The WWE Hall of Famer talked about his emotional reaction to his son’s championship victory. Speaking on his ‘Off The Top podcast‘, Rikishi commented on his son’s championship win. He said that he was proud of his son and was as excited as the fans. He said:
“I am so proud, man. So, so proud. Besides Jey’s sons, I’m probably the number one fan of Jey right now. I always been. I’m happy, I’m proud, I’m proud to be his pops. I’m proud that the fans are proud. I don’t know who was more excited, [if] I was or the fans because when I [saw] the reaction of the fans and the reaction of my boy, you think about it. That was a long road.
Being a son of wrestler and being on the road, you see a lot of stuff. You can either go left or go right. So all his career, at the end of the day, the choices that they make are their choices, and he’s made the right choices all the way through, and look it, your new Intercontinental Champion.”
The WWE Hall of Famer further addressed his past comments on Jey Uso’s booking and how he finally teared up seeing him win gold. He said that it was a good feeling to see someone he loves getting successful. Rikishi said:
“It’s emotional. All I was saying months ago when I was talking about giving Jey an opportunity, I kind of got a lot of heat over it from the fans, to let him grow. I’ve always done that. All a father will always do, no matter who tells him what, where, and when, you gonna always give your kids advice. Whether they take it or not, or whether the fans agree or not, that’s what a father does, be it myself or any other father.
You just want the best and want your kids to have a fair opportunity, and that’s it. Seeing my boy winning the title, I teared up, I did, but it wasn’t being sad. I was just so proud, that finally after years and years, of pounding his body, that little frame of his, we don’t know how much broken bones are in there, how long will that body be able to keep moving at the pace that he’s going, but you can just see. He’s in his moment.
When he comes out and starts dancing on the stage, man, I’m dancing with him in the hotel room, just watching the screen. It’s a good feeling to be able to see someone you love be successful.”
Jey had started competing as a singles wrestler in 2020. His initial run was brief when his twin Jimmy Uso was sidelined with a knee injury. His proper singles run started last year when he ended his ties with The Bloodline. Jey soon competed in the Money in the Bank ladder match and the Royal Rumble. At WrestleMania 40, he even faced his twin brother Jimmy Uso.
Jey Uso has been the WWE Intercontinental Champion for exactly one week and has already changed the belt. As seen below, Uso has made a noticeable change to the belt with new blue side plates:
In an emotional scene on Monday’s episode of Raw, Uso kicked off the show where he celebrated winning the title belt from Bron Breakker a week ago in the main event. This is where Uso cut a promo about how he was afforded the opportunity to open the show.
He was welcomed by a lively crowd chanting YEET as he made his way to the ring alongside his son, Jace. This is when he got emotional as he talked to a standing crowd and thanked his mother, who is his biggest supporter.
This led to the former champion coming out to interrupt, but he did so in a respectful way, congratulating him. They shook hands with a big smile on the face of Breakker. Uso praised the young star and it appeared that Bron has turned babyface for now.
Uso said that he would be a fighting champion every week if that’s what it meant. As of this writing, it’s unclear when his next title defense will come against.
Since arriving on Monday Night Raw in June, the Wyatt Sicks have been an enigmatic force on TV, captivating fans with their presentation and work in the ring. Now, the Uncle Howdy-led faction has taken their message off of TV after emerging victorious in their first match at a WWE live event.
The group was part of WWE’s event in Columbus, Georgia, with Joe Gacy promoting their presence in Columbus ahead of the show via Instagram. The Wyatt Sicks earned a victory over American Made’s Chad Gable, and Brutus & Julius Creed with Erick Rowan getting the win for his team with a pin on Julius.
‘Main Event’ Jey Uso also made the trip to Columbus, Georgia, for his first title defense after capturing the Intercontinental Championship on Raw from Bron Breakker. In Columbus, the new champion proved his win was no fluke with another win over Breakker.
On Monday night, Jey Uso etched his name in WWE history by winning the Intercontinental Championship. The thrilling result was the culmination of a long campaign to establish himself as a top singles competitor. He’s cemented his legacy not just as a decorated tag wrestler who achieved success independently, but as part of an exclusive club of father-son duos to hold the Intercontinental title.
Jey’s victory marks a historic moment in WWE, as he becomes only the second man in the company’s history to win the Intercontinental Championship after his father, Rikishi, held the title. This rare distinction places Jey Uso and Rikishi alongside another iconic father-son duo, the late Curt Hennig (known as Mr. Perfect) and his son, Curtis Axel, as the only two pairs to share this unique achievement.
A Rare and Exclusive Club
Before Jey Uso and Rikishi, the only other father-son pair to achieve this feat were Mr. Perfect Curt Hennig and his son, Curtis Axel (Joseph Hennig). Perfect held the IC title twice, first winning it on May 19, 1990, after defeating Tito Santana in a tournament final. His second reign later that year solidified him as being synonymous with the title to this day.
Mr. Pefect’s son Curtis Axel won the Intercontinental Championship in 2013, on WWE’s Payback pay-per-view. His victory came on the same night as Father’s Day, a symbolic tribute to his late father, Mr. Perfect, making the moment even more special for wrestling fans who appreciated their family’s contribution to the business.
We’ve seen many father-son combinations rise to prominence—most recently Rey and Dominik Mysterio, who became the first father-son pair to win the tag team titles. However, only Curtis Axel and Jey Uso can say they’ve held the prestigious Intercontinental Championship just like their fathers.
As Jey Uso carves out his own path, the bond between generations of superstars continues to be a rewarding aspect of of wrestling for longtime fans.
Jey has been on a roll since he started competing as a singles wrestler in 2020. His initial run commenced when his twin Jimmy Uso was sidelined with a knee injury. However, it was short-lived. His proper singles run started last year when he parted ways with The Bloodline.
Jey competed in several high-profile matches including Money in the Bank ladder match and the Royal Rumble. At this year’s WrestleMania 40, he also went up against his twin brother Jimmy Uso. Despite competing in title matches, a singles title had eluded him.
But he finally has gold around his waist. Many believe that the title win was long time coming and even Uso was overwhelmed with the ovation after Raw went off the air. ‘Main Event’ Jey Uso had earned the title opportunity after winning the WWE Intercontinental Championship Number One Contender’s Tournament. During the course, he defeated the likes of Pete Dunne, Ilja Dragunov, and Braun Strowman.
Uso’s win put an end to Bron Breakker’s 51-day reign that began at SummerSlam with a victory over Sami Zayn. Breakker recently retained the title against Zayn on the August 12 edition of WWE Raw in two-out-of-three falls match.
On the latest episode of WWE Monday Night Raw, Jey Uso captured the Intercontinental Championship, his first singles title since coming to the main roster in May 2010. Not only did this win mark Jey’s first solo title after years of being a tag-team champion, but the Main Event Superstar also broke an eleven-year drought in WWE.
With his win, Jey has become the second son to win the Intercontinental once held by their father. Jey’s father, WWE Hall of Famer Rikishi, captured the gold in June 2000, but Val Venis ended his reign just 13 days later. Much like his son, this reign would be Rikishi’s only time holding a singles championship while working for WWE.
The only other son to have followed in their father’s footsteps and win the Intercontinental Championship is Curtis Axel, who won the gold at WWE Payback in June 2013. Axel’s father, Mr. Perfect, held the Intercontinental Championship twice from April 1990 to August 1991 for a total of 404 days. Since Axel’s win, no son had been able to capture the Intercontinental title once held by their father, until now.
Jey’s victory has been long overdue in the eyes of many, with Joe Tessitore noting on commentary that he had previously tried six times to win a singles gold, all of which ended in tragedy for the ‘Main Event’ star. Jey was understandably emotional after Raw went off the air, and fans can’t wait to see what the future holds for the brand-new WWE Intercontinental Champion.
On the latest episode of WWE Raw, Jey Uso captured the Intercontinental Championship, his first singles title since joining the main roster in May 2010. For many, this is a win that’s been long overdue, and Uso was overwhelmed after Raw went off the air.
In fan-recorded footage from the Toyota Arena in Ontario, California, Jey can be seen crying tears of joy following his victory over Bron Breakker. Fans serenaded Jey with a ‘You Deserve It!’ chant, a call that Uso vehemently agreed with.
Jey appreciates those who’ve been with him on this journey and is proud to win the title in front of his home state of California. Jey encouraged any kids at the show to do well in school, work hard and listen to their parents, before giving a one-word message to wrap things up: YEET!
Uso’s victory marks the end of Bron Breakker’s 51-day reign that began at SummerSlam 2024 with a victory over Sami Zayn. Breakker retained the title against Zayn on the August 12, edition of WWE Raw in a two-out-of-three falls match.
Uso is one of WWE’s most popular Superstars, but coming up short in past title matches as well as Money in the Bank had left many wondering if the company would ever pull the trigger on Main Event Jey. Now, Uso has added his name to the lineage of the Intercontinental Championship in a win that fans and wrestlers are thrilled to see.
Jey Uso has been a part of WWE’s main roster for over 14 years and is considered one of the greatest tag-team wrestlers to ever grace the ring. After splitting from his brother Jimmy last year, Jey has been proving himself as a singles wrestler and at long last can call himself a singles champion.
Jey captured the WWE Intercontinental Championship in the main event of the September 23, edition of Monday Night Raw, defeating Bron Breakker. The crowd in Ontario, California was firmly behind ‘Main Event Jey’ from the start with Jey making his entrance through the WWE Universe.
The match saw the quickness and agility of Uso collide with the intensity and raw power of Breakker. There were plenty of near falls in the match, with a spear-splash combo by Jey proving exceptionally close.
It’s not just the fans who are pleased to see the YEET Master finally capture gold, as on Twitter, some of Jey’s friends and colleagues celebrated his victory.
Uso’s victory marks the end of Bron Breakker’s 51-day reign that began at SummerSlam 2024 with a victory over Sami Zayn. Breakker retained the title against Zayn on the August 12, edition of WWE Raw in a two-out-of-three falls match.
Since splitting from his family, Jey has been one of WWE’s most popular Superstars, but coming up short in previous title matches (as well as Money in the Bank) had left fans wondering if WWE didn’t see Uso as a champion. Now, those fears can be put to rest as ‘Main Event’ Jey Uso has joined the lineage of the Intercontinental Championship. YEET!
Rikishi remains very active on social media and on Wednesday, the WWE Hall of Famer posted a message that has fans hoping the best for Jimmy Uso.
One of the legends of the Samoan dynasty posted on X asking people to keep Jimmy in their prayers and in turn asked God to give him strength during this time. Included in the post was a video of Jimmy and a voiceover reciting a prayer.
“Dear GOD pray for strength and health to continue #JimmyUso #WWE #Bloodline #Anoai #Fatu. Stay prayed for my boy #JonathanFatu.”
There currently is no further details on the status of Jimmy Uso as he was written off WWE television months ago when Solo Sikoa and the new Bloodline attacked him, effectively kicking him out of the group.
It would be unfair to assume that Rikishi’s post is storyline based, but Jimmy Uso’s past could cause pause for a lot of fans. Back in July of 2019, Uso was charged with a DUI before a jury found him not guilty. Two years to the month after that, Uso was arrested for a misdemeanor DUI after allegedly failing a sobriety test.
Back in a 2023 interview with Ariel Helwani, Jimmy mentioned how he faced the noise with that arrest and continued to remain professional in the WWE work enviroment.
“Everybody has their issues outside of work. Everybody is human and makes mistakes as they go through it. As long as you face the noise, that’s something we always did.”
Jey Uso has teased that The Bloodline story may be going in a different direction than fans are expecting after the return of Roman Reigns to WWE programming.
Solo Sikoa has taken over the role of The Tribal Chief after Reigns’ WrestleMania 40 loss to Cody Rhodes. He has since introduced a number of new members of the esteemed Anoa’i family to WWE programming.
Fans have been expecting to see Roman reuniting the old Bloodline with The Usos and Sami Zayn to take on this new threat after his return at SummerSlam.
Jey Uso was asked about the progression of the story and where he fits into it during an interview with Metro. He claimed that he doesn’t know what the plans are:
“I’m looking forward to the Bloodline storyline as much as you all are, because I’ll be honest, I don’t know what we’re going to do, I don’t know what’s going to happen.”
Defying the expectations, Roman Reigns so far has made no attempts to reconcile with his old partners. He has instead found an unlikely ally in Cody Rhodes for the Bad Blood match against Solo and Jacob Fatu.
In the wake of the Survivor Series: WarGames event set for November 30; many are expecting to see him back on screen with his former allies soon.
The Yeet Man however is not sure if it will be natural for him to go back in light of the progression he has made as a singles star. He instead believes that the Original Tribal Chief could find the help he needs from other members of the family:
“I don’t know how we how they’re going to intertwine me back in there… Sami would be my first pick, right? It only makes sense. Hey, we might have other family members, more surprises, man!”
Roman Reigns leading a completely new group of Anoa’i family members is certainly a proposition that fits with the booking philosophy of focusing on new stars that WWE has adapted since Triple H took over as a booker.
There is no shortage of potential soldiers he can find in his family and names such as Zilla Fatu and Thamiko Fatu have already captured people’s eyes as potential future stars for the promotion.
Jey Uso is all hyped up after winning the No.1 Contender’s fatal-four way match for the Intercontinental Championship on last night’s season premiere of Raw.
‘Main Event’ Jey Uso defeated Pete Dunne, Ilja Dragunov, and Braun Strowman to win the WWE Intercontinental Championship Number One Contender’s Tournament. With the win, he has secured a shot at Bron Breakker’s WWE Intercontinental Championship. After WWE Raw went off the air, Jey Uso reflected on his victory and said that he feels ready to finally win a singles title. He stated that he is gearing up to win the Intercontinental title for the fans, his family, and himself.
Uso joked that the match had a lot of “Brons” (Braun Strowman, Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker) – but there was only one Jey Uso.
“I’m so ready. I’m so ready, Uce. I’m ready to do it for the WWE Universe, for myself, for my family, really prove myself, Uce. Almost been a whole year since I was on Raw, since I left The Bloodline and started my journey, Uce. We gonna get there. Braun Strowman, me and you gonna dance, Uce. I don’t know if you can dance, Bron Strowman, Bron Breakker, Bronson Reed, whole lotta Brons going on, but look, there’s only one Main Event Jey Uso, and you’re looking at him. The new Intercontinental Champion, Main Event Jey Uso. Can I get a YEET?”
Jey Uso’s singles run
Jey has been thriving since venturing out as a singles performer in 2020. His initial run was brief as he competed when his twin Jimmy Uso was sidelined with a knee injury. His proper singles run started last year when he broke loose from The Bloodline.
Jey has managed to showcase some incredible high-profile matches. He competed in the Money in the Bank ladder match and the Royal Rumble. At this year’s WrestleMania 40, he went up against his twin brother Jimmy Uso.
Despite competing in title matches, a singles title has eluded him. However, he could put an end to the title drought next month.
Jey Uso will challenge Bron Breakker for the Intercontinental Championship at WWE Bad Blood PLE on October 5.
The excitement didn’t end after this week’s episode of WWE RAW went off the air from the Bell Arena in Denver, Colorado. In the main event of the show, Jey Uso and Damian Priest defeated WWE World Tag Team Champions Finn Balor & JD McDonagh in non-title action. While Liv Morgan tried to aid her Judgment Day allies, Rhea Ripley, who’d been attacked earlier in the night, neutralized the Women’s World Champion.
After RAW, Jey, Ripley, and Priest celebrated in the ring. Despite her ankle injury, Rhea joined in with a ‘Yeet’ and after some convincing, Priest joined her and Jey for a three-person ‘Yeet.’
JEY USO AND RHEA RIPLEY AFTER #WWERaw WENT OFF AIR GOT DAMIAN PRIEST TO FINALLY YEET ?
This week’s RAW dealt with the fallout from last Saturday’s Bash in Berlin, the first WWE PLE to ever take place in Germany. On RAW, CM Punk set his sights on the World Heavyweight Championship, only to be ambushed by Drew McIntyre and have his bracelet destroyed. Sami Zayn also confronted World Heavyweight Champion GUNTHER who declined the challenge of the man who beat him at WrestleMania 40.
WWE Hall of Famer Rikishi continues to express disappointment with the promotion over the booking of his son Jey Uso. The fan-favorite superstar has remained one of the top “Babyfaces” in the company but has yet to win a singles championship.
Rikishi has previously lashed out at the company for not allowing his son to win Money In The Bank. Uso responded to his father’s comments on the Ringer Wrestling Show podcastand jokingly shared that he told his dad to watch him work and enjoy the show. On his Off The Top podcast, Rikishi called out WWE again for not giving his son the opportunities he deserves.
“…I’m at this point where I just want to call my son, hey go ahead and just take a break because obviously them writers don’t know where to put you or where to write something that’s right for the character of Jey Uso.”
Rikishi thinks Uso should be a World Champion by now due to his fanbase, questions if WWE is paying him fairly, and suggests he should explore opportunities elsewhere.
“…WWE is making money off the Yeet Man (Uso). The Yeet Man is making money himself, but the only difference is the Yeet Man is working for his money.”
Rikishi Suggests Jey Uso Explore Working Elsewhere
Rikishi explained that his son has done well with merchandise, and the company is profiting from Uso’s success but not rewarding him. He also believes that Uso can succeed in All Elite Wrestling and get paid more than working for WWE.
“…The kid is so good. WWE ain’t the only spot. He can probably go to AEW, if he wanted, and write his own ticket. Maybe more than what WWE is making on him.
So you know, at the end of the day, man, this is a wrestler talking. I utilize my platform to each one teach one, but it just so happened that we talking about my boy, the Yeet Man. So hopefully, they turn it around and do the right thing behind the Yeet Man.”
– Rikishi
Jey Uso will compete in a #1 contender’s tournament to decide who will challenge Intercontinental Champion Bron Breakker at WWE Bad Blood on October 5.
Prior to announcing his intentions to compete in the tournament, he was teasing being in a tag team with Sami Zayn. However, Zayn is currently out of action and undergoing stem cell therapy.
He has also been teased to be involved with Rhea Ripley as she feuds with Dominik Mysterio and Liv Morgan. Before the breakup between “Mamí” and “Dirty Dom,” Uso showed interest in Ripley, which caused Mysterio to be jealous. In addition, the former WWE Women’s World Champion has continued referencing on social media, as fans believe he will eventually come to her rescue to go against the new power couple. During the Judgement Day’s (Finn Balor, Carlito, JD McDonagh, Mysterio & Morgan) assault on Ripley and Damian Priest on the August 19 WWE Raw, the audience was chanting for Uso to make the save.
Despite the creative direction WWE seems to be taking Uso and being featured as a top “Babyface” superstar on Monday Night Raw, Rikishi is pushing hard for his son to get more opportunities. Like LaVar Ball did for his sons, the wrestling legend continues to be vocal about helping Uso succeed in his career.
‘Main Event’ Jey Uso has assured the fans that they are going to love it when his twin brother, Jimmy Uso returns.
Jey told Sports Illustrated that fans have only seen a few glimpses of Jimmy’s ability. He then labeled his brother the ‘funniest guy’ he knows and said that he couldn’t be hated for long. Jey teased Jimmy’s impending return and how he will show his greatness. He said:
“And people are going to love Jimmy. He’s the funniest guy I know, so much funnier than me. You’ve seen glimpses of what he can do on his own. Wait until you see his greatness. He’s up next.”
Jey also believes that the self-proclaimed ‘Tribal Chief’ Solo Sikoa, who is their younger brother deserves a beating. He said:
“Solo needs his ass whupped. There’s no doubt about that.”
The Usos are one of the greatest tag teams of all time. They were part of The Bloodline and the duo is eight-time Tag Team Champions in WWE. However, the brother tag team split last year due to their rivalry. This led to them settling the score inside the ring at WrestleMania XL.
While Jey Uso has been striving in singles competition, Jimmy was attacked by Solo Sikoa and ousted from The Bloodline. Roman Reigns recently returned to make it clear that he is ‘The Original Tribal Chief.’ There has been speculation that there will be a Bloodline Civil War in the future and The Usos are likely to stand by Roman Reigns.
The Yeet Party continued after the SummerSlam go-home episode of SmackDown from Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio went off air.
There were two dark matches that took place after the broadcast ended. The first bout saw Braun Strowman picking up a victory over Chad Gable in a singles match.
The second dark match of the night featured the team of Rey Mysterio, Jey Uso, The Miz and R Truth taking on The Judgement Day in an 8 men tag team bout.
The babyfaces had a lot of fun in this match and they all danced to Uso’s theme song for an extended period. They even got the World Heavyweight Champion Damian Priest to do the Yeet at one point.
The ending of the match saw Rey Mysterio doing 619 on all four JD members. He then pinned Dominik to pick up the win for his team and the faces continued to celebrate long after:
SmackDown dark match #2:
– Rey Mysterio, Jey Uso, Awesome Truth d. Judgment Day *SUPER fun dark match. Babyfaces kept restarting the song for the crowd, Dominik interferes which gets a ton a heat. Babyfaces win, more yeeting afterwards. pic.twitter.com/HOi5eyOd1n
— Dr. Chris Featherstone, Ph.D. (@chrisprolific) August 3, 2024
What Happened On SmackDown
This week’s episode of the Blue Branded Show saw the final build for some top SummerSlam matches. The show opened with a confrontation between Cody Rhodes and Solo Sikoa before their encounter on Sunday which has now been made a Bloodline rules match.
We also saw a promo battle between US Champion Logan Paul and LA Knight before their title match. A Women’s Tag Team Championship match between The Unholy Union and Jade Cargill & Bianca Belair ended in a disqualification.
The main event of the show was DIY defending their Tag Team Titles against Jacob Fatu and Tonga Loa. The Bloodline won this match and the show ended with the faction standing tall.
Rhea Ripley could be in store for all the waffles she could eat should the Judgment Day member take Jey Uso up on his offer of a date.
On the July 15, edition of Raw, Ripley confronted Dominik Mysterio about his ‘relationship’ with Liv Morgan. Despite Mysterio’s attempts to be forgiven, including dozens of black roses, Rhea wanted no part of it and slammed a door in the face of ‘Dirty Dom.’
Raw also saw Jey Uso tease an interest in Ripley and even gave the former Women’s World Champion the hand-sign to ‘call me.’ Speaking after Raw in a WWE Digital Exclusive, Jey shared what could be in store for Rhea if she answers his call.
“I think she deserves better [than Dominik Mysterio.] If she needs a shoulder to cry on, holla at your Uce. You know what I’m saying? We can take it slow. Go to Waffle House. You probably ain’t never been to Waffle House, though, but you need to come this way, Rhea. It’s a little cheap, but it’s good. The quality’s good.”
Jey also predicted what Rhea would order if the pair stepped foot in one of the 1,900 locations of the popular restaurant chain that has been open since 1955.
“She looks like she would eat ten egg whites and a chicken, but I’m all about that triple hash-brown life, Uce. Double waffle, chocolate-chip cookie, Uce. We gonna get along just fine.”
Jey Uso & The Judgment Day
Ironically, this is not the first time that Uso and Ripley have been linked. In the summer of 2023, Jey moved to Raw and quickly found himself approached by the Judgment Day. The group went to great lengths to try and win over Jey and it was even suggested that Rhea would be ‘interested’ in him if he joined.
Ultimately, Jey rejected the faction’s advances and ended up feuding with the Judgment Day. Now, Uso is the one pursuing Ripley in the latest twist of the compelling love triangle that has proven to be one of Monday Night Raw’s most intriguing stories.
Rikishi saw a lot of money for WWE if they made Jey Uso the men’s Money In The Bank winner, but that briefcase went to Drew McIntyre.
Speaking on his own podcast. Rikishi gave his reaction to Jey not being the one to pull down the briefcase over a week ago in Toronto. The father of Jey and Jimmy admitted that it “kind of hit a nerve” with him. Rikishi understood not giving him the briefcase because of his “bloodline” background, but just knows there’s money to be made with “Main Event” Jey Uso.
“I’m gonna go back to the numbers. The numbers don’t lie with Yeet. The merchandise that the Yeet Man has done so much for the company. The Yeet Man, he doesn’t have a bad track record. The Yeet Man is not a liability. The Yeet Man shows up to work and does what he does.”
Despite not winning the match, WWE clearly does have full confidence in the star power of Uso. Last week on WWE RAW Uso defeated Chad Gable in the opening match before he high-tailed it out of the ring once The Wyatt Sicks appeared. Jey Uso is undoubtedly a top three babyface on RAW alongside the injured CM Punk and Seth Rollins.
Even though there are no concrete plans for Jey as WWE heads towards SummerSlam, he will likely be involved in something major, whether that’s a crossover with The Bloodline or potentially something with the aforementioned Wyatt Sicks.
The excitement didn’t stop at this week’s SmackDown from Worcester’s DCU Center after the latest episode of the blue brand went off the air.
The July 12, edition of WWE SmackDown saw the road to SummerSlam stretch on with matches set for the Biggest Party of the Summer. Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes and Solo Sikoa agreed to a showdown this August in Cleveland. LA Knight also has a contract for a U.S. title match with Logan Paul for SummerSlam but needs Paul to sign the paperwork to make it official.
After WWE SmackDown
The closing moments of this week’s SmackDown saw Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton be laid out by Solo Sikoa and the Bloodline. Rhodes was forced to watch on as Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa, and Jacob Fatu delivered a triple powerbomb to Orton through the announce table. After the show, Rhodes, alongside WWE officials (including Jamie Noble and Hurricane Helms) helped Orton to the back.
Fans who stuck around in the DCU Center after SmackDown got to see much more than Orton be helped to the back. In a dark match, Braun Strowman made quick work of honorary Judgment Day member Carlito.
The fans were also treated to a rematch from WWE Backlash: France as World Heavyweight Champion Damian Priest took on Jey Uso. Despite a valiant effort by Main Event Jey, it was Priest who once again left with the gold.
— Damian Priest Fan Source Media (@DPFanSource2) July 13, 2024
Priest will now have to turn his attention to SummerSlam where he will defend against WWE King of the Ring GUNTHER. The 37th annual SummerSlam will take place on August 3, from the Cleveland Brown Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio.
In May 2024, WWE Shop saw notable sales in their apparel category, and we have a full list of top-selling products.
Wrestlenomics reports that CM Punk emerged as a top seller for May 2024, showing his strong connection with fans, even though his injury hiatus. Jey Uso followed closely, which shouldn’t be a huge surprise considering the incredible reception his Yeet entrance has received in recent memory.
Cody Rhodes, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and The Rock also featured in the sales rankings, showcasing the appeal of both current and legendary figures in wrestling. Other superstars such as Randy Orton, Roman Reigns, Bray Wyatt, Rey Mysterio, and Liv Morgan also made the top ten list, reflecting a range of interests among the WWE fan base.
Best-Selling Items
When it comes to individual items, the “Men’s Black Jey Uso Yeet T-Shirt” led the pack, staying in the top 10 for 22 days throughout the month. This was followed by the “Men’s Black Return of CM Punk T-Shirt,” which also enjoyed significant daily sales.
“Stone Cold” Steve Austin’s merchandise, particularly the “Stone Cold” Steve Austin & Booker T Rivals T-Shirt and the classic “Stone Cold” Steve Austin 3:16 T-Shirt, remained fan favorites. CM Punk’s “Best In The World” ringer T-shirt and The Rock’s “Final Boss” T-shirt also saw strong sales.
It’s also notable that Liv Morgan topped WWE’s sales charts after her King & Queen of the Ring Women’s World Title win, which landed her the #10 spot for the entire month.
Top-Selling WWE Merchandise for May 2024
Top Superstars:
CM Punk
Jey Uso
Cody Rhodes
Stone Cold Steve Austin
The Rock
Randy Orton
Roman Reigns
Bray Wyatt
Rey Mysterio/Mysterios
Liv Morgan
Insights and Trends
The data from May 2024 reveals a few key trends. The continued sales of CM Punk’s merchandise underline his lasting impact and popularity. Jey Uso’s rise in the rankings reflects his growing influence and appeal within the WWE universe.
The presence of both legendary figures like Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock, alongside current superstars such as Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes, indicates a broad spectrum of fan interests spanning different eras of WWE.
Overall, WWE Shop’s apparel sales for May 2024 highlight the dynamic nature of wrestling fandom and the continued popularity of both past and present WWE superstars.
WWE is on the road to Clash At The Castle premium live event next month. The show is expected to be headlined by WWE World Heavyweight Champion Damian Priest defending his title against Drew McIntyre. The crucial matchup will be the ‘The Scottish Warrior’ opportunity to win the title in his hometown. However, in Madison Square Garden, it seems Priest may have spoiled that Priest will remain champion.
On X, MSG advertised that Priest will defend his title against ‘Main Event’ Jey Uso at Friday Night Smackdown on June 28. It’s worth noting that it’s possible this could be a dark match instead of taking place on the show.
JUST ANNOUNCED! From Monday Night RAW see Damian Priest vs. Jey Uso live in a World Heavyweight Championship Match at Friday Night SmackDown on Fri, Jun 28 at The Garden!
While the match is also subject to change, it seems Priest could be holding the title after Clash At The Castle. It will be his second championship defense, so it’s possible WWE may not be ready to end his reign. Priest has also set up a potential matchup with 2024 King Of The Ring winner Gunther at WWE SummerSlam on August 3.
Gunther Earning Title Opportunity & More Talent Teasing Heavyweight Championship Match
Gunther earned a WWE World Heavyweight Championship match by defeating Randy Orton in the finals of the King Of The Ring tournament. On the May 27 episode of Monday Night Raw, ‘The Ring General’ celebrated his win and had an in-ring segment with Priest. However, the face-off didn’t last long as McIntyre came to the ring to interrupt them.
After a brief encounter on the microphone, Braun Strowman came to the ring to confront Priest. The ‘Monster Among Men’ would go on to defeat Judgement Day member JD McDonagh afterward. The champion would later tease that he would if Judgement Day can’t handle Strowman or anyone giving them issues.
Priest has his hands full with McIntyre at Clash At The Castle, but it seems there are a few challenges, including Uso, who is in line to face him for the title.
McIntyre still has a chance to reclaim the WWE World Heavyweight championship. However, MSG advertising a title match between Priest and Uso isn’t an encouraging sign.
WWE will get closer to crowning a new King and Queen of the Ring on the May 20 edition of WWE RAW. Tonight’s edition of Raw from North Carolina’s historic Greensboro Coliseum will see a continuation of the men’s and women’s tournaments. If you’re in the area, tickets for the show are still available at Ticketmaster.
The King and Queen of the Ring Tournaments tournaments began on May 6 and will conclude this Saturday at at the Jeddah Dome in Saudi Arabia. This will be the first Premium Live Event to be named after the tournaments since WWE King of the Ring 2002.
On the men’s side of things, GUNTHER will take on Jey Uso for a place in the finals in Jeddah. GUNTHER reached this spot with victories over his old rival Sheamus as well as Kofi Kingston. Jey reached the semi-finals with wins over Finn Balor and Ilja Dragunov.
Jey Uso vs. Gunther in the King of the Ring Semifinals
For the Queen of the Ring Tournament semi-finals, Lyra Valkyria will take on IYO SKY. The recently called-up Valkyria reached this spot in the tournament with wins over Dakota Kai and Zoey Stark. SKY has rebounded from her loss at WrestleMania 40 by advancing with wins over Natalya and Shayna Baszler.
In non-tournament action, we’ll see Intercontinental Champion Sami Zayn battle Chad Gable in a non-title match. These two and Bronson Reed will compete for Zayn’s title this weekend.
Other top feuds headed into the PLE include Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes vs. United States Champion Logan Paul and Liv Morgan challenging Becky Lynch for the Women’s World Championship.
Keep checking back to SEScoops for more coverage of tonight’s WWE Raw, including all the news coming out of the show afterwards.
Catch up on the Top 10 moments from last week’s show:
Jey Uso believes any young person trying to break into the wrestling business should focus on learning the art of it properly instead of chasing the clout.
Being the son of the legendary Rikishi and part of the renowned Anoa?i family, Jey has practically grown up in the business and knows everything there is to know about it.
The Raw star was asked what advice would he give to a young talent trying to make a name for himself in the industry. Jey Uso explained that anyone who is focused on chasing the fame is going to fail:
“If you’re trying to do this for like, some likes and views and fame this ain’t it bro. Because a lot of homies are lined up for that and they’re all gonna fail.”
Protect What We Love: Jey Uso
(WWE)
The former tag team champion then claimed that aspiring wrestlers should first focus on getting the basics down and try to protect the business they all love:
“I feel like just learn this craft. If you really love it, just start in the ring first. Learn the art of wrestling, right? Like it’s cool with characters, but I always take pride in [that]. Not a lot of people can do the entertainment part, the acting part, let alone do the athleticism in the ring – the moves, the bumps.
The movement with someone else in there is different with two people, let alone four or five. Protect the art, protect the business. If you really want to, get down and learn. Just don’t do what you see on Instagram. You know what I’m saying, Uce? Just protect what we love. It’s not a sprint. It’s a marathon.”
Jey Uso has become a singles star since leaving The Bloodline in mid-2023. He most recently unsuccessfully challenged for Damian Priest’s World Heavyweight Championship at Backlash France earlier this month.
The WWE star is currently competing in the King of The Ring tournament. He has defeated Finn Balor and Ilja Dragunov in the tournament and is set to face Gunther in the semi-finals during the May 20th episode of Raw.
Jey Uso has revealed that JoJo Offerman sent him a text after watching his viral Backlash: France entrance featuring the Fireflies.
The ‘Yeeter of Worlds’ recently appeared on the Battleground podcast. He talked about things such as his match with brother Jimmy Uso at WrestleMania 40 and more.
During the interview, Jey was asked if the crowd participation in his entrance made him feel validated as a singles star. The former Bloodline member claimed that the most validated he felt was when Bray Wyatt’s widow JoJo Offerman sent him a message after the show:
“I think the most I was validated was (when) JoJo, Bray Wyatt’s wife, had texted me and said how emotional she was watching. She saw clips of it on YouTube and that let me know right there, ‘Alright, I’m gonna keep it.’ I hope it sticks with me, man. I never asked for it, I never…They did it and I just want to keep it with me now.”
The Fireflies were originally made famous by Bray Wyatt with his Cult Leader gimmick. He used to come out with a lantern during his entrance and the fans started to join in with the flashlights on their phones.
‘Main Event’ Jey Uso
Jey Uso also proclaimed that Backlash was probably his favorite moment in wrestling ever. To him, the arena looked like a wave of stars were falling in and that feeling would never be matched.
Reports suggest that WWE officials were happy with the reaction the former champion got during his entrance in Lyon, France.
The company plans to continue encouraging the fans to bring out the fireflies for him with dim lighting during Jey’s entrance. They also plan to highlight any main stream use of Uso’s theme song like we’ve seen.
Jey Uso knows that his WrestleMania 40 match with brother Jimmy Uso didn’t live up to the expectations and he believes that time constraints were the reason for it.
The Raw star recently had an interview with DailyMail where he opened up about things such as splitting up with his twin brother, choosing his ring gear, and more.
The former tag champion was then asked for his thoughts on how the match between the two brothers played out. Jey explained that getting a singles WrestleMania match against his brother was still surreal but he did feel like the bout failed to live up to the expectations:
“To be honest, it was still a dream match, just me and my brother. I kind of felt I kind of let the people down, though. It was all due to timing issues, so our match was fairly quick. Sometimes you’ve just got to roll with it. It is what it is. “
Uso said that the positive side of it is that they were able to check that box off. The former Bloodline member claimed that he isn’t mad at the other matches and he is just glad that he and his brother got a WrestleMania moment.
When asked about it, Jey Uso said that he always wanted his dad to be involved in some way whether it be in the match itself or the storyline leading up to it:
“Hell yeah, I always wanted my dad involved, whether it be a referee… I just don’t think my dad could have kept up, just getting up and down, because referees, they’re doing like, push up burpees the whole match too, they’re getting a great workout. Maybe like a go home promo, just some kind of cool promo segment. There might be another time for it.”
Jey also talked about his increased popularity since leaving the Bloodline and his unique entrance that has been garnering attention from not only fans but the WWE officials as well. You can check out the future plans for his entrance here.
In a surprising change of pace, GUNTHER momentarily broke character during his face-off with Jey Uso after WWE RAW this week. Despite his fierce reputation and focus on winning the King of the Ring tournament, the Imperium leader shared a brief light-hearted moment with Uso before swiftly returning to his serious demeanor and delivering a punishing attack.
GUNTHER, known for his no-nonsense approach, had a remarkable run as Intercontinental Champion with a 666-day reign. Currently, he is focused on winning the King of the Ring tournament, with his next opponent being Jey Uso.
Uce advanced in the tournament by defeating Ilja Dragunov, who was recently called up from NXT. Following WWE RAW this week, GUNTHER and Uso had an opportunity to face off. During their encounter, GUNTHER momentarily broke character, sharing a brief light-hearted moment with Jey.
However, GUNTHER quickly returned to his serious demeanor and proceeded to deliver a punishing attack on the former Bloodline member. The Ring General remains determined as he continues his pursuit of the King of the Ring title.
Gunther breaking character and then getting back into character after RAW went off the air ?? pic.twitter.com/cyoRI1XbI6
After Raw went off the air, Jey Uso attempted to make GUNTHER join in on the “yeet.” Even the referee and ring announcer Samantha Irvin participated in the celebration, and it seemed as if GUNTHER might give in.
However, GUNTHER chose to attack his future opponent instead. Despite this, Jey managed to gain the upper hand with a spear and celebrated with the crowd as GUNTHER retreated.
