How Kevin Owens And Chris Jericho Paid Tribute To Jake Roberts And Ricky Steamboat On SmackDown Live

Chris Jericho and Kevin Owens are wrestling historians. They pay tribute to stars of the past often and use spots from famous matches to honor the past. They’ve been known to throw in references in promos and other angles as well.

Some of the moves, wording, and sequences they choose could seem minuscule and some fans might not even notice them. But they’re in there because Jericho and Owens are that good. They are able to seamlessly mesh the past into current stories and matches.

Some found it strange Kevin Owens didn’t send Chris Jericho on his WWE hiatus by powerbombing him on the ring apron. After all, powerbombing people on the ring apron is kind of Kevin Owen’s calling card at this point. But it turns out there might have been a very good reason Owens ended up DDT’ing Jericho on the entrance ramp instead.

SE Scoops pointed out something very interesting. The Chris Jericho/Kevin Owens DDT spot happened almost 31 years to the day to when Jake Roberts DDT’ed Ricky The Dragon Steamboat on the concrete floor.

After the DDT 31 years ago, Roberts had to roll a limp Steamboat back in the ring and finish the match. Roberts said a lifeless Ricky Steamboat is the heaviest thing he’s ever had to lift. The Dragon was out cold. Ricky Steamboat took a lengthy hiatus from WWE after that spot.

This is a very cool nod to the past if it is true. It only adds to the reasons why people should pay close attention to the moves WWE superstars chose to execute. It also gives fans a new reason to freshen up on the past.

Chris Jericho is fine though, unlike Ricky Steamboat who actually suffered a very bad head bump during the spot 31 years ago. Jake Roberts said it sounded like a watermelon bursting when Steamboat’s head connected with the concrete. Needless to say, Jericho got off easy on SmackDown Live.

Chris Jericho is off to tour with his band Fozzy. He said he’ll be back soon though. Let’s hope he comes back to have another run that is as full of amazing moments as his last one.