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LAS VEGAS — Jey Uso recorded a memorable moment in WWE history when he eliminated John Cena to win this year’s Royal Rumble. It was unexpected, but mostly received well by fans who were touched to see Uso’s hard work rewarded. But as the shock wore off and his WrestleMania program with Gunther developed, the audience split into two camps.
The live audience is captivated by Jey’s command on the microphone and theatrical entrance. The vocal online fanbase has been mostly disinterested in the world heavyweight title program, pinning most of the blame on Uso.
“It’s been a lot, Uce,” Jey told CBS Sports. “You hear them and see them out there.
“‘He’s not championship material because he does three moves, he’s from this family and that’s why he gets these opportunities.’ It’s all good because I busted my ass to get here.”
Jey’s position on the card eclipses his brother, Jimmy, who doesn’t have a WrestleMania match. In February, Jey got emotional about the subject, explaining to CBS Sports that his brother is experiencing the journey at his side. The sentiment never felt more true than when Jimmy was inserted into the world title program. Jimmy led with confidence as Jey’s character struggled with self-doubt. This was conveyed most clearly when Jimmy slapped Gunther in Jey’s honor. It sounded like a gunshot, eliciting countless online reactions.
“You had to be there behind the camera,” Jey said. “I knew it was coming, so I acted like I ran up the stairs, but I ran back down to see the slap. When I say he really slapped the shit out of him, he really slapped the shit out of him.”
Jimmy was punished for his defiance. Gunther viciously attacked Jimmy on the following week’s Monday Night Raw, bloodying and battering him. Jey was zip-tied to the ring ropes and forced to watch his crimson-faced brother in agony. It was a graphic scene that added much-needed weight to an otherwise dull storyline. As a performer, Jimmy selflessly gave his twin brother the best shot at success.
“He didn’t say two words, just ‘OK.’ He was down for whatever,” Jey said.
“I’ve never seen my brother bleed like that. When I’m out there, when we’re in front of the cameras, it’s real. Everything is real. The emotions. All that. I’m so happy my brother was down to do whatever was needed. He helped catapult my storyline to the top, I believe.”
Check out the full interview with Jey Uso below.
Jey’s name is on the billing for WrestleMania 41 this weekend. Jimmy’s is not. The brothers are enjoying striking out on their own, but have no desire to hide their connection. Whatever solo accolades they achieve are a collective win for the record-setting tag team champions.
“We had eight to 10 weeks to drag this story out,” Jey said. “What if this Jimmy stuff happened in the first two weeks? Now we lose momentum. We knew the end game. We knew we had to stretch it out, so we stretched it out to where it got a little [slow] and now we shot back up.
“We’re running it here. I knew what kind of promo I needed to cut within the last two weeks. I knew there’d be a moment for that, and I’d need to deliver, and I did. It was real.”
