9 Big Problems With WWE Heading Into WrestleMania 41

4. Jey’s Flatlining Main Event Run

Jey Uso was already fighting an uphill battle – both in storyline and in reality – facing Gunther in a WrestleMania world title match. But many fans were willing to suspend their logic and just enjoy Jey’s remarkable run in the first weeks of the Mania build.

For a while, Uso seemed to make believers out of even some hard-hearted cynics. Then everything came crashing back to Earth. Gunther has more than held up his end of the deal, delivering in the ring and on the mic week after week. The only question was whether WWE and the superstars could maintain the early momentum during a long WrestleMania season build.

But Jey has cratered, turning in match performances that wouldn’t pass muster on LFG, much less an episode of Raw, much much less for a world title contender heading into WrestleMania. He’s looked terrible and gotten owned by Gunther, and not in a good storyline, “Can Jey overcome the odds against the Ring General?” way

It’s gotten so bad that WWE actually did try to turn this into an angle, having Uso stumble while trying to deliver a spear, and then having Jimmy Uso call it out and tell him he needs to stop slipping or he’s going to lose. This is straight out of 1993 WCW turning the Shockmaster’s clumsiness into a character trait rather than an immensely embarrassing moment.

Jey still is one of the most popular acts in WWE, period. Therefore, this attempt to salvage the story is warranted – and it could very well work on the night. But even if they pull off the miracle and everyone yeets with new World Heavyweight Champion Jey Uso, the ride afterward has become a lot murkier.