Jey Uso finally did it. The WWE Superstar has finally captured the WWE Intercontinental Championship which is his first ever singles title after over a decade of being with the famed promotion.
This significant win was well received by the entire WWE Universe as chants of “yeet” and “you deserve it” echoed across the Toyota Arena in California. Both wrestling fans and pundits would agree that his win as a singles champion is a long time coming since his run as a singles competitor has been nothing short of phenomenal.
WWE’s Chief Content Officer Paul Levesque (Triple H) even described Jey as “the embodiment of hard work paying off.”
Despite the milestone, some were left to wonder as to why Jey didn’t win the title at a WWE Premium Live Event. To that end, here are some probable reasons why such a move pushed through.
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#3. To further bump WWE RAW viewership with the title change main event
WWE RAW’s ratings have maintained a steady audience viewership, not to mention it is going head-on with other programs, especially Monday Night Football.
With Jey Uso capturing the Intercontinental Championship, it could reinvigorate the interest of some old fans and pique the interest of new ones. It is very much evident Jey Uso has been crushing it on his singles run and fans have been clamoring for the longest time about a championship reign as a singles competitor.
The former Bloodline member’s latest achievement in his illustrious career could also usher in new storylines that will pretty much draw the attention of fans and eventually tune in.
#2. The following PLEs are likely to be Roman Reigns and Bloodline-centric
The Bloodline storyline remains one of the hottest topics within WWE and it was made even more interesting with the return of Roman Reigns. Further, current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes got entangled again in the aforementioned family drama where he aided The Original Tribal Chief against his former faction.
This resulted in a tag team match at the upcoming Bad Blood PLE where Rhodes and Reigns will be up against Solo Sikoa and Jacob Fatu. It can be observed that numerous WWE PLEs were headlined by either Roman Reigns or The Bloodline. With that in mind, some of the remaining PLEs scheduled for this year could likely be headlined by either of the above-mentioned or both.
During his time as The Bloodline’s Head of the Table, Reigns has been a massive draw which is certainly a delight to WWE higher-ups. This will likely continue now that he is back in action and ready to regain what was lost.
In line with this, WWE recently released a cinematic promo that was praised by both fans and critics. From the looks of it, the clip pretty much hints at a rematch between him and The American Nightmare, and what better way to feature it than them headlining another WWE PLE?
This would probably be one of the reasons why Jey Uso’s Intercontinental Championship win was not included in one of their PLEs. Further, they likely don’t want such a momentous event to be overshadowed by a Reigns/Bloodline-headlined PLE.
#1. Jey Uso could have first singles title defense on a PLE before the year ends
WWE might want Jey Uso to be presented as a champion in an upcoming PLE and defend his Intercontinental Championship.
Prior to winning the IC title, Jey Uso had already set his sights on it adding that he wanted to face the current World Heavyweight Champion Gunther who at the time was the IC champ. This was during an interview with Billboard where he added that his dad – Hall of Famer Rikishi and uncle Umaga both held the historic title at some point in their respective careers.
He also mentioned other wrestling greats like NXT’s Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon who also held the prestigious title. Jey even went on to state that such a title is “pay-per-view material.”
Folks over at WWE’s Creative might have taken note of it and wanted him to be part of one of their premium live events as a champion and defend what he has now during that occasion. It is not yet certain what PLE it would be, but it is already expected to be a spectacle.