wrestling / Columns
The Complex Breakup of Chris & Kevin
Triple H and Kevin Owens spoke for the first time since Triple H handed Kevin Owens the WWE Universal back in August. We don’t know what was said, but we do know that it must have been important.
We know this because Kevin Owens turned on Chris Jericho during the Festival of Friendship later in the show. While we all knew that the best friends weren’t bound to be together forever, the split seemed a bit premature. Kevin Owens is about to enter the biggest match of his career against Goldberg at Fastlane. Even though Jericho got him into the match, Y2J has always had his best friends back.
As Jericho mentioned on Monday, when Owens needed help against the likes of Sami Zayn, Seth Rollins, and Roman Reigns; Chris Jericho was there for him. And he vowed to be there for him against Goldberg. It’s not unfair to say that without Jericho; Owens wouldn’t be champion and doesn’t stand a chance Goldberg. Knowing that Jericho has helped him at every turn, why would Owens throw away his friendship and insurance policy?
There has to be a back-up plan.
Triple H had to assure Owens of something. While Jericho has been the world’s best friend over the past six months, it was Triple H who initially had Kevin’s back. Dating back to 2014, when Triple H brought Owens into NXT, HHH has seen something in the current Universal Champion. He gave him his official stamp of approval when he turned on his longtime associate Seth Rollins, and helped Owens win the belt.
Kevin Owens is not a dumb man. You don’t become the longest reigning WWE Universal Champion in history by being a dumb man. He knows how important Jericho was to his title reign. He’s not going to face-off against Goldberg without a new, potentially better, insurance policy.
Enter Samoa Joe.
Upon his arrival three weeks ago, Joe immediately became Triple H’s enforcer. And he’s already made a huge impact. He took out Seth Rollins, defeated Roman Reigns, and attacked Sami Zayn. Those three name sound familiar?
Jericho helped Owens defeat all three men, Joe destroyed all three on his own. He put Rollins on the shelf for months, he beat Reigns in his first official match, and he easily punked Sami. By doing those three things against those three men, Joe proved that he is more valuable than Jericho.
And maybe that’s why Owens turned on Jericho. He was presented with a better opportunity by a man that he trusts more than he trusted Jericho. If Triple H came to Owens with the offer, “leave Jericho, and I’ll give you Joe,” Owens did his due diligence and weighed the pros and cons becoming coming to the conclusion that Joe is greater than Jericho.
But what’s the endgame for Triple H?
He hired Samoa Joe to take care of Seth Rollins for him, and it worked. But why did he hand Owens the title and why is he just now coming back to protect his investment? Is it because he knew Jericho could help Owens with guys like Rollins, Reigns, and Zayn, but Goldberg was a much tougher task? Remember, when Jericho was stuck in the shark cage as a sexy piñata, all of a sudden Braun Strowman entered the picture. Are we sure that Triple H didn’t send Braun to help Owens in order to ensure that his guy remained champion?
This story seems far more complex than we’re giving it credit for. Triple H has masterminded the entire title reign of Owens. From hand picking him that night on Raw, to protecting him from that point until now, to ensuring that he remains the top guy on the flagship brand. Triple H didn’t pick Owens to fail. That would make him look like a failure. So he’s done everything in his power to ensure that Owens would succeed, even if he hasn’t been front and center until now.
But what’s next?
Owens has a lot of explaining to do, but I doubt we get the real answer until Fastlane. That’s when we’ll see if Owens made a mistake by leaving his best friend for a better deal or if he was duped by Triple H.
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