Premature Ejaculations and the Festival of Friendship

by Trent Anderson
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For months the WWE has slow burned animosity between Chris Jericho and Kevin Owens only for it to end in a brutal beat down during this past Monday Night Raw with the inference that Triple H ordered it. Did the WWE pop this cork too soon or does it suggest something more coming out of Mania where and when Mania has always served as that great reset button?

Kevin Owens is slated to face Bill Goldberg at FastLane for the Universal title. Because of the beat down on Jericho this past week, Jericho will no doubt interfere in the match costing Owens to lose the title. From this we can speculate with some certainty that Goldberg will drop the title to Lesnar at Wrestlemania where it is highly rumored Goldberg will be taking time off after the the grand daddy of all pay-per-views. Now here is where it gets interesting, with Lesnar all but retired from MMA fighting at this point, and slated to work some house shows, does this suggest that he will play a more proactive role, or will his here-today-gone-tomorrow limited schedule remain in tact?

With so much speculation surrounding Wrestlemania at this point, it baffles me as to why the WWE would prematurely pop the cork on such a strong angle between Jericho and Kevin Owens. For as good as the inevitable conclusion was, the WWE would have been better served to cook this one a bit longer, perhaps until the Raw after FastLane. Ultimately, it comes down to how much money you are willing to leave on the table at this point. As suggested, Owens is going to drop the title to Goldberg at FastLane. This is going to relegate the Owens versus Jericho fight to a midcard U.S. Title shot. At best, this has the potential to be that Savage versus Steamboat show stealing match. At worse, what should have been a one shot 'title for title' fight hearkening back to Jericho becoming the first ever undisputed champion, has had the thunder stolen from such a potentially epic match with all the implications and historical homages therein.

What I surmise moving forward are a series of run-ins and backstage brawls in true McMahon fashion going into and coming out of FastLane between the former best friends. But is this paint-by-numbers archetype necessary to generate more buzz, or even more heat than what has already been established? I would suggest that it isn't necessary, and has all the potential of over saturating what has been a money maker up to this point. The old adage 'less is more' reigns true in sports entertainment as it did back during the territorial days. I fear that this angle will become over produced and predictable with no great payoff going into Mania.

Lastly, the implications of Owens putting Goldberg over at FastLane, and then Jericho over at Mania, leaves him in a precarious position as the WWE continues to hot potato all the major titles. With Goldberg leaving, and Reigns making that long overdue heel turn, who or what angle do you put Owens in? Do you relegate him to Smackdown, or do you shove him to the midcard where the push he was given as the Universal champion is further squandered? There seems to be far more questions than answers at this juncture in the Road To Wrestlemania. And perhaps that is how it should be. But what I wonder is whether this austere road is a path to nowhere, or can creative find the direction it needs with the top guys leading out of the grand daddy of them all? Time will tell.