Jey Uso was the real surprise of the first part of 2025, considering that he achieved results that most fans and insiders considered unimaginable. The former tag team champion has shown that he has the right skills to shine even as an individual and convinced the WWE management to give him a huge chance, after working very hard to overcome general skepticism.
He left the whole world speechless for the first time at the Royal Rumble in early February, when he won the royal brawl by eliminating a legend of the caliber of John Cena as the last competitor. That epilogue in Indianapolis shocked WWE Universe and Cena himself, who congratulated his rival in the subsequent press conference showing all his humility once again.
The Undertaker on Jey's loss
After prevailing in the first PLE of the season, Jey had no doubts when asked to choose his opponent for WrestleMania 41. Uso wanted a rematch against Gunther for the World Heavyweight Championship and no one thought he had any real chance of getting out of the 'Showcase of the Immortals' as world champion.
A monstrous performance by Jey and a few mistakes by 'The Ring General' – who blatantly underestimated his challenger – produced a shocking result in Las Vegas, allowing Uso to become world champion for the first time in his career.
His reign did not last long, as Gunther reclaimed the belt on Monday Night Raw on June 9 and will be Bill Goldberg's opponent in his retirement match on July 12.
In a long interview with Shakiel Mahjouri, former world champion The Undertaker gave his verdict on Jey's recent loss: “I don’t think just because he lost, it has to necessarily hurt his place. I don’t think the title is gonna define Jey Uso. He was already well on his way, long before he beat GUNTHER.”
He continued: “I don’t think that’s gonna define Jey as an attraction, as a draw. He is a bona fide, top-tier guy now and if you worry too much about not being the champion, I think it hinders your creativity.”