Chris Jericho vs. Kevin Owens US Title Match Announced for WWE WrestleMania 33

Chris Jericho returned to Raw for the first time since his beatdown at the hands of his former friend, Kevin Owens.

Jericho exacted a measure of revenge Sunday night when he showed up at Fastlane during Owens' Universal Championship match with Bill Goldberg. Jericho distracted Owens long enough for Goldberg to spear Owens before delivering a Jackhammer for the victory.

After Owens and Jericho went back and forth on the microphone, Y2J challenged the former Universal champion to a match at WrestleMania 33. Owens agreed on the condition Jericho would put the United States Championship on the line, and Jericho obliged, per WWE:

The two then brawled inside the ring, with Samoa Joe and Sami Zayn joining the fray. WWE Universe shared a replay of Jericho nailing Joe with a chair shot:

After essentially controlling Raw together for several months, the friendship between Y2J and KO crumbled on the Feb. 13 edition of Raw.

Jericho organized a Festival of Friendship complete with a sculpture, a painting, a magician and an appearance by Gillberg.

During the segment, Jericho professed his love for the Prizefighter and pledged that he would help him retain the Universal Championship against Goldberg at Fastlane, according to WWE Universe on Twitter:

While Owens seemed annoyed throughout the celebration, he appeared to come around eventually and offered a gift to Jericho.

When Jericho opened the box, however, it was a "List of KO" with Jericho's name on it. That led to Owens attacking his former partner in crime and forcing him to leave the arena in an ambulance after smashing his face through a television monitor.

Owens was unapologetic for his actions the following week on Raw, and while he addressed his impending match against Goldberg, he downplayed the enormity of what he did to Jericho, per WWE's official Twitter account:

Jericho didn't forget about Owens' turning on him, however, and they are set to engage in a heated feud leading up to WrestleMania.

It was long assumed that Owens and Jericho were destined to break up in the name of a WrestleMania match, but the manner and timing of the dissolution were shocking.

With Jericho offering his assistance to Owens for his title match against Goldberg, a more logical move from KO's perspective may have been to wait until after Fastlane to separate himself from his Canadian countryman.

He instead decided to put the spotlight on himself entering Fastlane, but he made an enemy in the process.

Although Jericho's current run with the company has been highlighted by comedy and shenanigans, he is one of the most conniving and calculating Superstars ever to set foot in a WWE ring.

Those qualities will serve him well against someone as vicious as Owens, and they should make for one of the most compelling WrestleMania rivalries in recent memory. 

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