Festival of Friendship, Hell in a Cell and Why Kevin Owens Is WWE MVP in 2017

Any highlight reel one puts together of WWE in 2017 will be flush with images of Kevin Owens.

As the film rolls, you would see KO guffawing alongside Chris Jericho, antagonizing Shane McMahon and unraveling after championship losses. Again and again, Owens was at the center of the year's best moments, stories and matches.

The Prizefighter was WWE's leading villain, on both Raw and SmackDown Live, as universal champ and the United States titleholder.

Owens and Jericho were the most entertaining pair of badgerers on the roster early in year. KO joined forces with Sami Zayn in October, though, and outdid himself.

AJ Styles and Roman Reigns had better years in terms of pilling up great matches, but Owens' impact was felt beyond his bouts. He was the character who most forced the audience to care about what he did, about those he hated and the Superstars he befriended.

Braun Strowman deserves strong consideration for WWE's top act of 2017, but Owens outshone him on the mic.

Where The Monster Among Men was limited to grunts and threats and an animalistic anger, KO was a more complex figure. He was expertly manipulative, a petulant whiner, a narcissist with bloodlust in his heart.

He was Iago from Othello fused with Tommy DeVito from Goodfellas. And it all added up to a winning act.

The guys at SiriusXM's Busted Open sang Owens' praises back in September. 

It's hard to argue with that. The Miz was excellent in his role once more, but KO cut deeper. 

Owens gave us the ultimate betrayal during the Festival of Friendship, stunned fans as he headbutted a 72-year-old Vince McMahon to the mat, mocked the U.S. and caused chaos on SmackDown. Along the way, the bruiser earned the right to be called WWE's MVP in 2017.

A Friendship Ripped Apart

In the year's first month and a half, Owens and Jericho were the heart of Raw. The two heels spent much of their time irritating the roster and forgetting announcer Tom Phillips' name.

Their bullying ways were regularly the best part of the show.

As they battled Strowman, Reigns and Seth Rollins, tension simmered between the best buds. Owens was paranoid Jericho wanted to take the Universal Championship from him. And the two had to continually repair their relationship.

The cracks finally burst the glass when Jericho presented Owens with the Festival of Friendship, an over-the-top celebration of their partnership.

KO gave Jericho a mockup of his List of Jericho as a gift. But soon, Y2J realized something was amiss.

He said, "How come my name's on this?" before looking up to see Owens glaring at him, ready to strike. This was one of the heart-tightening WWE moments in recent memory. KO's villainy took a major step forward as he assaulted his friend.

Owens' acting and chemistry with Jericho elevated this entire narrative. 

The Face of America

A title match that lasted mere seconds ended Owens' Universal Championship reign ahead of WrestleMania. WWE wanted to position Goldberg at the top of the food chain, so KO had to slide down to the midcard.

There, he captured the United States title and moved to SmackDown. In his new home, he morphed into a suit-wearing egotist reminiscent of Nick Bockwinkel, 2008-era Jericho and an untrustworthy politician.

The played-out foreign heel role was something fresher in Owens' hands. He was delightfully stuck up and seemed to savor every potshot he took at the U.S.

With The Miz having moved to Raw, Owens took over as the resident fire-breather on Talking Smack.

The champ delivered some of the show's best interviews. A mix of humor and seething hatred had this character blossoming.

Moving from Jericho's ally to the self-proclaimed Face of America to the bane of the McMahons' existence showed off a versatility rarely seen in wrestling.

Rage Against the McMahons

The SmackDown Live commissioner repeatedly impeded Owens' pursuit to the reclaim the U.S. title from Styles. And each time it happened, KO grew more incensed, looking as if he were going to erupt.

It was as if you could see the wick growing shorter, the flame drawing closer and closer to the dynamite.

Owens was stellar during this stretch. During his tantrums, he was simultaneously someone the audience laughed at and someone worth fearing. He was part squealing toddler, part animal pushed into a corner.

And his issues with McMahon created one of 2017's best rivalries.

The verbal exchanges between the Superstar and his superior were intense, personal, must-watch TV. KO flourished.

When Shane's father arrived, Owens left the WWE CEO unmoving on the mat. He flattened Vince with a headbutt and nailed him with a Frog Splash thereafter. The assault was especially unsettling as the villain inflicted savagery on a senior citizen.

KO nailed this career-making moment. He turned up his dangerousness that night and looked every bit like a top-tier heel.

The headbutt was the precursor to Owens' battle with Shane-O-Mac inside Hell in a Cell. Fans knew going in it was going to be wild, but the clash managed to stun regardless. The level of risk each man took had viewers both sliding closer to the action and covering their eyes.

The Blue Brand's Thorns

Hell in a Cell's biggest shocker turned out to be Zayn aiding his enemy.

He and Owens had been archrivals since KO's NXT debut in 2014. But Zayn underwent a major shift in character and pledged his allegiance to a man who had tried to destroy him.

The in-your-face heel Zayn turned out to be a stellar act. He and Owens have since become SmackDown's centerpieces, with the two insurgents stirring up trouble every Tuesday.

WWE has leaned on the pair heavily, making them featured characters before and after Survivor Series despite not booking them for a significant contest at the show.

And once again, The Prizefighter is running with his opportunities. 

He entertained with Jericho as his wingman. He was a force on the mic with everyone from Styles to Shane-O-Mac standing across from him. It shouldn't be surprising he's been so fun to watch with the ska-dancing Zayn at his side.

No matter his position on the card, no matter the persona he was asked to play, Owens thrived in 2017. More than any of his peers, he had a year of moments that will stick with us, a year of sharpening his character to a fine point.