Jeri-KO Part 2: Can Kevin Owens Avoid Being Overshadowed by Sami Zayn?

In the ever-changing world of WWE, one thing is for certain: Kevin Owens will somehow be overshadowed by his best friend.

There are some who will adamantly argue The Prizefighter was the star of Jeri-KO, his star-studded tag team with future Hall of Famer Chris Jericho. But in hindsight, that simply is not the case. Despite being the universal champion, he saw his star diminished by another superb performance by Jericho.

On the back of Sami Zayn's heel turn and the reunion of the friends-turned-enemies-turned-friends again, Owens finds himself in a precarious position in which The Underdog from the Underground threatens to steal the spotlight from his more accomplished associate.

Jeri-KO Part 1

Owens and Jericho's union never felt like it was meant to be as big a deal as it became. Instead, it appeared to be a tandem thrown together because neither heel had anything else better to do, and as a result, they were inexplicably paired up against B-level babyfaces Enzo Amore and Big Cass.

A SummerSlam 2016 victory over that team all but confirmed those suspicions. After all, there was no room for them in the tag team division without exposing its lack of depth.

When Owens defeated Cass, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns to become universal champion, Jericho remained by his side. With every passing week, the two became closer and their profile on Monday nights grew larger. Eventually, Jeri-KO became the act around which Raw was built.

But it was not as much about Owens as it was the re-emergence of Jericho at his best.

Witty, funny, slightly delusional and with a bag full of new catchphrases, Jericho stole every segment he was involved in.

Much to the detriment of Owens.

The Prizefighter was the straight man to Jericho's nonsense. He was forced to watch from the sidelines as Jericho drew reactions everyone knew Owens could but, because of booking, was unable to. What should have been the greatest run of his career, with the top prize on the Raw brand draped over his shoulder, was instead spent playing second fiddle to Jericho's "IT" and "stupid idiots."

By the time Y2J pulled out the infamous List of Jericho, any chance Owens had of getting over as champion on his own merits was gone.

He had been overshadowed by his tag team partner. And it was not until he turned on Jericho on the February 13 episode of Raw, throwing him head-first through a television, that fans were able to rediscover the vicious, sarcastic, arrogant and dangerous persona they had come to love and admire earlier in his WWE run.

Unfortunately, it was too little too late.

He had lost the Universal Championship and would be demoted to battling Jericho for the United States title at WrestleMania 33, a show he probably should have been more prominently featured on. 

Some will look back at Jeri-KO and argue Owens was essential to the overall package, and while his quips were thoroughly entertaining, Raw became more about Jericho's rebirth than Owens' title reign.

History Repeats Itself?

The moment Zayn pulled a prone Owens off the announce table at Hell in a Cell just in time for Shane McMahon to crash through it, the biggest question on the lips and minds of fans everywhere was, "Why, Sami? Why?"

No one cared that Owens beat McMahon in one of the premier gimmick matches in WWE. All the focus was taken off of the former universal, United States and intercontinental champion and put on Zayn.

Yes, Zayn needs the momentum. He needs the credibility and legitimacy that comes from a high-profile push and the heat he can leech off of Owens—especially after he was so poorly mishandled and creatively abandoned following his move to SmackDown Live in April.

At the same time, it feels too much like history repeating itself.

Zayn will be emphasized in an attempt to bring him to Owens' level to the point Creative will essentially forget about The Prizefighter, leaving him devoid of character development on the heels of one of the biggest wins of his career.

Owens will remain a significant contributor to SmackDown Live's future, but it already feels like Zayn will take precedence creatively.

Differences

Zayn is not Jericho.

That, perhaps, is the biggest difference in the two scenarios.

It was easy for Owens to be overshadowed by Jericho, a future Hall of Famer with an unbreakable bond with fans. He had the established background that allowed fans to easier accept something as ridiculous as The List of Jericho or "stupid idiots" as wrestling lexicon.

Zayn is not that guy.

He does not have the explosive on-screen presence that Jericho does. Nor does he possess the wit of ol' Y2J. The connection he once shared with audiences as the lovable underdog was undone by repeated losses and a move to Tuesday nights that proved more damning than beneficial.

As a result, it will be more difficult for WWE Creative to overshadow Owens with Zayn.

Of the two in this case, Owens is clearly the dominant personality. He leaps off the screen whenever he appears, whereas Zayn is more reserved, opting to demonstrate his personality between the ropes rather than verbally.

While few people will ever outwork Zayn, the likelihood he overshadows Owens to the extent Jericho did, even with greater emphasis from WWE Creative, is low.