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On Friday’s episode of SmackDown, Jey Uso won a Fatal Four-Way match to become the number one contender for Roman Reigns’ Universal Championship. This came after Sheamus took out Big E, who was originally scheduled to compete in the match. Later, WWE insinuated that Reigns went to management to get Jey Uso into the match. Not only was this a smart move, but it also opens the doors for many other options down the line.
First off, taking Big E out of the match was the correct move. If WWE is planning to continue Big E’s singles push, even when Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods return, he couldn’t afford to lose last night. Moreover, losing to Reigns at Clash of Champions wouldn’t have been bad, but it would have slowed his momentum.
WWE should save Big E vs. Roman Reigns for a bigger event such as WrestleMania 37 next year. The only shocking thing was that Jey Uso pinned Matt Riddle, who is kind of in the same boat as Big E. WWE seemingly Sheamus and King Corbin, who had no shot of winning since they are heels like Reigns. They both could afford to take a pinfall loss.
Roman Reigns vs. Jey Uso sets up plenty of potential storylines
As for the Jey Uso and Reigns match, there are a few options WWE can go with for the match. One option would be to have Reigns brush Jey Uso off as a benign challenger because he is a tag team competitor and his cousin.
Reigns and Paul Heyman can try to convince Jey Uso to just lay down for Reigns at Clash of Champions to prevent being embarrassed or injury. At Clash of Champions, Jey Uso can either lay down for Reigns and still get a harsh beatdown after the match. He could also lay down for Reigns and align with him after the match, saying it was all a part of the plan to help Reigns. Not only would this generate even more heat for Reigns, but it could lead to the beginning of a stable lead by Reigns that includes the Usos (once Jimmy is healthy to compete).
Another option would be to have Reigns and Heyman attempt to get Jey Uso to lay down for Reigns, but he declines and decides to go through with the match. While he is a tag team competitor, Jey has a lot of charisma, as fans saw when the Usos turned heel and then back babyface naturally after their feud with The New Day. Jey Uso can also go in the ring, as his performance in the match of Friday night proved. So, if we get an actual , match between Reigns and Jey Uso, it could be a good one.
Finally, in the long term, this can be used to build up to a possible WrestleMania 37 match with the Rock. If WWE doesn’t plan to have Big E challenge for the Universal Championship at next year’s WrestleMania and they can bring in The Rock for a match. The story can be that Reigns has turned his back on his family, and the only person that can make Reigns see the light is the Rock. WWE can have Reigns run through everyone on his way to "The Grandest Stage of Them All" as a mega heel.
Regardless if he wins or loses at WrestleMania, Reigns has finally “seen the light” and is back to his old self. In this scenario, the fans would get a dream match in Reigns vs. The Rock. Reigns get a tremendous title reign that the Universal Championship needs, and at the end, he is finally fully accepted as a babyface. So, if done correctly, Jey Uso shocking the world and becoming the number one contender for the Universal Championship can open the doors for some great stories down the line.
