7 Ups & 4 Downs from WWE Raw (9 June - Results & Review)
1. Jey Goes Out On His Shield
Jey Uso’s World Heavyweight Championship reign will undoubtedly be a divisive one among wrestling fans. Purists will contend that his matches were subpar and never lived up to even the most modest expectations, while those happy to “yeet” along with him during his entrances easily overlooked that criticism.
Regardless, WWE pulled the plug on the Jey experiment Monday when Gunther cleanly defeated Uso in a surprisingly dramatic match to regain the world title he lost at WrestleMania 41, ending Jey’s title reign at less than two months. This easily was Uso’s best singles match since the Bron Breakker Intercontinental Championship match last year, and it possibly eclipsed that bout.
What made this match work so well was the story they told in the lead-up, with Gunther pointing out that Jey’s admirable quality of being there for his friends would be his downfall. Sure enough, the attacks during Raw last week and at Money in the Bank damaged Uso’s midsection, and the Ring General targeted it throughout Monday’s match, putting Jey in peril all night.
Jey constantly retreated to the one move that worked for him at WrestleMania 41 – the sleeper – and he kept trying to apply it to put Gunther down. When that failed, he tried to power through with spears and splashes. Gunther kept escaping sleepers and pushed forward like a terminator, powerbombing Jey and even breaking out a spear of his own to target Uso’s midsection.
Finally, Gunther went to the sleeper, which has been a strong suit for him. The two battled over this for what seemed like an eternity, but fans bit on every attempted escape – until Jey finally succumbed.
This was an incredibly bold move by WWE, putting an end to Jey’s reign at a point where there were still legitimately compelling stories they could have told, such as Sami Zayn turning heel to challenge him, or Seth Rollins chasing him with the Money in the Bank briefcase in tow. Instead, WWE opted to return the title to a more reliable wrestler, though his popularity takes a backseat to the Yeet Man.
Perhaps WWE made the decision because neither of their men’s world champions could be counted on to deliver a solid PLE main event title defense, and they weren’t going to strip John Cena of his title. Either way, at least Jey got to go out in a much better match than the one that brought him the world title, hopefully leaving a better taste in fans’ mouths.