And just like that, Jey Uso is no longer your reigning and defending World Heavyweight Champion. The 2025 Royal Rumble winner won the gold just two months ago at WrestleMania 41, defeating Gunther in the biggest moment of his whole career. Fast-forward just a couple of title defenses and few defining moments, and he has dropped the title straight back to the former champion. There will be some fans blasting this decision and how quickly the title was dropped, but in all honesty, this is the best thing for Jey Uso’s WWE career, and we will explore why.
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Jey Uso Only Had A Short Reign As World Champion
He Was World Heavyweight Champion For Just A Couple Of Months
- Jey Uso beat Gunther for the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 41.
- Gunther choked out Uso on Raw to regain his title.
- Some fans will be unhappy with the length of Jey’s title reign.
After just 51 days, Jey Uso’s first World Heavyweight Championship reign was brought to an end. After climbing and chasing world title glory ever since 2020, he finally achieved this huge accomplishment at WrestleMania 41, defeating Gunther clean as a whistle to celebrate in front of a wild and raucous WWE audience. Uso would go on to defend his title against Seth Rollins, losing the match via disqualification and therefore retaining the title, before then defeating Logan Paul at Saturday Night’s Main Event, coming after interference from both John Cena and Cody Rhodes. Uso would then side with his friend Rhodes, taking on the duo of Paul and Cena at Money in the Bank ahead of a big title rematch with Gunther on the June 9 episode of Monday Night RAW.
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In a complete shock, Gunther choked out Jey Uso with relative ease, ending his title reign after less than two months. In an era where world title reigns, particularly for the men’s division, have been pretty lengthy, it was quite the surprise to see Jey Uso lose the title so soon. Many fans of Jey Uso will not be happy about this (and we doubt his father Rikishi will be very happy about it either, given his track record of criticizing WWE’s booking of Jey Uso), but this might actually be the best thing for not just Jey Uso, but for WWE overall.
|
Jey Uso’s World Title Reign Match Results |
Event |
|---|---|
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Jey Uso defeated Gunther (c) |
WWE WrestleMania 41 Saturday |
|
Seth Rollins defeated Jey Uso (c) via DQ |
WWE RAW 05/05/25 |
|
Jey Uso (c) defeated Logan Paul |
WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event 05/24/25 |
|
Gunther defeated Jey Uso (c) |
WWE RAW 06/09/25 |
Jey Uso’s World Title Reign Was Doing Nobody Any Favors
Uso Was Losing Value In WWE The Longer His Time As Champion Continued
- Jey Uso was not delivering the goods as champion.
- He was being overshadowed by the likes of Seth Rollins, CM Punk, and Sami Zayn.
- WWE could have booked Jey in bigger feuds with Sami Zayn and Roman Reigns.
Even before Jey Uso won the gold, but more so since he had, the world title picture on Monday Night RAW has felt lacking. WWE’s momentum in terms of viewership and perception from fans has been on a dip, and some of that has come from the lack of a defined top star leading the line as World Heavyweight Champion. Uso is insanely popular – perhaps more so than anyone in WWE currently – but when it comes to main event matches and promos, he isn’t at that elite level right now. The Logan Paul feud had little interest, his role alongside Rhodes and Cena had him playing second fiddle, and he’s been overshadowed by the likes of Seth Rollins, CM Punk, and Sami Zayn, who have all been presented in more prominent positions in the last couple of months.
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WWE’s booking has some blame to take, as there were potential interesting feuds and stories to explore – a friend vs. friend clash with Sami Zayn, Jey Uso finally getting one over on Roman Reigns, Uso overcoming heels such as Seth Rollins, Chad Gable, and others on the RAW roster, but ultimately WWE didn’t commit to Uso, so the whole experiment ended up failing. With how poorly things went, it was necessary to change things up before they got worse and hurt Jey’s popularity.
Jey Uso Works Better As A Character With Adversity
Uso Is More Effective As A Challenger And During The Chase
- This loss can give Uso some much-needed character development.
- For underdog babyfaces, the climb is often better.
- Uso can have a story of redemption on RAW.
Jey Uso’s babyface character works well with the kids and some of WWE’s audience, but for the most part his character work has lacked in recent months in terms of depth, seriousness, and deeply personal stories. WWE managed to claw back some of that side of Uso in the latter stages of his feud with Gunther, but aside from that, things have been pretty weak for a while. Uso works best when overcoming hurdles, chasing titles, and righting the wrongs of heels, and he needs to get back to doing just that.
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Uso can develop and grow from this loss, adding more depth to his character and making him an even better underdog in the long run. Adding an edge, giving him adversity, and pushing him to dig even deeper for the fans will make him an even better babyface. Losing the title can do all these things if WWE plays their cards right, allowing Uso to have a much-needed refresh away from the spotlight. The main event scene on RAW will likely be in better hands for the time being with Gunther, Sami Zayn, Seth Rollins, CM Punk, and others, until a time when Uso has recovered momentum and his special nature as a character.
