5 Ups & 5 Downs From WWE Raw (7 April - Results & Review)

1. Jey Overcomes His Fear

After last week’s epic, unholy mauling of Jimmy Uso, Gunther and Jey Uso faced the daunting task of following that up and building off that angle-saving segment.

Both men did a masterful job of pulling this off Monday night, with Gunther not saying a single word.

Jey came to the ring dressed entirely in black, refusing to yeet or do anything unserious. He paced back and forth before launching into a promo where he recounted his conversation with his mother this past week about not protecting his brother from Gunther. He had to admit he was afraid of the Ring General, frozen by fear.

And then, Jey began a slow burn, observing that Gunther “had me,” always three steps ahead, playing chess while Uso played checkers, but the champ overplayed his hand by messing with Jey’s family. Gunther violated Uso’s twin, and now, with nothing left, Jey was no longer afraid. Uso’s voice started raising as he talked about praying for what he was about to do to Gunther, pledging to get retribution and take his title.

What made this near-perfect is that Jey took that “at my lowest point” and turned it around in a very realistic way. Jey has nowhere else to go, nothing else to lose. Gunther had the upper hand and managed to overdo it, allowing Uso to not only claw his way back out of the gutter but also supplying his challenger with the fuel and motivation he needed to overcome his fear and power him to WrestleMania.

Kudos have to go to Jey for his performance, perfectly measuring his voice and mannerisms, but also to Gunther for silently showing the realization that he might have turned a night off at 'Mania into the fight of his life.