Jey Uso Upset: Where He Stands After Flat Raw Promo With CM Punk

Following last week's Raw, where Uso won the Battle Royal and the right to face CM Punk for the vacant World Title, the former Bloodline member hit the ring to address the growing list of people “in his ear,” including Roman Reigns, Jimmy Uso, and everyone who has something to say about his current run. Claiming not to care what any of them thought, Jey had an opportunity to address the backlash online from fans who disliked the video of him winning and thought he didn't deserve the spot. Instead, he was interrupted by CM Punk. The two exchanged words, with Punk referencing Jey’s betrayal of his brother in the recent No. 1 Contender’s Battle Royal. Punk asked Jey (his friend) how far he was willing to go. Uso responded that Punk was just trying to twist the narrative and make him out to be the bad guy.

The moment failed to connect. The crowd was lukewarm, and chants of “We want LA Knight” echoed throughout the arena. Later in the show, when Knight took a fan’s sign mocking Uso that read, "We want LA Knight, not Jey Uso!", it was clear how quickly the WWE Universe had bailed on doing anything more than having fun during Uso's entrance.

Many online called it the same promo over and over, criticizing WWE for repetitive storytelling. While WWE might have been forced to put Uso in this spot due to the unexpected injury to Seth Rollins, inserting Jey isn't actually helping him.

WWE May Be Forced To Turn Uso Heel

After the show, Uso addressed criticism about being “just an entrance,”. He was upset during the Raw Recap show, saying, “I still throw a party every Monday… but when that bell rings, I switch modes." He noted, “People think I don’t have the skills to hold it down up top. Maybe I’ve got to go back to that Bloodline mentality — because that got the job done.” It would be unfortunate if WWE ahd Uso had to go this route, given his popularity among the general audience and ability to sell merchandise.

Still, Monday’s promo was another example of a time Uso failed to move the needle; the upcoming clash with CM Punk remains a major test for Uso. He’s still one of WWE’s most compelling characters — but to prove he’s more than an entrance, Jey may need to deliver the performance of his career this weekend.