Top 10 WWE heel turns of all time
5. Kevin Owens
Kevin Owens decimates Chris Jericho on the Festival of Friendship
Because sometimes, more is more.
A lot of people would prefer Owens turning on Sami in NXT as a heel turn because of its simplicity, but I’ll be lying if I said I don’t absolutely love the stupidity and the over-the-top nature of this heel turn. Stupid and over the top, pro-wrestling in a nutshell. That segment alone justifies this entry, but there’s more.
First, there’s the buildup. Chris Jericho and Kevin Owens were the best of buddies. Two annoying heels hugging and kissing each other to the point where their friendship became genuinely heartwarming. Both men had amazing chemistry together and virtually carried RAW on their backs for the better part of 2016.
Owens was the Universal champion, and the straight-faced one of the two, while Jericho had perhaps the funniest and most entertaining run of his WWE career. With the List of Jericho, “It”, Stupid Idiot, the Gift of Jericho, the scarves, the Mike Tom/Tom Mike, and the millions of other things with KO, Jericho seemed to be churning out comedic gold right out of his pocket. They teased the duo breaking up a few times, but they never did. They only got stronger and funnier and more endearing, and at the time of their breakup, they were the most entertaining act, which made it all the more devastating.
The aftermath was not the best though. They were the second match at WrestleMania over the US title. Owens and Jericho were always good but the booking never supported them, and that’s probably why this isn’t higher on the list, but let’s talk about why they just made the List! And that’s because of the Festival of Friendship.
It has to be one of the greatest segments in WWE history, it was a rollercoaster of emotions. Jericho spared no expense in showing his appreciation for his best friends. There were dancers, streamers, magicians, and of course, the gifts of Jericho. The kissing statue and the painting and Owens liking none of it. It was like that legendary “This is your Life Segment” between Rock and Mankind, Jericho trying to make Owens happy and Owens rejecting everything. He even put “Friendship” the magician on the list for not impressing Owens.
And then we took a bit of an emotional turn. Jericho expressed his love for Owens in a really heartfelt way that brought tears to the eyes of young and old fans alike, and we all waited for Owens to hug Jericho and tell him that he felt the same way. And he did. He acknowledged Jericho’s feelings and told him he loves him too, and got him a gift.
And it was perfect! A new list. But wait, how come Jericho’s name’s on that?
The sheer beauty of this particular bit is that it was shot brilliantly. Jericho realizes his name is on the list, the fans seeing “The List of KO” printed on the back, the roar of the crowd signaling something bad was about to happen, Jericho’s face when he turns the list around, Owens’ face just before he punches his best friend in the head. Owens savagely beat Jericho up, power bombed him on the apron, and then smashed him through the Jeritron in a throwback to another moment that may or may not appear on this list (no spoilers).
Most of all, this turn made sense. Jericho crossed a line when he accepted Goldberg’s challenge on Owens’ behalf, and Owens should’ve been frustrated seeing a clipboard getting more attention than the Universal Champion.
Also, there’s another tiny detail that seems insignificant but gets me every time I think about it. The last thing Jericho put on the list that night was “Friendship”.