WWE Raw is on the road to WrestleMania 41, where Cody Rhodes will defend his WWE Title against Elimination Chamber Winner John Cena, Tiffany Stratton will defend her WWE Title against Royal Rumble Winner Charlotte Flair, Iyo Sky will defend her World Title against Elimination Chamber Winner Bianca Belair and former champion, Rhea Ripley, in a triple threat match, and Gunther will defend his World Title against Royal Rumble Winner Main Event Jey Uso. The latter match has struck a chord in the IWC, especially after Jey Uso won the Royal Rumble on February 1.
Now that WWE has had 7 weeks of build for this match, it is clear as day that the build has been subpar and boring with minimal storytelling. Quite frankly, it is safe to say that this has nothing to do with Gunther, as he has been one of the most compelling and enjoyable champions in recent memory and is clearly trying to make this story with Jey work. His old-school methodologies as champ may not resonate with the current viewers in the modern era. Still, he has undoubtedly delivered in the ring and on the mic as a champ whilst developing his character and telling stories.
This alone is impressive, as Gunther is still a rising star within the confines of the WWE. It is unfortunate that he was not rewarded for his hard work as champion with a high-caliber opponent like CM Punk, Seth Rollins, or John Cena at WrestleMania 41. He could have learned a lot from those veterans and elevated himself to the next level. Instead, Gunther is put in a role to put over another rising star when he has not even fully established himself in the main event scene. Henceforth, his title match with Jey Uso is a downgrade not only for him but also for the WWE fanbase as a whole.
Jey Uso's booking has not helped his singles run
The real problem is the booking of Jey Uso. In professional wrestling, common booking 101 would test a popular rising superstar's capability to be a compelling world champ for the long term by rewarding them with a mid-card title before advancing them to the main event scene. This was done with Gunther with the IC Title as well as with LA Knight recently with the U.S. Title. Like LA Knight, Jey Uso has been criticized as a walking catchphrase. A solid mid-card reign could help him change that narrative, but WWE gave Jey the IC Title for only two weeks, missing out on that opportunity.
Although the fans love Jey Uso to death, he, unfortunately, has not been producing compelling programs ever since breaking away from Roman Reigns. His long-term feud with Jimmy Uso was a fiasco last year at Mania, as they never filled in the gaps about why Jimmy truly betrayed Jey. On top of that, their WrestleMania match was the worst match of WrestleMania weekend. His world title feud with Damian Priest at Backlash also fell flat, as there was no heat to keep the fans engaged in that contest. Quite frankly, it was a terrible start for Damian Priest's title reign and didn't help either party.
Jey Uso was not even on the SummerSlam card last year after failing to win the MITB Briefcase. Due to a lack of character development and long term storytelling, the Jey Uso push no longer feels organic. Instead, it feels rushed and contrived. It is also safe to say that Jey Uso does not have the "IT" factor. Over time, he can get better and grow into a top star. There's no doubt that he has a ton of potential, but he was thrown into the deep sea and could not swim. All he did was stay afloat, and that's not good enough to win the Royal Rumble and/or win the World Title from Gunther at Mania.
Many fans associate "overrated" with a bad connotation, but it can also be used as a tool for success in anyone's career. John Cena, Cody Rhodes, Roman Reigns, and many other top stars have been labeled as "overrated" due to their continuous bookings in the main event scene even when their performances were sometimes underwhelming. Jey Uso can use that same fuel to get on the level of the greats, but he is overexposed and miscast in the main event scene right now. There is currently a ceiling for him and winning the Rumble has now lead him down a dark path to this world title match.
The path is dark because the fans will easily turn on Jey Uso when they realize that he does not meet the level of a compelling World Champion. The fact of the matter is that Jey Uso has not told a compelling story since he left the Bloodline. That is a huge red flag and can easily lead to his downfall since World Champions must tell long-term stories on a consistently high level to be worthy of the top spot. That dark path would just lead to a miserable and boring title reign absorbed by his catchphrase, and he would have to work twice as hard to come back from that.
Jey Uso is way too overrated in the main event scene and needs a loss to Gunther at WrestleMania to save himself from the aforementioned dark path. Sometimes, a big loss can lead to a huge gain in the long term and that's exactly what Jey Uso needs right now in his eminently successful career. The "Yeet" catchphrase can only go so far. Sure, it will hype up the crowd and enhance the babyface appeal of a rising star like Jey Uso. However, without sufficient character development, top tier storytelling, and crisp in-ring performances, this Jey Uso push will be a dud in 2025.
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