Jey Uso and Gunther fail on Raw as fans and Pat McAfee prefer to YEET

Even the best chefs can have all the right ingredients yet still end up serving a disappointing meal. That’s exactly what happened on this week’s Raw.

Since winning the Royal Rumble, Jey Uso has been battered by Gunther every week. Each confrontation has left Uso shaken, questioning whether he has what it takes to do what he’s never done: beat Gunther. After weeks of increasing self-doubt, Uso hit a new low as he struggled to hit moves he had done a thousand times.

Last week, Jey’s brother, Jimmy, tried to snap him out of his funk. Though he failed to motivate Jey, Jimmy ended up confronting Gunther. When Gunther dismissed him, “Big” Jim retaliated with a slap to Gunther’s face.

As a result, a match was made for this week’s Raw in London between Jimmy Uso and Gunther.

For anyone who has seen films like Rocky IV, it seemed that WWE was setting up Jimmy as the catalyst for Jey’s rise. Jimmy’s tragic defeat at the hands of Gunther would push Jey to face his limits and overcome an unbeatable foe.

It all made perfect sense. All the right elements were there. And while that’s what we got, the execution was sorely underwhelming. Ultimately, it revealed a painful truth: nobody cares—they just want to YEET.

Apollo vs. Drago, this wasn’t

My expectation for Jimmy Uso versus Gunther was to see wrestling’s answer to Apollo Creed versus Ivan Drago in Rocky IV. Essentially, Jimmy would get some offense in at the start. But then Gunther would take over. He would dominate, then punish. Finally, he would destroy Jimmy Uso.

But this match was more competitive than it should have been. The fact that it went through a commercial break hurt its flow. After a surprising back-and-forth, Gunther had the match won a few times. Yet he opted to break up his pin attempts.

Seeing this, I sensed something dark looming. Instead, Gunther simply put Jimmy away with a rear-naked choke.

As Gunther got up, WWE’s TV camera was positioned to face the video screen, where Jey Uso’s entrance video briefly popped up. While a save by Jey Uso was expected, this production error broke the suspension of disbelief as many in the crowd also noticed and shifted their attention to the aisleway.

From there, Gunther put Jimmy in a rear choke again. And then everything fell apart.

YEET, no heat

When Jey Uso’s entrance theme hit, the O2 Arena came unglued. Oh, but not because Jey was coming to save his brother. Nope.

It was time to party.

Immediately, fans began singing Uso’s theme. Meanwhile, announcer Pat McAfee, whose job it was to sell the seriousness of the moment, decided to act like a fan, too, waving his arms and YEETING with glee.

This was a pivotal moment in the story. Jey wasn’t saving just any good guy as he did with Alpha Academy weeks earlier—this was his brother. It should have been an emotionally charged moment, but it fell flat. WWE’s failure to anticipate how the crowd would react, as they did with Alpha Academy, cheapened the segment.

Additionally, Gunther’s post-match beatdown felt no different from any other. This moment needed to make fans uncomfortable for it to have an impact. Instead, everyone—from McAfee to Joe Fan—just wanted to have fun.

As Jey checked on his twin, Raw went to another commercial break. At that point, I had emotionally checked out.

When Raw returned, Gunther attacked both Usos. He zip-tied Jey to the ropes and forced him to watch as he beat Jimmy to a bloody pulp. As Gunther taunted his WrestleMania challenger, Jey stood flat-footed and emotionless at times.

To his credit, announcer Wade Barrett tried to save the segment. Seeing Jey’s muted responses, Barrett, a pro’s pro, covered for him, saying, “Jey’s defeated. Look at the eyes. He’s a beaten man already.”

It didn’t help that Gunther choked a bloody Jimmy just inches from his brother. Jey could have kicked at Gunther. However, he was wearing a fresh pair of white Nikes. Even with Jey tied to the ropes, one would expect him to fight frantically to save his brother, who, again, was inches away from him.

But nah. Gotta keep those kicks clean, Uce.

This was an absolute mess. Moreover, it was a disappointment. Online, fans have been brutal with their commentary about Jey Uso. Just two years ago, it seemed nearly every fan wanted to see him overthrow his “wicked” cousin, Roman Reigns.

Now? The internet community questions why Jey is even wrestling for a world title at WrestleMania. Despite his years of hard work, I’m also questioning Uso. And that hurts because I want to see him prove his doubters wrong and show that he belongs.

Unfortunately, this segment did him and his story with Gunther no favors, and everyone is to blame.

As for their match at WrestleMania, I don’t think it even matters. In an era where fans want to be the show, Uso’s vibe is a reason to cut loose. People get to wave their arms around, sing, and, if they’re lucky, groove along with Jey directly as he cuts through the crowd. As we saw on Monday, it’s clear that any emotional depth of this story has been overshadowed by the spectacle.

And at this point, maybe that’s all WWE can hope for—because when it comes to this storyline, it’s not about the high drama or the match anymore. It’s about giving the fans what they really want: YEET.