20 Greatest WWE SmackDown Matches Ever

16. Kevin Owens Vs Chris Jericho Vs AJ Styles (July 25, 2017)

Kurt Angle Brock Lesnar
WWE.com

A rare SmackDown Live! appearance by Chris Jericho ended in disaster for former friend Kevin Owens after AJ Styles pinned 'Y2J' to take the 'Prizefighter's new prize in an unusually exhilarating triple threat.

The unselfish appearance from the man soon to be a New Japan Pro Wrestling part-timer gave the Owens/Styles rivalry the best possible start before it was brutalised by bad booking, with the contest deviating from the usual spot-rest-spot formula by maintaining a breakneck pace throughout.

It may prove to be Jericho's last ever truly great WWE encounter - his clean job to the 'Phenomenal One' was a fitting tribute.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 30 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz", Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 50,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett