Never let it be said that Jey Uso wasn’t a fighting champion. On WWE Raw on Monday, just two days after he teamed with Cody Rhodes in a brutal battle against John Cena and Logan Paul, Uso was back in action, defending the title he won at WrestleMania 41 against the man he beat for said title. Unfortunately for Uso, he couldn’t catch lightning in a bottle twice.
Gunther announced his intent for a rematch for the World Heavyweight Championship weeks ago and in that time, he’d been preparing for nothing but. Since WrestleMania, Gunther only wrestled one match, against Pat McAfee, while Uso on the other hand, defended his title across PLEs, Saturday Night’s Main Event, and on WWE Raw. Gunther’s determination was evident from the start as even before the match started, the Ring General was glaring daggers into his opponent’s eyes.
As for the WWE Raw match itself, it was an instant classic as Uso fought hard in a battle truly fitting of a champion. He gave Gunther everything he had, despite being banged up from his Money in the Bank match. Gunther, the fresher of the two, took advantage of Uso being at less than 100 percent, working his injuries every chance he got. But to Uso’s credit, he gave Gunther a run for his money and at points, even looked like he once again had the man beat. In the end, it took not one, not two, but four sleeper holds, executed to perfection, for Gunther to defeat Uso and become a two-time world champion.
Uso’s run always seemed destined to be a shorter one but that’s no shade to him. His championship victory was a moment in time and his run, for the two or so months it endured, was certainly a fun one. If nothing else, Uso proved ready for the spotlight as he navigated being a champion with poise. In the end however, this was the right outcome. It seems unlikely Gunther will take another L for a long time. That doesn’t mean he’ll retain the title forever though. WWE has an interesting choice on its hands when it comes to Mr. Money in the Bank. Seth Rollins cashing in on Gunther would allow WWE to take the title off the champ without him losing in a traditional way. But on the other hand, Rollins taking the title off John Cena instead, could mark a fitting end to the legend’s retirement tour.
But that’s future Gunther’s potential problem. Tonight, all he has to do is celebrate the beginning of yet another run with wrestling’s top prize.
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