A Broken Bloodline: Should Jey Uso Leave WWE?

Should Jey Uso leave WWE? According to his father, Rikishi, the answer is yes. More specifically, Rikishi has made it clear that WWE has nothing for Jey and that if they can't turn things around for "The Yeet Man," then Jey could take a break from wrestling to pursue other passions or go to AEW to "write his own ticket" in wrestling.

The prospect is an interesting one. Jey Uso is the somewhat unlikely star of his family's Bloodline saga. He was a tag team specialist thrust into a role by the circumstance that he turned into a main event caliber career. Since that moment, he has featured heavily on Raw. He is not, though, the top face on Monday nights. He is behind established names like Seth Rollins and CM Punk and some newer stars like Damian Priest at this point. What would it look like for Jey to go out alone, and is it a good idea? There is reason to think that the downsides are too significant.

The Bloodline is bigger than anything else in wrestling.

The first and really most important reason Jey Uso should stay put is The Bloodline. The family drama has been playing out over the years in WWE, and it is the story that made Jey Uso famous, for lack of a better word. Before "Yeet" and before "Main Event," Jey was a household name; Uso and his brother Jimmy Uso were tag team specialists in the original faction. Jimmy getting injured left Jey floundering until his cousin Roman fought and eventually recruited him into his Bloodline faction. The rest is history in every sense of the word.

The Bloodline story still needs to be finished. It is actually still expanding. There is a new cast of characters, tension in their ranks, and Roman Reigns has made a triumphant return to WWE. However, WWE decided to pay off their top feud, and Jey Uso is slated to have a big part in it. No other wrestling storyline has as much momentum and heat as The Bloodline, and this version isn't even half as exciting as what Jey and company were able to do before. Should Jey Uso leave WWE, he won't get to finish his story. Leaving the blockbuster to try and star in a smaller production isn't usually the best way to build your career.

All of the best bet on themselves first.

While Jey has had and will undoubtedly get future opportunities to shine in the spotlight, recently, it is true he has not been a critical player on Raw. He gets matches and is featured on television every week. Still, he hasn't had anything substantial since the Money in the Bank premium live event. That is not what makes somebody a main-event player. History has shown that if WWE doesn't think you can sit in the top spot, it can help to do it elsewhere first.

Cody Rhodes, Drew McIntyre, and AJ Styles are just some of the world champions who made their name outside of WWE. Two of them had to leave WWE to do it. It is not at all ridiculous to consider a run outside of the WWE Universe might make you a giant star; it's happened more than once. Unlike Drew and Cody at the time, Jey is already popular. His leaving would be considered a massive blow to WWE, and that alone would get him to work in any promotion in North America. If a relatively unknown or undervalued star could leave and come back better, it isn't hard to imagine that a hot act might actually change the game.

It is worth exploring the "Yeet" rate to "Work" rate ratio.

The second, less serious issue that Jey Uso has is his performance style. Wrestling is about variety. Theoretically, anyone can connect with the fans and get themselves over if they convey a good story. There are also plenty of guys outside of WWE who are promo talents first and wrestling talents second. However, WWE is the biggest "sports entertainment" roster in the world. No scheme in the industry is a better fit for Jey Uso than the one he currently sits in.

Just focusing on AEW for a second, Jey would have a tough time matching up with their top guys like Will Ospreay or Swerve Strickland. With the right build, he could do something interesting. In AEW, and really most of the major landing spots for a talented performer, more of the story is acted out in the ring. Jey Uso has had some very good matches, but he has also had some abysmal showings. It would be a gamble to leave a character he has mastered and built out. It would be a challenge to match the work rate of his contemporaries. In short, it would be hard for Jey Uso to stand out and stay over if he left the WWE now.

Should Jey Uso Leave the WWE? Of course not.  

It probably doesn't need to be expanded upon much, but should Jey Uso leave the WWE, he would likely be making a huge mistake. As Rikishi pointed out in his comments, "the Yeet Man is making money himself," and that isn't going to change for the better in Japan, TNA, or AEW. Jey is a phenomenal entertainer who has really connected with the crowd. There is no reason he can't do that again. Though the established main event scenes on the alternative show, along with a mismatch in skill sets, a Jey Uso appearance anywhere else is a novelty. His departure would also derail The Bloodline story, the most significant tale in modern wrestling, in which he plays a central role.

Rikishi, a proud father, wants Jey to succeed. He is also correct; Jey Uso is definitely popular enough now to challenge for and even win a world title. WWE does need to book him to do something big and soon. The Bloodline story, though, is too big an opportunity to be matched anywhere else and by anything else. Jey should stay put at least until he can give that feud the justice it deserves for launching his career.