Why THIS Is The Biggest Star WWE Must NEVER Push
The problem with fantasy booking Jey Uso at present is that real life has reflected how little of it actually pays off successfully.
The match with Jimmy at WrestleMania 40 was terrible, but to call it a disappointment would only be half the story. Those within the company and Jimmy and Jey themselves might have felt like it didn't live up to expectations, but most fans had tempered their excitement for the contest itself based on prior evidence of what the ceiling was for them in singles action. At this stage, anybody that's watched enough of 'Main Event' will have already decided that the matches themselves belong on the undercard, or possibly as openers because the rest of the presentation is just that sensational.
It's been a while since the disparity between the two sides of a performer were as large as Jey's. The packaging of his entrance isn't merely great in the way that The New Age Outlaws or Enzo & Cass' were. The catchphrase isn't just as hot and fun as "YEAH!" has been for LA Knight in spite of his bell-to-bell shortcomings. "YEET" and everything bouncing off those four letters really is bigger. It's oddly defiant, like Jey himself from the moment he split off from The Bloodline. It's a statement of his individuality, and thus why Roman Reigns hated it so much and insisted Jimmy try and stomp it out forever. "No YEET" was a cute bit was realistically like a heel trying ban a babyface's finishing move. There'd be minimal push-back if somebody tried to stop the Uso Splash, but rioting in the streets if audiences weren't permitted to wave their arms and and scream the single syllable.
It's much closer to "Yes!" than "YEAH!", but Uso is nearer to Knight than Daniel Bryan between the ropes. Various online observers have compared to Uso to a WWE-era Jim Duggan, and it's magnificently apt. Chants of "HOOOOO" and "USA" were guaranteed when 'Hacksaw' hit the ring, but he needed them more and more when it became clearer how little he really had left to offer in his matches. He was a beloved babyface nonetheless who - like Jey - made his signatures work as more than just methods of call and response.
Luckily for him too, things worked differently back then. He never needed to be near the title picture, because there were bigger star babyfaces in the spot. His act was perfect for bringing the noise at house shows, and with a few wins here and there he could be propelled to a level that could help advance a heel. Here in 2024, if Uso's not fighting for a belt or fighting to get to fight for one, he'll be perceived as failing. Unfortunately, those aforementioned fights have been when his act becomes exposed and he looks like a man who needs to return to tag wrestling where his working skills are seemingly best exhibited.
A singles megastar in waiting with a singles megapush that can never happen. How does WWE (and Jey Uso himself) solve this unique puzzle without sacrificing everything they've already achieved?
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