Jey Uso still harbors resentment toward Roman Reigns

Uso’s jab at Reigns on Raw may reveal the true direction of The Bloodline’s storyline.

While countless fans and legends like Cody Rhodes, CM Punk, and Triple H shower Roman Reigns with respect, Jey Uso’s resentment for the Big Uce still burns.

During a confrontation with Chad Gable this week on Raw, Gable accused Uso of abandoning his family, The Bloodline. “Main Event” Jey took exception to that and blasted the head of Alpha Academy for the way he abused his wrestling family consisting of Otis, Maxxine Dupri, and Akira Tozawa.

But in doing so, Uso poked at his cousin, Roman Reigns, saying, “You want to talk about family? The only thing your family did is what I did, and that’s to get out from under a manipulative scumbag like yo’ ass.”

Gable retaliated by punching Uso in the face, and the two men, who will meet this Saturday inside the Money in the Bank ladder match, began to brawl. Uso would get the upper hand in the skirmish, sending Gable packing. As the segment closed, Gable was haunted again by the Wyatt Sicks.

Arguably, this may have been one of the most overlooked moments of Raw, as WWE potentially set several events in motion at the start of the show.

First, amidst Gable’s accusations, he boasted about overcoming a brutal attack by the Wyatt Sicks to qualify for Money in the Bank. Attempting to redirect the new Wyatts’ focus towards Uso, Gable portrayed himself as an innocent man abandoned by his family, contrasting Uso, whom he accused of deserting Reigns and his brothers, Jimmy Uso and Solo Sikoa.

Later in the program, Bo Dallas participated in another sit-down interview with Uncle Howdy. He emphasized the importance of family and highlighted how this new group of Wyatts had bonded after being cast aside. This revelation has sparked speculation that the group’s initial motivation may be to target those they perceive as abandoning their families. That could include Uso, whom initial rumors suggested Uncle Howdy was to feud with upon his debut.

The other thing this segment did was potentially give credence to an idea floated around during a recent episode of The Jim Cornette Experience.

For months, Roman Reigns, without making an appearance, has been positioned for a hero’s comeback. Solo Sikoa’s ascension to leadership of The Bloodline peaked last week with their collective assault on Paul Heyman. Alongside this, fan favorites like CM Punk, Cody Rhodes, and WWE’s head of creative, Paul “Triple H” Levesque, have all praised Reigns, endorsing him as the true Tribal Chief while referring to Sikoa as a seat-filler.

However, Brian Last, Jim Cornette’s co-host, suggested that the new Bloodline’s actions might be a strategy to lure Rhodes into an alliance with Reigns, leading to Reigns reclaiming the Undisputed WWE Championship from The American Nightmare. Cornette dismissed this idea, pointing out potential fan dissatisfaction after anticipating a face turn by Reigns for months. He also questioned the wisdom of tying up WWE’s top good guys against Reigns and the Wyatt Sicks.

Said Cornette, “You wouldn’t have him come back in an angle specifically to turn on Cody because then if he joined these other motherf**kers, then you got like six of them. Well, then, the same thing (is) the problem they’re going to have with the Wyatts. How many top f**king baby faces (are) you going to tie up trying to fight these f**kers?

Cornette, an experienced booker, raises valid points. However, Uso’s remarks on Raw indicate that, within WWE’s lore, he has not forgiven Reigns. While most anticipate a reconciliation between Reigns and the Usos, leading to a clash between the original Bloodline and its 2.0 version, Jey and Roman apparently have much to iron out before that happens.

Alternatively, Uso’s accusation of Reigns being a “manipulative scumbag” could be an indicator of where The Bloodline’s story is heading. If the adage that a leopard never changes its spots still holds, Reigns’ return as a beloved character might be short-lived, as he could revert to his role as pro wrestling’s number one villain but with even greater intensity than before.