer. Not allowing my vision to be changed.”
What fans got was an amalgamation of over the top moments with the dancing girls, the comedy with the painting and sculpture, all the way up to the heartbreaking moment of “Why’s my name on here?” as Jericho revealed the List of KO.
With storylines being leaked online and kayfabe basically destroyed thanks to social media, there’s something telling about an angle that still keeps people so invested such as the Festival of Friendship. Professional wrestling is an intricate mix of athletic display and storytelling. The Festival of Friendship was an amalgamation of both using two of the most important personalities of this generation and perhaps the one preceding it.
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Looking back on 2017, there’s a lot around professional wrestling to get excited about and potentially a lot to complain about. Yet, this is a moment in which fans should appreciate the craft that goes on in the ring. The Festival of Friendship stands as the best segment on WWE television in 2017 and shows that the promotion still has the ability to put together memorable moments when everything comes together.
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