Jey Uso won’t just be fighting for the World Heavyweight Championship when he takes on Gunther at Wrestlemania 41 in Las Vegas this weekend; he will be defending his family. His championship pursuits and blood ties within WWE cannot be separated, as both have impacted and strengthened one another in tandem throughout his career.
The 39-year-old superstar has tapped into a different side of himself since winning the 2025 Royal Rumble and choosing to face “The Ring General,” a superstar he has lost to in all three of their previous matches. It became even more of a necessity when his twin brother, Jimmy, inserted himself into the feud a few weeks ago and was beaten and bloodied as Jey watched on. Now, though a title hangs in the balance, blood is seemingly thicker than leather for the Samoan superstar.
“I’m not worried about no flashy colors no more,” Uso told VIBE. “I’m not worried about lighting [or] my gears. I’m not worried about my entrance. I will walk my a** out there with some gym clothes on and body Gunther because that’s the mindset he just put me at.” Uce didn’t watch his brother get beaten down by choice; as he attempted to help Jimmy out following his match with Gunther, the current World Heavyweight Champion tied Jey to the ring ropes, making him unable to break away and make the save.
“I’ve never seen anybody violate us like that,” Jey added. “I went through the game with [Roman Reigns, his cousin] and in my mind it kind of gave me [flashbacks] because I’ve seen this before. That’s the dangerous part about it. I’ve seen this kind of violence before and we know how I am with my family. I’ll be on the front line for them.” It’s true. Before he became “Main Event” Jey Uso, the singles star, he was the “Right Hand Man” to the Tribal Chief and former Undisputed WWE Universal Champion, Roman Reigns. He and Jimmy also set the record for most days as tag team champions while their Bloodline faction reigned atop the WWE.
If Roman, his brothers Jimmy and Solo, the Wiseman Paul Heyman, or even Sami Zayn were in trouble, Jey was always down to ride for his tribe. He had been mentally and physically abused by Reigns for years, but stayed loyal to his family until enough became enough in the summer of 2023. Roman became too much of a tyrant to continue working with, and Jimmy turned on him for fear of being overshadowed. Just last year, Jey took on Jimmy in a match at Wrestlemania 40 in Philadelphia.
And yet, even after breaking away and becoming a legitimate singles superstar over the last almost two years, it was protecting his family members that led to Jey willingly reuniting with the OG Bloodline, despite everything he went through and the name he made for himself.
“For my twin brother though, I’ll go do life for him,” he said of Jimmy. “The way Gunther violated my brother and me in front of the world and in front of my family to see, in front of his kids to see, he doesn’t know what he just opened up. He really don’t. And I’m going to violate and I’m going to disrespect his a** on the grandest stage of them all in front of his family and in front of the whole world and pay [it] back in blood.”
Internet fans have recently thrown heavy critiques at Jey Uso, reducing him to his “Yeet” catchphrase, his signature arm wave during his entrance, or even critiquing his in-ring skills. They regularly repost old promos where he has shed the fun-loving character for what they have called “Serious Jey.” Even before Gunther beat down Jimmy, Jey began calling himself “Crash Out Jey” because he knew he had to change his approach as he prepared to take on the Austrian monster for the fourth time.
“Gunther did sit me down,” he told VIBE. “I was feeling myself too much. I did get lost in the sauce. I’m him now. People love me. I appreciate that. But I’ve got to sit down in the dark and tune this noise out because my twin brother, if he’s gone, nothing matters anymore. I’m telling you, [Gunther’s] got 14 days left until I disrespectfully disrespect him at WrestleMania.”
Fans got a taste of the most serious Jey Uso they had ever seen last week on Monday Night Raw; the father of two told Gunther that he should savor his final conversations with his family and how he was going to pray to God for forgiveness for what he was preparing to do to him at Wrestlemania 41. For him, this isn’t “Serious Jey,” but rather, the “realest” version of himself ever.
If there is any indication of how serious Jey Uso is about this upcoming match, he kept Jimmy Uso’s bloody Air Force Ones from the night that Gunther beat him to a pulp. “I might wear them sh*ts every week leading up,” he said, without the slightest hint of sarcasm or humor.
At Wrestlemania 41, Jey Uso versus Gunther for the World Heavyweight Championship will not be a laughing matter, either. Though the crowd will more than likely fill Allegiant Stadium with “yeet” chants on the evening of April 19, the popular superstar will have another word in mind: “beat.”
Beat “The Ring General.” Beat the odds and become a world champion for the first time. Defend half of his heartbeat, his twin brother Jimmy. And then, maybe dance along to some beats at his Wrestlemania afterparty after he “disrespectfully” defeats Gunther.
WrestleMania 41, a two-night event, will take place at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas this weekend, April 19 and 20.
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