10 Things WWE Wants You To Forget About the Universal Championship
7. Putting It On Goldberg Made Chris Jericho Quit
Chris Jericho and Kevin Owens had WWE’s best storyline from 2016 to 2017. Their Festival of Friendship saga was a masterclass in storytelling—equal parts hilarious, emotional, and brilliantly executed. Fans were all in on their eventual split, and the plan was reportedly for their feud to culminate in a WrestleMania match for the Universal Championship.
Then WWE did what WWE does best: they threw it all away.
At Fastlane 2017, Goldberg steamrolled Owens in under 30 seconds, thanks to a distraction from Jericho. Just like that, the Universal Title was yanked from their feud and handed over to Goldberg Vs. Brock Lesnar instead. Owens and Jericho? They got bumped down to a United States Championship match at WrestleMania.
Jericho later admitted he was furious about the decision, believing their story had earned the main event spotlight. Instead, WWE prioritised part-time stars over full-time talent, and the betrayal stung enough for Jericho to walk away from the company in 2018.
He’d go on to reinvent himself in NJPW and become a cornerstone of AEW, while WWE was left with yet another missed opportunity.