Welcome to another edition of the eWrestlingNews Daily Query!
Jey Uso has finally shaken off his fear of Gunther, the man who has consistently outmatched him in nearly every encounter. Uso has a clear fan-following as the babyface and the sentimental frontrunner. It seems to many that his victory at WrestleMania is a certainty – a chance not only to fulfill his dream of becoming a world champion, but also to avenge what happened to Jimmy Uso, overcome obstacles, validate that the good guy can win, and much more.
This narrative seems undoubtedly bound for one conclusion. But is it a must that it plays out this way? Can one argue that
Gunther should retain his World Heavyweight Championship?
Tonight’s question is: “Should Jey Uso win at WrestleMania?”
We look forward to your thoughts in the comments section.
Here are my thoughts…
Generally, I think it’s clear that WWE has created a story where the pros of Jey winning outweigh Gunther’s victory. This is not what I would have planned. I would have avoided the scenario where Jey is challenging for a world title, and I certainly wouldn’t have had their narrative pan out the way it has.
I won’t lie, a part of me desires a retention of the title by Gunther, simply to deviate from the predictable outcome. Plus, I feel Gunther lost his touch somewhere. He shouldn’t have surrendered the Intercontinental Championship to Sami Zayn last year, as it ended up being meaningless, and his King of the Ring crown was essentially wasted. Following that, a world title that arrived later, and featured less intriguing antagonists than he merited.
Gunther right now doesn’t resemble the Ring General from two or three years ago he just seems like another ordinary heel they can alternate. So, for him retaining the title at WrestleMania could help reestablish him as a force to reckon with, rather than as a one-time world champion.
But this can only twig if the fans are willing to reset. WWE would have to do something dramatic with Gunther right after WrestleMania to ensure the fans that things are going to change. If it feels like he’s simply the champion with the same antagonists, fans may see this as WWE imposing him upon us, and just being irritated over the hero not triumphing because WWE wanted to vex the audience.
Simply put, many will be dissatisfied if Uso doesn’t win, some will say that it’s due to racism that the white guy held onto his title, many will accuse WWE of creating shock for the sake of it, and myriad other reasons that lead to negativity. On the other hand, if Jey wins, the complaints will be about predictability and whether he truly merits being a world champion.
Given the options, the reactions to the former are much more aggressive and pessimistic. The latter is a situation that would probably be rectified sooner rather than later. If Jey isn’t successful as champion, they’ll strip him of the title and he’ll never win it again. As for Gunther’s future — that’s going to need handling regardless, and if he loses the title, a break could do him justice by making the fans miss him.
Making booking decisions that distress more fans than please requires a worthy payoff and enough distractions. Considering that much of this year’s WrestleMania has been thrown together hurriedly and is rather haphazard, I don’t think WWE should add to the confusion. I already predict John Cena will beat Cody Rhodes and Charlotte Flair will beat Tiffany Stratton. Too many victories by the villains will make fans view WrestleMania as more a bullying session or a negating experience, rather than an enjoyable event. With the world already in turmoil, we don’t need more negativity.
Even if this isn’t how I would have arranged the pieces initially, I do think Jey Uso pretty much needs to win at WWE WrestleMania 41.
What’s your opinion? Leave your comments below!