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The Fireflies were originally made famous by Bray Wyatt with his Cult Leader gimmick.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.

The popularity of Jey Uso at WWE Backlash France did not go unnoticed by higher-ups who aim to capitalize on how ‘over’ he is. 

At WWE’s first-ever French Premium Live Event, Jey challenged Damian Priest for the World Heavyweight Championship. This marked Priest’s first title defense at a PLE after capturing the title by cashing in his Money in the Bank contract at WWE WrestleMania: Sunday. 

Jey didn’t win the World Heavyweight Championship in Lyon but he was one of the most popular stars at the show, perhaps second only behind Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. The reaction from the crowd to Jey’s entrance at Backlash France has caught the attention of WWE higher-ups, Fightful Select reports.  

WWE intends to encourage fans to replicate the Lyon crowd’s reaction during Jey Uso’s entrances in future events. The lighting will continue to be dimmed during his entrance to encourage fans to use their phones as light like what we saw in Lyon. Any time Jey’s theme is played in mainstream media, such as at a recent NBA game, will be highlighted on WWE TV. 

• Jey Uso On His Viral Entrance At WWE Backlash: ‘I Felt Like Bray Wyatt Was Showing Love To Me’

What’s to Come? 

Fans will have ample opportunity to see Jey Uso on the May 13, episode of WWE Raw, where he will compete in a King of the Ring quarter-finals against Ilja Dragunov. Should he be successful, he’ll move on to the semi-finals where he will face either GUNTHER or Jey Uso. 

WWE’s focus on promoting Jey’s entrance certainly bodes well for his future. After over a decade on WWE TV as a tag-team specialist, Jey is finding his stride as a singles star. And while he may not have become the WWE World Heavyweight Champion in Lyon, there may be more opportunities lined up for ‘Main Event’ Jey.

Backlash France will go down in the annals of WWE’s history books, though not entirely for all the right reasons. 

WWE’s first Premium Live Event in France took place at the LDLC Arena in Lyon and marked the first televised title defense of Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. The American Nightmare retained against AJ Styles, over two decades after the Phenomenal One faced (and defeated) Cody’s father Dusty. Jade Cargill & Bianca Belair captured the WWE Tag Team Championships at Backlash; the first title in WWE for the ex-AEW star. 

An Unfortunate Record

The crowd in the LDLC Arena was electric for Backlash France and the proceeding night’s SmackDown, prompting a noise level warning sent to Triple H. Unfortunately, that excitement wasn’t shared among fans watching at home, or at least those without access to the WWE Network or Peacock. As explained on Wrestling Observer Radio, the event saw the lowest amount of pay-per-view buys for any WWE event in history. Dave Meltzer added that there is a “considerable margin” between Backlash and the previous record-holder for the worst pay-per-view buys. 

While this isn’t fortunate for Backlash France, it’s no secret that pay-per-view buys have dwindled over the past decade. Thanks to the creation of the WWE Network and its subsequent acquisition by Peacock, audiences worldwide have ditched traditional viewing methods in favor of streaming platforms. 

The time of the event will have also played into how many people watched the show. Because of the time difference between the U.S. and France, the show started at 1 pm for fans in the States. Nevertheless, the show proved to be a success in other ways, including the largest gate for any arena event in WWE history. WWE will host two more PLEs in Europe this year, a sign that the company is all in on international events. 

WWE Backlash had a wild crowd courtesy of Lyon, France, but it also marked the end of an unbelievable streak with the WWE Undisputed Universal Championship.

Cody Rhodes put that very championship on the line against AJ Styles on Saturday and the battle became memorable in more ways than one. Not only did ‘The American Nightmare’ get a tremendous pop from the French crowd, but Rhodes actually retained his title by defeating ‘The Phenomenal One.’

However, Punk from the Burial Squad was able to dig up an insane statistic about Rhodes’ successful title defense. Backlash happened to mark the first time that specific championship was successfully defended on television without any outside interference in almost two years. The last time the title was defended without any interference had Roman Reigns beating Matt Riddle on the June 17, 2022 episode of WWE SmackDown.

Reigns’ reign became notorious for having constant interference in his title fights. While the tactic was certainly frustrating for fans (and his opponents), it did create for some memorable moments. Solo Sikoa made his main roster debut by interfering in his cousin Roman’s defense against Drew McIntyre at Clash At The Castle. Jimmy Uso also happened to stab his brother Jey in the back at WWE SummerSlam, allowing Roman to retain his gold.

Rhodes vs. Styles at Backlash also marked a new moment in WWE history. Their main event fight also happened to be the first WWE Undisputed Title match on PLE that was officiated by a female. Jessika Carr donned the zebra stripes for the battle between Cody and AJ.

The latest European tour of WWE saw events held in three different countries as the promotion continues to embraces its appeal outside of the U.S. 

The tour, which came mere weeks after a recent tour of the United Kingdom, was part of the promotion’s buzz surrounding WWE Backlash: France, the first Premium Live Event in the country’s history. 

WWE in Bologna, Italy

The first night of the tour saw the Superstars travel to Italy. The show saw several highlights, including Solo Sikoa break a 41-match losing streak. The former NXT North American Champion teamed with Tama Tonga to defeat Randy Orton & Kevin Owens in what was also Tonga’s WWE in-ring debut. After the show’s main event, Undisputed WWE Cody Rhodes said he hopes to bring a WWE TV taping to the country. 

The results for the show were as follows: 

• Sami Zayn (c) def. Ludwig Kaiser (Intercontinental Championship)

• Bianca Belair, Jade Cargill & Naomi def. Damage CTRL (Asuka, Dakota Kai & Kairi Sane)

• Solo Sikoa & Tama Tonga def. LA Knight & Randy Orton

• Damian Priest (c) def. Chad Gable and Gunther and Jey Uso (World Heavyweight Championship)

• Awesome Truth (R-Truth & The Miz) (c) def. Judgment Day (Finn Balor & JD McDonagh) (World Tag Team Championships)

• Becky Lynch (c) def. Nia Jax (WWE Women’s World Championship)

• Cody Rhodes (c) def. Shinsuke Nakamura (Undisputed WWE Championship)

WWE in Vienna, Austria

WWE’s next stop on the tour saw the promotion come to Vienna, Austria. This was WWE’s first event in the nation since 2019 and unsurprisingly, GUNTHER received a hero’s welcome in his homeland. 

The results for the show were as follows: 

• Sami Zayn (c) def. Ludwig Kaiser (Intercontinental Championship)
• Solo Sikoa & Tama Tonga def. LA Knight & Randy Orton
• GUNTHER def. Chad Gable

• Jey Uso & Awesome Truth (R-Truth & The Miz) def. Judgment Day (Damian Priest, Finn Balor & JD McDonagh)

• Bianca Belair, Jade Cargill & Naomi def. Damage CTRL (Asuka, Dakota Kai & Kairi Sane)

• Becky Lynch (c) def. Nia Jax (WWE Women’s World Championship)

• Cody Rhodes (c) def. Shinsuke Nakamura (Undisputed WWE Championship)

WWE SmackDown in France

The penultimate stop on the tour saw WWE finally arrive in Lyon, France for the May 3, episode of WWE SmackDown. This was WWE’s first TV taping in the nation’s history and saw the Superstars seek to build momentum towards WWE Backlash. 

The results for the show were as follows: 

• Bayley, Naomi, Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill def. Tiffany Stratton and Damage CTRL
• AOP (with Karrion Kross and Scarlett) def. New Catch Republic 
• LA Knight def. Angel
• Austin Theory and Grayson Waller (c) def. The Street Profits (WWE Tag Team Championship)

WWE Backlash France

WWE’s tour culminated with Backlash France, the first PLE of its kind in the country. Given the raucous ovation the night prior, expectations were high for the show and once again the WWE Universe inside the LDLC Arena delivered. The show saw surprises and title matches with the WWE Women’s Tag Titles changing hands. 

The results of the show were as follows:

• The Bloodline (Solo Sikoa and Tama Tonga) (with Paul Heyman) def. Kevin Owens and Randy Orton
• Bayley (c) defeated Naomi and Tiffany Stratton (WWE Women’s Championship)
• Damian Priest (c) defeated Jey Uso (WWE World Heavyweight Championship)
• Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill defeated The Kabuki Warriors (Asuka and Kairi Sane) (c) (WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship)
• Cody Rhodes (c) defeated AJ Styles (Undisputed WWE Championship)

WWE’s recent tour has proven to be a hit with audiences as the promotion continues to lean into the ‘World’ aspect of its name. With Triple H teasing a broadcast event in Italy during the post-Backlash press conference and with PLEs in Europe already announced, expect much more from WWE outside North America. 

WWE Backlash France and the preceding SmackDown proved to be huge successes for the promotion and also marked the return of a former Superstar. 

The promotion’s latest PLE saw several top stars including Undisputed WWE Cody Rhodes, World Heavyweight Champion Damian Priest, Kevin Owens, Randy Orton, and Jade Cargill. The crowd in the LDLC Arena was electric throughout the show in addition to being worryingly loud during the May 3, edition of WWE SmackDown. 

During the opening match of Backlash France, Tanga Loa aided the Bloodline in their Street Fight but he wasn’t the only former Superstar to get involved. Earlier in the show, security tried to keep the Bloodline and the team of Randy Orton & Kevin Owens apart, albeit to no avail. It has since come out that former WWE NXT Superstar Sylvester Lefort was part of that team of security. 

This wasn’t Lefort’s only time getting physical during WWE’s time in France. The 40-year-old wrestler was also part of the security during the previous night’s edition of SmackDown and was slammed onto the commentary table by Randy Orton. 

Lefort was on the NXT roster from 2013 to 2015. During this period of time, he was involved in storylines with Enzo Amore, Dax Harwood (then Scott Dawson), and Miro (then Alexander Rusev). After his WWE NXT tenure ended, Lefort joined TNA Wrestling and worked as Basile Baraka. 

Getting to appear for WWE one more time (albeit not as a Superstar) likely felt good for Lefort, despite the beating he took at the hands of Orton. Not only did he appear at Backlash, by Lefort (under his real name Tom LaRuffa) competed at an event for BZW in Lyon, where he was on the losing end of an eight-man tag-team match. 

More From WWE Backlash France

Here are some recent articles about WWE Backlash France as the promotion’s first PLE in the country continues to prove to be quite the talking point: 

New WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion Jade Cargill was obviously pleased with her victory at WWE Backlash France, but wishes her mom could’ve been there. 

At WWE’s first French PLE, Cargill and Bianca Belair captured the Women’s Tag Team Championships; the first title for Cargill since her groundbreaking WWE signing last September. The win also marks the first tag title reign for Belair, who is a former Raw and SmackDown Women’s Champion. 

A raucous audience in the LDLC Arena watched Belair and Cargill win the titles as well as countless fans watching around the world. Unfortunately, Jade’s mother was not among them as the elder Cargill passed away in December 2023 following a lengthy battle with cancer. 

Taking to her Instagram Stories, Jade paid tribute to her mom and said she wishes she could have seen her win in Lyon. 

”I really wish I could have had my mom there last night. But I know God has a reason for it all. I know she’s proud of me.” 

Cargill’s quick ascent through the WWE ranks demonstrate the promotion’s lofty faith in her to be a top woman in the company. It’s hard to ignore the similarities to AEW where Jade quickly became the first AEW TBS Champion, a title she held for over 500 days. If the past is any indicator, expect a lengthy title run for the Storm and more gold in her future. 

More From Jade Cargill 

Here are some recent articles regarding Jade Cargill as the new WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion continues to take WWE by ‘Storm’

Jessika Carr made history at Saturday’s WWE Backlash France premium live event by becoming the first female referee to work a World title main event.

Cody Rhodes acknowledged the milestone on social media. WWE’s first full-time female referee says she’s honored and grateful to make history once again.

Honored and incredibly grateful. https://t.co/QnYTE0jnDh

— Jessika Carr (@WWELadyRefJess) May 4, 2024

Triple H and fellow WWE official Daphanie LaShaunn also congratulated Carr on her milestone achievement. 

Jessika Carr has been smashing through glass ceilings since she joined @WWE, and last night was no different.

At #WWEBacklash France, @WWELadyRefJess became the first female official to ever referee a #WWETitle PLE main event match. pic.twitter.com/4L5h0HcSPm

— Triple H (@TripleH) May 5, 2024

Thank you my lady. The future is bright. Looking your way. 🩵👀

— Jessika Carr (@WWELadyRefJess) May 4, 2024

Carr officiated the match between Rhodes and AJ Styles which headlined the night inside the LDLC Arena. The show saw Rhodes get the win in his first Undisputed WWE Championship defense to play out on TV. Rhodes dispatched of the Phenomenal One with a series of signature moves before hitting his Cross Rhodes finisher. 

This is hardly the first time Carr has made history for the women of WWE who don the black and white stripes. In 2021, Carr became the first woman to referee a WWE event in Saudi Arabia at that year’s Crown Jewel event. Carr officiated that year’s King of the Ring finals won by Xavier Woods as well as a Hell in a Cell match (another first for her!) between Edge and Seth Rollins. This milestone came two years after Carr became the first female referee to be called-up to the main roster.

How it started, and how it’s going.
What a life. pic.twitter.com/gA2aiDipFg

— Jessika Carr (@WWELadyRefJess) May 7, 2024

Carr’s success in the striped shirt continues to show WWE’s change from how things have been done in the past. Not too long ago, WWE would shy away from a female referee, with the only exception being Rita Chatterton. These days, however, fans can expect Carr and other women to hold the Superstars to account, whether it be at live events, WWE TV, or at PLEs. 

The WWE Universe in Lyon, France certainly delivered at the May 3, episode of SmackDown as the event received a warning due to the noise being made. 

The first SmackDown taping in the history of France saw several top Superstars appear including Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton, Jade Cargill, and Tag Team Champions A-Town Down Under. There was also a tease for the return of Bo Dallas in the most direct reference to the former NXT Champion to date. 

The crowd was electric throughout the night, so much so that there was a concern over hearing loss. On Twitter, WWE CCO Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque shared a warning he received due to the “absolutely insane” atmosphere inside the LDLC Arena. The translated warning reads: 

Noisy environment

The sound level has reached 100 dB.

Exposure of just a few minutes at this level can cause temporary hearing loss.

Historic SmackDown

The trend of shattering company records is showing no signs of slowing down. Friday’s WWE SmackDown from Greater Lyon, France was the highest-grossing episode in the show’s 25-year history. The prior record was set just last month for the SmackDown that was held the night before WrestleMania 40. When you’re packing arenas around the world like WWE is these days, you can expect it to get pretty loud inside.

Here’s the warning message that went out to some iOS devices during the show, letting fans know that the noise level exceeded 100 decibels. 

The @WWEUniverse in France literally received a warning about the noise level tonight at #SmackDown @LDLC_Arena. Absolutely insane.

Like @myMotorhead said… “Only way to feel the noise is when it's good and loud.” pic.twitter.com/i4KMGnfUtY

— Triple H (@TripleH) May 3, 2024

Jey Uso gets some of the loudest reactions from WWE fans during his ring entrance. This video from the dark match that took place after the SmackDown tapings concluded show what the atmosphere was like inside the LDLC Arena.

Jey Uso dark match entrance vs. Jey Uso #SmackDown #WWEBacklash pic.twitter.com/OO6cSaTo1X

— anis (@ittheanis) May 3, 2024

This response certainly bodes well for Saturday’s WWE Backlash: France Premium Live Event. WWE’s audiences in Europe are often known for being especially loud as fans saw at WWE Clash At the Castle 2022 in Cardiff and WWE Money In The Bank 2023 in London. WWE’s next PLE across the pond will be WWE Clash At The Castle: Scotland this June with WWE Bash In Berlin scheduled for August. 

A WWE Backlash France Kickoff event was held on Friday just 24 hours before this weekend’s WWE Backlash France premium live event from Lyon-Décines, France.

Thousands of wrestling fans gathered to see Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes, AJ Styles and more wrestlers WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque to promote the company’s first-ever PLE from France.

• Cody Rhodes Says AJ Styles Title Defense At WWE Backlash Is More Than Must-Win: It’s “Must Dominate” 

WWE Backlash 2024 Card

The following matches are set for Saturday’s PLE:

• Cody Rhodes (c) vs. AJ Styles
• Damian Priest (c) vs. Jey Uso
• Bayley (c) vs. Tiffany Stratton & Naomi
• Randy Orton & Kevin Owens vs. The Bloodline
• Kabuki Warriors (c) vs. Bianca Belair & Jade Cargill

WWE Undisputed Champion Cody Rhodes has only one goal in mind heading into the title defense against AJ Styles at Saturday’s Backlash Premium Live Event.

Rhodes finally finished his story at last month’s WrestleMania 40 when he put an end to Roman Reigns’ historic 1,316-day reign. Now, he has a lot to prove as a champion.  Speaking on Cheat Heat with Peter Rosenberg, ‘The American Nightmare’ made it clear that the upcoming match against AJ Styles is not only a ‘must-win’ for him but he also ‘must dominate.’ He said:

“I told AJ Styles, this is a dream match for some people, sure. To me, it’s a legit must win. Not just must win, but must dominate. Must show something.”

Cody wants to let everyone know that he has a lot in store for the fans. He wants to bring out his full potential and this title run is his opportunity to “validate” it. The 38-year-old champion further stated that he is never content and believes that’s the mindset of successful people. Cody Rhodes said:

“I’d like to let people know there is so much more meat on the bone. There is so much more to me and this run is the chance to validate it.
It’s the mindset of ‘you’re never doing enough. Have to keep going.’ Everyone I know who is successful has that mindset and that’s where I’m at.”

Cody Rhodes and AJ Styles’ first showdown

AJ Styles earned the title shot after defeating LA Knight on April 19 edition of SmackDown. ‘The Phenomenal One’ had been in pursuit of the WWE Undisputed Championship for a long time now. He had been in a feud with Roman Reigns but failed to dethrone ‘The Tribal Chief.’ Now, he has yet another shot at the title.

Rhodes and Styles have had illustrious careers across multiple promotions but they never crossed paths. This match will mark the first time they will go head-to-head in the squared circle. On that note, Styles did face WWE legend and Cody’s father, Dusty Rhodes in TNA Wrestling. Styles successfully defended his NWA World Heavyweight title that night and he’ll hope for a similar outcome this Saturday at WWE Backlash France. However, it won’t be an easy task as Cody Rhodes has some long-term plans as the champion.

Catch WWE Backlash 2024 from LDLC Arena in Décines-Charpieu, Lyon Metropolis, France at 1 p.m. ET. The countdown show will air live prior at noon ET. 

Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes will put the title on the line against AJ Stlyes at Backlash: France, in what’ll be a first-time showdown between the two. 

Styles became the number one contender for the title on the April 19, episode of WWE SmackDown with a victory over LA Knight. The previous week, Styles had qualified for the number one contenders match by winning a triple threat that included Kevin Owens and Rey Mysterio. 

Rhodes didn’t appear in person during WWE SmackDown as he has been in the UK as part of his first overseas tour as Undisputed WWE Champion. In a video promo from London’s O2 Arena, Rhodes spoke about Styles and dubbed him the modern-day ‘Excellence of Execution.’ Rhodes added that his fellow ‘Georgia Boy’ rarely misses, but he doesn’t miss either and he’s looking forward to the showdown in Lyon, France.

The Undisputed WWE Champion @CodyRhodes has a message for the No.1 Contender, @AJStylesOrg… ?

NEXT WEEK: #WWEBacklash Contract Signing! #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/696QbhMobi

— WWE (@WWE) April 20, 2024

Despite the lengthy careers of both men, this’ll be the first time that Rhodes and Styles face off in singles action. It would only be a handful of months after Styles joined WWE in January 2016 that Rhodes left the company under the bbeleif that he could become something bigger outside WWE. 

Though AJ and Cody have yet to go one-on-one, Styles knows what it’s like to step into the ring with a Rhodes. In October 2003, Styles faced the American Dream Dusty Rhodes in TNA Wrestling for Styles’ NWA World Heavyweight Championship. The Phenomenal One left with the gold that night and hopes to do the same at Backlash: France when the Undisputed WWE Championship is on the line.