.png)
Is Jey Uso a better choice to defeat Roman Reigns for the WWE Universal Championship... INSTEAD of Cody Rhodes or Sami Zayn?
Mauling it Over with Mark Mahler - 02.18.2023
With Cody Rhodes set to face the winner of Roman Reigns vs. Sami Zayn at Wrestlemania this year, it begs some questions: Is Cody the 'One' to end one of the longest runs any WWE/WWF champ has ever had? Should it be Sami to take Roman down in his hometown? Will there be a surprising turn?
Right now anything is possible. But let me take you in a direction that I don’t see happening, but has the utmost potential. Jey Uso should be the one to take the title off Roman Reigns.
Yes, I said Jey Uso and not Cody. Not Sami. It should be Jey Uso.
Let me rewind the crazy world we live in right now. The Bloodline angle really started with Jey Uso getting a shot at Reigns on September 27th, 2020 at Clash of the Champions. Reigns would hold Jimmy hostage, making Jey finally acknowledge him. With that, The Bloodline was off and running.
Reigns had the Usos, even though for a time, Jimmy was not on board. Directly when he came back, he warmed up at having a seat at the table.
Without Jey, we don’t get the Sami Zayn dynamic folks. It’s not a myth or an opinion, it’s a fact. Jey was against Sami being near the Bloodline. The night Sami became the Honorary Uce, Jey sold that entire segment looking dejected that Reigns was allowing someone that wasn’t 'blood' into their family.
Jey and Zayn’s bickering would continue often leading to some of the best and most memorable moments the WWE hasn’t seen since Randy Savage, Miss Elizabeth, and Hulk Hogan when the Mega Powers Exploded. These two storylines are so similar in the fact they’ve got fans hooked, they have us intrigued, and they’ve taken us on a ride where we are impatiently waiting to see where this is going. It’s tugged at our heartstrings, made us laugh, and even made some cry.
Through the entire Sami and Bloodline dance, Jey Uso has been the rock that makes the storyline continue to flow. As much as Sami making the faction break character on several occasions was notable and made casual fans tune in, Jey really has been the MVP of this storyline. Roman tortured Jey at the beginning before he became 'Main Event' Jey Uso or 'The Right Hand Man'.
That story should not go unnoticed or overlooked. Jey hasn’t gotten revenge on Roman. He’s been pretty loyal to the Tribal Chief. The one thing some fans don’t see coming is Jey turning on The Bloodline. The biggest problem I have if I was booking this was when do we let it happen?
The WWE booked themselves into a corner in a lot of ways, but it isn’t a corner they can’t back out of. Sami gets Roman this weekend at the Elimination Chamber. People believe the Usos - because of legal reasons - can’t get into Canada to cause chaos. And trust me... should they arrive? They build that intrigue even more because Jey can either rejoin the ranks or completely shatter them. It could go either way.
A most compelling way would be to have Jey cost Roman the belts. I don’t think that's smart considering Cody vs. Roman at WrestleMania one-on-one has more appeal to the gate. However, the fans want Sami involved in WrestleMania. If Jey helps Reigns, that sets up the match most people expect which is Sami and Kevin Owens vs the Usos for the Tag Team Belts.
This still has a silver lining, but if the Usos lose, doesn’t that start the breaking of The Bloodline completely? There is one thing the WWE needs to be very careful with, however. If Zayn ends up losing to the Head of the Table because of the Usos or Solo Sikoa, that would be then to add Sami to Cody vs. Reigns at 'Mania.
WWE and adding people to a championship mix has not been well received over the last several years. In fact, it often detracts from what the fans want and lessens the title match that is taking place. The Triple Threat outlet blew up in their faces with Rousey, Flair, and Lynch. The choice to go with a three-woman dance over simply just Lynch vs Rousey robbed the fans of something they truly wanted.
In this case, the WWE brass is giving Zayn the one-on-one on a different platform, but many feel this match should have been a Main Event at the Showcase of the Immortals. I still see Jey as the one that can put Roman in his place. If you really look closely at the Bloodline over the past 3 plus years, you know he’s been the main cog that keeps helping Roman win. If Jey has had enough of the champ, he will be the one that ends the Bloodline.
In turn, I really hope the WWE gives him what he deserves. A run with one of the two heavyweight titles. Jey started this Bloodline run with Roman, it would be nothing short of miraculous writing and storytelling if he was the one to end Reigns and the Bloodline.
Most Valuable Players in sports don’t always win the championship. But poetic justice would be the WWE giving one of the many MVPs in The Bloodline story a chance to run on his own and show why “They are the Ones.” Jey Uso, WWE Heavyweight Championship, has a nice ring to it. Maul it over.