Under Roman Reigns' leadership, The Bloodline became one of the WWE's most powerful and exciting factions. Reigns, with The Usos, dominated both the tag team and world title scenes, creating a legacy that still resonates with fans today. Jey Uso recently spoke on "Busted Open Radio" about the group's success and what went into it creatively.
"We elevated wrestling during the Covid and Thunderdome era," said Uso. "It was different. We had to tap into acting and emotions more than ever. With no live crowd, we played directly to the camera live actors on screen."
Pandemic-Era Innovation
Uso said that they were forced to try new things because of the pandemic environment. Without a live audience to react to, they had to figure out how best to tell their stories without relying solely on crowd heat or response. So, instead, they focused on conveying emotion through their performances, which allowed them to connect with fans in a deeper way.
Regarding how The Bloodline came together behind the scenes, Uso gave insight into their collaboration backstage. He mentioned that he would regularly brainstorm ideas for TV with Roman Reigns, Jimmy Uso, Solo Sikoa ("The Wise Man"), and WWE Chief Content Officer Paul "Triple H" Levesque.
"Every week, we'd sit down with Hunter, the Wise Man, and Roman," said Uso. "We'd talk about what we did last week and what we're gonna do this week it was just an ongoing process even when we thought, 'damn okay, maybe this is a flat line,' something organic happened on-screen, man."
As successful as they've been, though, it hasn't always been smooth sailing for them as a unit. There have been signs of cracks within The Bloodline over the past year or so, which eventually led to Sami Zayn leaving, followed by Jimmy Uso, then Jey himself, and Jimmy again. Now, we see Solo Sikoa stepping in as the acting leader until Roman Reigns comes back, though word is that he's going to come back and take his spot at the helm.