Jey Uso’s reign as WWE World Heavyweight Champion has come to an end after 51 days, with GUNTHER defeating him on Monday’s episode of WWE RAW on Netflix. After the match, Uso delivered an emotional speech to the live crowd, thanking fans for their support.
Uso became the fourth member of his legendary family to hold the prestigious title, making his WrestleMania 41 victory all the more meaningful. His father, WWE Hall of Famer Rikishi, celebrated that win — but now, he’s speaking out against how Jey’s title run was handled.
On a recent episode of his “Off the Top” podcast, Rikishi didn’t hold back, criticizing WWE’s creative team for what he sees as a failure to properly support and present his son as a credible champion. According to Rikishi, those responsible for Jey’s booking didn’t give him a fair chance to succeed and should be held accountable. He said,
“Are we talking about a kid who’s put in over 16 years of work? A kid who, alongside his brother, moved mountains in merchandise sales? Now, as a singles star, ‘YEET’ is flying off the shelves. You gave him the spot — he didn’t take it, you gave it to him — and then you fail him? That’s on creative. If you can’t come up with something strong to keep pushing your champion, maybe you shouldn’t be writing for him. Fire ‘em. Let someone else do it. I’ve got no issue with GUNTHER — he’s a hell of a talent. But 51 days? That’s all Jey gets? Same with the Intercontinental run — short-lived. Why? Would they have done that to Randy Orton? To John Cena? You can’t just throw someone the title and then not give them anything to work with.”
In Rikishi’s eyes, Jey’s commitment and popularity — especially in merchandise sales — earned him the right to a more substantial reign. He sees his son as someone who’s done everything asked of him, only to be let down by the storytelling. He added,
“This kid put his heart and soul into getting to that main event spot. When he finally gets there, you don’t do him justice. That’s the real problem.”
Ahead of WWE Money in the Bank 2025, Kai Cenat was name-dropped by Cody Rhodes during an episode of WWE SmackDown.
Cody referenced John Cena’s recent appearance on Kai’s livestream, noting how Cena was trying to connect with the younger generation.
Kai caught the promo during his own stream and had a fired-up response for Cody. He said,
“Now, Cody Rhodes. Now, Cody. Cody. Cody. If I march my way up to that motherf—… We left it at that. Cody, if I march my way up to that ring the next time I see you, I’m beating your ass, bro. I need an apology or something. If I ever go to another WWE event, Cody, I’m calling you out. When I see you, I’m hopping in the ring. That’s it. That’s all I’m gonna say. They don’t want me in that ring, bro.”
Cenat previously attended WWE Raw in January and has expressed interest in becoming a WWE Superstar.
For the first time since 2022, The IInspiration — Cassie Lee and Jessica McKay — stepped back into tag team action, marking their in-ring return this past April at a Prestige Wrestling event.
In a new interview with The Takedown on Sports Illustrated, the duo opened up about their return journey. McKay shared that they had been preparing for months at Flatbacks Wrestling School in Orlando, run by Shawn Spears and Tyler Breeze. She said,
“It was absolutely incredible to get back in the ring at Prestige this past April. It had been three years since Cassie and I had teamed up, and we were ready. We’ve been training since last October at Flatbacks, and we immediately started thinking about gear and how to make this run better than ever. We’re having so much fun and want to keep that momentum going.”
Just a few months after their Prestige return, The IInspiration made a surprise reappearance in TNA Wrestling at the Against All Odds event and competed again during the following TV tapings. Lee reflected on the significance of returning to the company where they last wrestled before stepping away in 2022. She said,
“TNA just felt like the right place for us. When we stepped away three years ago, it was from TNA. We had such a great experience there — amazing people, amazing talent — and we were able to grow so much. It only felt right to come back. Now is the perfect time. We both have our families established, and stepping away to start our families was so meaningful. We’ve loved every moment with them.”
The conversation also touched on the buzz surrounding the NXT–TNA partnership. When asked about potentially appearing in NXT again, McKay noted how meaningful it would be. She said,
“We learned so much during our time in NXT, and the women’s division there is incredibly talented right now. Going back would definitely be a full circle moment for us.”
(h/t – Fightful)
