It hasn’t even been three months since Jey Uso moved to Raw, and he’s been involved nonstop. Despite efforts to make amends to the various superstars he’s wronged with The Bloodline, to suggest it’s all gone smoothly would be to lie by omission at best.
Cody Rhodes, a recent enemy turned tag team partner, is responsible for bringing him over. There, he found Sami Zayn, a man with whom he shares a very complicated relationship. No longer part of The Bloodline and flourishing on their own, they’re on good terms. But in return, Zayn’s best friend, Kevin Owens, was moved to SmackDown. WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins will always be more concerned with Roman Reigns than The Usos, but history remains.
Which brings us to Survivor Series. The Men’s WarGames match is set. With the confirmation of Randy Orton’s return, we’ve got a modern-day dream team of babyfaces on our hands. Yet within this team and for Uso especially, bad blood lingers. Some have forgiven him, but others, such as Drew McIntyre, very plainly have not. For that, Jey’s past actions have come back to haunt (and hurt) himself as well as his teammates in recent weeks.
Then, there is the vast uncertainty in the form of a returning, often vindictive viper. You know, the man who has been out of action since May 20, 2022, when The Usos defeated Matt Riddle and Orton to unify the Tag Team Championships? Not content with only the victory, they mercilessly beat the Apex Predator following the match as well, and he hasn’t been seen since.
Come Saturday, demons lurk around every corner. And all but one of them are on Jey’s team.
Drew McIntyre
Forget about Judgment Day. They do not matter. Not when it comes to Jey Uso, at least.
Sure, Finn Balor and Damian Priest are tag team champions for the second time, this time at his expense. But how did that come to pass? Drew McIntyre. Yes, Rhea Ripley and the Scottish Warrior struck a deal, but the rest of Judgment Day weren’t aware. And we don’t have to ask Drew why he did it because he told us himself. Now gets Jey Uso in a cage. He also made it unequivocally clear that he does not care for Judgment Day, least of all Priest.
One other thing McIntyre has not wavered on, though, is his disdain for Jey and the rest of his bloodline. On one hand, this is just business. On the other, it is intensely personal.
While it technically wasn’t The Usos who cost McIntyre the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship in September 2022 at Clash at the Castle – it was a debuting Solo Sikoa – it’s not as though Jey and Jimmy Uso were innocent in the lead-up. At every turn, they were there to keep McIntyre away from the Tribal Chief. Fast forward to the present, and he has already robbed Jey of the chance to become a two-time champion alongside Rhodes.
Fast forward a little further, and in beating Jey before Survivor Series, he’s earned his side the WarGames advantage. Within just two weeks, past actions have not only cost Rhodes another shot at championship gold, but they’ve also hurt his team’s chances of leaving WarGames with a win.
Sami Zayn
Of all his teammates, Sami Zayn is likely Jey’s biggest ally. But there have been various ups and downs along the way.
It took months for Zayn to win over Jey’s approval during his time with The Bloodline, which culminated with a giant hug following last year’s Men’s WarGames match. Not even five months later, Sami and KO defeated The Usos at WrestleMania 39 to bring their historic championship reign to an end.
In the months since, Jey has left The Bloodline, taken his cousin Roman to the limit – even pinning him once – and been betrayed by both Jimmy and Solo. Yet, in the aftermath, Sami was there. He even got KO to forgive and ultimately accept an apology. Then suddenly, his best friend was traded to SmackDown while Uso and Rhodes swooped in to win the tag team championships.
To his credit, aside from some initial reasonable frustration, Sami didn’t need much time to move past it. And for that, despite the layered history, there’s a case to be made that their relationship is as solid as ever.
Cody Rhodes
By all accounts, Cody and Jey are on great terms. Yes, The Usos tried their best to make sure Rhodes didn’t defeat Roman for his championship at WrestleMania 39, but once again, it was Solo who would deliver the fateful blow that evening. Not to mention, bringing him over to Monday nights has enabled Jey to flourish as a singles star.
Still, let’s not pretend this hasn’t benefited Cody as well. Aligning himself with a member of Roman’s family is a surefire way to get the Tribal Chief’s attention. On the other hand, similar to Sami, Cody has had Jey’s back at every turn since the switch. Except for one.
Did Rhodes clue his partner in on who he’d be calling Monday night as they searched for a fifth team member? Judging by Jey’s reaction after Rhodes all but said Orton’s name Monday night, it’s unlikely. He looked as though he had seen a ghost. Like years and years of repressed memories had flooded to the surface.
There’s no denying these two will be on the same page come WarGames, but there’s a good chance Monday’s reveal has thrown Uce further off his game.
Seth Rollins
Now, Seth Rollins does not like Roman Reigns. And over the years, he’s, of course, crossed paths with The Usos. But even at their worst, they’ve been more of an obstacle than anything. Here’s the other thing: Seth doesn’t like Cody either. In fact, there’s a good chance that at one point or another, if you’re a professional wrestler, Seth has had a problem with you.
The general dislike or mistrust may extend to Jey through Roman only, but remember, Rollins wanted the advantage match against McIntyre Monday night. After all, he had just beaten him. Ultimately, he relented, allowing Uce to fight Drew instead. It didn’t work out, and while Rollins hyped him up plenty before the match and immediately came to his aid afterward, there’s going to be an underlying semblance of discontent there.
Randy Orton
And then there was one.
Randy Orton is not going to go out of his way to tank a match to prove some sort of point. If Rhodes called him asking for a favor, he’s going to put his best foot forward. That doesn’t mean he’s going to forgive someone while he does it. In fact, as it pertains to Jey Uso, that action is likely nowhere near Randy’s radar.
For months, The Usos were a thorn in Orton’s side. And during his absence, The Bloodline took out his former tag team partner. There is no love lost between Randy Orton and Jey Uso. They do not like each other. Maybe the former is open to forgiving him while the latter continues to turn over a new leaf. We’re not ruling it out. We’re not expecting a simple resolution, either.
This is a man who has taken out various authority figures, legends, and even wrestler’s parents. He’s punted and delivered RKOs to men and women alike. Remember when he burned down Bray Wyatt’s Family Compound? Add it all up, and something tells us he’s not suddenly going to forgive Jey. He’ll do what needs to be done in order to help his team win WarGames, but that’s where it ends.
All the while, Jey Uso didn’t see Randy coming. Despite building a brotherly bond with Sami and mending fences with Cody, McIntyre reminded him of a debt still to be paid. Now, one more figure lurks, and he is arguably the most dangerous one of all. Rollins said repeatedly they needed “Main Event” Jey Uso at WarGames, and maybe he’ll be there.
But plenty of demons, as well as their voices, will be along for the ride.
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