10 Impulse Reactions Following WWE WrestleMania 33
6. Forgotten Friends
For as great as the match for the red brand's top strap was, it became more apparent just how vital the top prize was in giving the Kevin Owens/Chris Jericho match the elevated platform it deserved.
For around eight months, the relationship between the two carried Monday Night Raw's main event, with their friendship a constant subtext in any of Owens' title storylines with the host of top babyfaces they managed to sneak by.
The 'Festival of Friendship' turn will probably win segment-of-the-year honours, with the powerful betrayal touching people's emotions in ways not thought possible when considering the eventual collapse of two sneaky heels.
Jericho in particular deserves enormous credit for his year playing willing second fiddle. Getting 'KO' over far more than the 15-finisher matches he was having with Sami Zayn, Dean Ambrose and John Cena, 'Y2J' was the first wrestler on the main roster to extort the truly wicked side of Owens as Zayn had done in NXT.
Mindset always trumps moveset in connecting with an audience, and Jericho milked every emotion from their devious union right up until the Las Vegas divorce.
On early with only a secondary title, the conflict just didn't feel like it was where it needed to be. The match was solid and an Owens win completes his decimation of poor Jericho, but it will be remembered as a climax that fell short through no fault of their own.