WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.459 Okay, let's unpack this. If you were to walk 00:00:02.459 --> 00:00:05.419 into a bar, a gym, or scroll through Twitter, 00:00:05.480 --> 00:00:09.560 sorry, X, and ask a random person to name the 00:00:09.560 --> 00:00:11.859 face of modern wrestling, you're going to hear 00:00:11.859 --> 00:00:14.839 names like Roman Reigns. You'll hear Cody Rhodes, 00:00:15.039 --> 00:00:18.079 maybe even The Rock. But if you sit down with 00:00:18.079 --> 00:00:20.719 a true student of the game, someone who understands 00:00:20.719 --> 00:00:23.039 the granular mechanics of storytelling inside 00:00:23.039 --> 00:00:25.280 the squared circle, they aren't just looking 00:00:25.280 --> 00:00:27.359 at the guy holding the main belt. No. They're 00:00:27.359 --> 00:00:29.579 looking at the catalyst. The engine. Exactly. 00:00:29.660 --> 00:00:32.679 The engine. And for the last decade, specifically 00:00:32.679 --> 00:00:35.460 within the greatest storyline arguably in the 00:00:35.460 --> 00:00:37.539 history of the business, the Bloodline Saga, 00:00:37.700 --> 00:00:41.960 that engine has been Jonathan Solofa Fatu. Yeah. 00:00:42.039 --> 00:00:43.740 You know him. I know him. And the world knows 00:00:43.740 --> 00:00:45.979 him as Jimmy Uso. It is fascinating that you 00:00:45.979 --> 00:00:48.020 frame him as the catalyst because for such a 00:00:48.020 --> 00:00:51.200 long time, the narrative on Jimmy was reductive. 00:00:51.200 --> 00:00:53.939 It was so simple. He was just a twin. He was 00:00:53.939 --> 00:00:56.679 half of a tag team. He was Rikishi's son. But 00:00:56.679 --> 00:00:58.859 if you look at the data we have here, the match 00:00:58.859 --> 00:01:01.359 psychology, the long -term storytelling beats, 00:01:01.460 --> 00:01:05.060 and the emotional turning points, Jimmy Uso isn't 00:01:05.060 --> 00:01:07.439 a supporting character. Not at all. He is the 00:01:07.439 --> 00:01:10.920 chaotic stabilizer of the entire Anoa 'i dynasty. 00:01:11.260 --> 00:01:14.640 Chaotic stabilizer. I like that. That's good. 00:01:14.959 --> 00:01:16.859 We're going to have to dig into that concept. 00:01:17.000 --> 00:01:19.959 But first, we need to set the scene. Today is 00:01:19.959 --> 00:01:23.000 February 14th, 2026. Right. Happy Valentine's 00:01:23.000 --> 00:01:25.099 Day to everyone listening. A fitting holiday, 00:01:25.239 --> 00:01:28.540 considering this is a story about love, brotherly 00:01:28.540 --> 00:01:31.939 love, tough love, and sometimes very toxic love. 00:01:32.040 --> 00:01:34.900 Oh, for sure. And as we sit here today on Valentine's 00:01:34.900 --> 00:01:38.200 Day 2026, the story has come full circle. Jimmy 00:01:38.200 --> 00:01:41.159 Uso and his brother Jay are the current... World 00:01:41.159 --> 00:01:44.319 Tag Team Champion. Their ninth reign. Nine times. 00:01:44.379 --> 00:01:46.340 Can you believe that? They reunited late last 00:01:46.340 --> 00:01:49.260 year, 2025, and they are back at the summit of 00:01:49.260 --> 00:01:51.079 the division. Back on top. So the mission for 00:01:51.079 --> 00:01:52.920 this deep dive is clear. We have a mountain of 00:01:52.920 --> 00:01:55.319 sources, career retrospectives, title histories, 00:01:55.560 --> 00:01:57.799 legal records, and match results. We're going 00:01:57.799 --> 00:02:00.379 to trace the arc of Jimmy Uso. How does a guy 00:02:00.379 --> 00:02:02.500 go from a face -painted rookie struggling to 00:02:02.500 --> 00:02:05.439 get TV time to the right -hand man, to the guy 00:02:05.439 --> 00:02:07.060 who literally kicked the tribal chief in the 00:02:07.060 --> 00:02:09.159 face, and finally to the redeemed champion we 00:02:09.159 --> 00:02:12.659 see today? It is a study in identity. That is 00:02:12.659 --> 00:02:15.180 the thread we need to pull. Identity within a 00:02:15.180 --> 00:02:18.159 massive family, identity as a twin and identity 00:02:18.159 --> 00:02:21.280 as a solo performer in a team sport. Right. And 00:02:21.280 --> 00:02:23.360 to understand the pressure cooker that created 00:02:23.360 --> 00:02:25.919 Jimmy Uso, we have to start with the bloodline 00:02:25.919 --> 00:02:28.000 lowercase before we get to the bloodline. Right. 00:02:28.039 --> 00:02:30.759 You cannot separate the man from the tree. You 00:02:30.759 --> 00:02:32.699 know, I dynasty. This isn't just a wrestling 00:02:32.699 --> 00:02:34.900 family. This is the wrestling industrial complex. 00:02:35.080 --> 00:02:38.719 It is the bedrock of the WWE. It really is. Jonathan 00:02:38.719 --> 00:02:42.039 Fatu was born in San Francisco in 1985. He is 00:02:42.039 --> 00:02:45.120 the son of Salofa Fatu Jr., better known as the 00:02:45.120 --> 00:02:47.020 Hall of Famer Rikishi. The guy with the stink 00:02:47.020 --> 00:02:49.780 face. The very same. But zoom out. His uncles 00:02:49.780 --> 00:02:53.280 were the Wild Samoans, Offa and Sika. Legends. 00:02:53.280 --> 00:02:55.960 Absolute legends. His cousins include Yokozuna, 00:02:56.120 --> 00:02:58.879 Umaga, Roman Reigns, and of course, Dwayne The 00:02:58.879 --> 00:03:01.560 Rock Johnson. That is just insane. When you're 00:03:01.560 --> 00:03:03.879 born into that, you aren't just expected to be 00:03:03.879 --> 00:03:06.340 athletic. No. You are expected to understand 00:03:06.340 --> 00:03:08.840 the business from the moment you take your first 00:03:08.840 --> 00:03:11.860 breath. It's in your DNA. It has to be. And here 00:03:11.860 --> 00:03:14.659 is a detail that I think shapes his entire psychology, 00:03:14.840 --> 00:03:17.379 and it's something people overlook. He is the 00:03:17.379 --> 00:03:20.789 older twin. By nine minutes. Nine minutes. Nine 00:03:20.789 --> 00:03:22.750 minutes. In the grand scheme of the universe, 00:03:23.009 --> 00:03:26.210 that's a blink. But in a Polynesian family structure, 00:03:26.389 --> 00:03:28.750 and specifically in the psychology of the Fatu 00:03:28.750 --> 00:03:32.530 brothers, those nine minutes matter. He is the 00:03:32.530 --> 00:03:35.030 big brother. He is the protector. He's the one 00:03:35.030 --> 00:03:37.009 who's supposed to look out for Jay. And that 00:03:37.009 --> 00:03:39.289 responsibility weighs on him. You see it play 00:03:39.289 --> 00:03:42.009 out over and over again for the next 15 years. 00:03:42.250 --> 00:03:44.930 It's true. Interestingly, though... Wrestling 00:03:44.930 --> 00:03:47.610 wasn't the immediate plan A. He played college 00:03:47.610 --> 00:03:49.530 football at the University of West Alabama. He 00:03:49.530 --> 00:03:52.349 was a linebacker. A linebacker. Okay, let's pause 00:03:52.349 --> 00:03:54.490 on that. Yeah. Because when I watch Jimmy Uso 00:03:54.490 --> 00:03:57.310 wrestle, specifically compared to Jay or Roman, 00:03:57.509 --> 00:04:00.330 I see a linebacker. I really do. Absolutely. 00:04:00.449 --> 00:04:02.330 Think about what a linebacker does. Their job 00:04:02.330 --> 00:04:04.689 isn't to plan the whole defense. Their job is 00:04:04.689 --> 00:04:06.710 to read the offense, they fill the gap, and they 00:04:06.710 --> 00:04:08.590 explode through the target. Right. It's all reaction. 00:04:09.080 --> 00:04:12.360 It is reactive and explosive. Jimmy isn't a technical 00:04:12.360 --> 00:04:14.979 wizard who is going to, you know, twist your 00:04:14.979 --> 00:04:18.040 wrist for 20 minutes. He is a striker. He reads 00:04:18.040 --> 00:04:21.439 the flow of the match and then bam, that explosiveness, 00:04:21.519 --> 00:04:24.220 that sort of short area quickness comes directly 00:04:24.220 --> 00:04:26.879 from the gridiron. So let's fast forward to 2010. 00:04:27.790 --> 00:04:29.750 They get signed. They go through FCW Florida 00:04:29.750 --> 00:04:32.370 Championship Wrestling, which was the developmental 00:04:32.370 --> 00:04:35.889 territory before NXT became the juggernaut it 00:04:35.889 --> 00:04:38.129 is today. Right, the old school. And they debut 00:04:38.129 --> 00:04:40.910 on the main roster. Now, for the listeners who 00:04:40.910 --> 00:04:43.610 weren't watching Raw in 2010, we need to paint 00:04:43.610 --> 00:04:45.949 this picture because this wasn't the cool hoodie 00:04:45.949 --> 00:04:49.110 -wearing day one -ish team. Not at all. Not even 00:04:49.110 --> 00:04:51.209 close. This was, well, it was very traditional, 00:04:51.250 --> 00:04:52.870 almost retro. That's a nice way of putting it. 00:04:52.949 --> 00:04:56.110 They debuted with Tamina Snuka. And they came 00:04:56.110 --> 00:04:58.889 out performing the Siva Tao. Which is the traditional 00:04:58.889 --> 00:05:01.490 Samoan war dance. Right. Similar to the haka 00:05:01.490 --> 00:05:04.670 that people know from New Zealand rugby. Culturally, 00:05:04.810 --> 00:05:07.889 it is incredibly significant. It is a warrior's 00:05:07.889 --> 00:05:09.790 challenge. It's powerful. In real life, yes. 00:05:10.050 --> 00:05:14.329 But in the context of 2010 WWE sports entertainment, 00:05:14.670 --> 00:05:18.730 it felt performative. It felt like a gimmick. 00:05:19.079 --> 00:05:21.399 You're the Samoans doing the Samoan thing. Exactly. 00:05:21.399 --> 00:05:25.000 It lacked a certain personal authenticity. It 00:05:25.000 --> 00:05:26.879 felt like they were playing a role that was assigned 00:05:26.879 --> 00:05:28.759 to them. And then they added the face paint. 00:05:29.000 --> 00:05:32.019 Which again was rooted in love. It was a tribute 00:05:32.019 --> 00:05:34.560 to their late uncle Umaga who had passed away 00:05:34.560 --> 00:05:36.939 just a few months before they debuted. It was 00:05:36.939 --> 00:05:39.480 a respectful nod to their heritage and to him. 00:05:39.660 --> 00:05:42.139 Which is a beautiful gesture. It is. But from 00:05:42.139 --> 00:05:44.680 a character standpoint, it rendered them anonymous. 00:05:45.180 --> 00:05:47.519 They were just these two identical guys with 00:05:47.519 --> 00:05:50.720 painted faces. Bright colors, big smiles. They 00:05:50.720 --> 00:05:53.480 were the bright, smiling, high -flying babyfaces. 00:05:53.620 --> 00:05:56.180 Let's define babyface quickly for the uninitiated. 00:05:56.300 --> 00:05:59.040 Sure. Simply put, the good guys. The ones you're 00:05:59.040 --> 00:06:01.220 supposed to cheer for. But in wrestling psychology, 00:06:01.660 --> 00:06:04.040 a smiling babyface who just seems happy to be 00:06:04.040 --> 00:06:06.279 there is often the kiss of death unless they're 00:06:06.279 --> 00:06:08.600 winning everything. And the Usos... They were 00:06:08.600 --> 00:06:11.560 not winning. They were losing a lot. I was looking 00:06:11.560 --> 00:06:16.120 at the match records from 2010 to 2013. It is 00:06:16.120 --> 00:06:19.300 a grind. Yeah. I mean, a real slog. They were 00:06:19.300 --> 00:06:23.500 regulars on WWE Superstars. Yeah. Which was basically 00:06:23.500 --> 00:06:25.639 the C -show that aired online or late at night. 00:06:25.680 --> 00:06:27.079 Yeah. If you were on that show, you weren't in 00:06:27.079 --> 00:06:30.100 the main plans. No. And they're losing to teams 00:06:30.100 --> 00:06:32.279 that don't even exist in the memory banks of 00:06:32.279 --> 00:06:35.800 most fans. It was rough. It speaks to the second 00:06:35.800 --> 00:06:38.420 generation curse. Promoters often assume that 00:06:38.420 --> 00:06:40.339 if you have a famous last name, you don't need 00:06:40.339 --> 00:06:42.430 character development. Right. The name will do 00:06:42.430 --> 00:06:44.189 the work. They think, oh, they're Rikishi's kids. 00:06:44.389 --> 00:06:45.949 Put them in the ring. Have them do a splash. 00:06:46.209 --> 00:06:48.209 The crowd will get it. But the crowd didn't connect 00:06:48.209 --> 00:06:50.170 emotionally. They respected the athleticism, 00:06:50.170 --> 00:06:52.009 sure. I mean, they were always great athletes. 00:06:52.310 --> 00:06:54.410 Always. But they didn't care about the people. 00:06:54.629 --> 00:06:56.990 There was no depth to latch on to. It took them 00:06:56.990 --> 00:07:00.250 four years to win gold. Four years. They didn't 00:07:00.250 --> 00:07:03.250 win the tag team championships until 2014. In 00:07:03.250 --> 00:07:06.050 wrestling years, four years is a lifetime. Most 00:07:06.050 --> 00:07:08.730 teams break up, get released, or get repackaged 00:07:08.730 --> 00:07:11.180 by then. For sure. But they stuck it out. That 00:07:11.180 --> 00:07:13.899 2014 win on Raw was significant. It felt like, 00:07:13.899 --> 00:07:16.519 OK, finally. It was a relief. It kicked off a 00:07:16.519 --> 00:07:18.980 period where they won Tag Team of the Year Slammys 00:07:18.980 --> 00:07:22.500 in 2014 and 2015. They were colorful. They were 00:07:22.500 --> 00:07:24.839 kid friendly. They sold a lot of merchandise. 00:07:25.079 --> 00:07:28.199 They were, you know, a solid part of the show. 00:07:28.420 --> 00:07:30.540 They were the safe team. Yeah. If you needed 00:07:30.540 --> 00:07:32.600 a good match to open the show, send the Usos. 00:07:32.819 --> 00:07:35.000 If you needed to get the crowd hyped after a 00:07:35.000 --> 00:07:38.259 boring segment, send the Usos. But they weren't 00:07:38.259 --> 00:07:40.649 main eventers. They hit a glass ceiling. And 00:07:40.649 --> 00:07:44.009 a very low one at that. And by 2016, the landscape 00:07:44.009 --> 00:07:46.250 of the industry was shifting. We were moving 00:07:46.250 --> 00:07:48.970 away from the PG, family -friendly vibe into 00:07:48.970 --> 00:07:51.629 something grittier. The reality era. The reality 00:07:51.629 --> 00:07:53.870 era was taking hold. Fans wanted authenticity. 00:07:54.050 --> 00:07:56.430 They wanted characters that felt real. Two guys 00:07:56.430 --> 00:07:58.910 in neon shorts with painted faces just didn't 00:07:58.910 --> 00:08:01.389 fit the vibe anymore. The axe was stale. And 00:08:01.389 --> 00:08:03.889 it was getting really, really stale. Which brings 00:08:03.889 --> 00:08:06.709 us to the pivot. I argue this is the most important 00:08:06.709 --> 00:08:08.430 moment in their career before the bloodline. 00:08:08.759 --> 00:08:13.160 September 2016. The turn. Agreed. 100%. They 00:08:13.160 --> 00:08:15.220 were in a tournament to crown the first SmackDown 00:08:15.220 --> 00:08:17.740 Tag Team Champions after the brand split. They 00:08:17.740 --> 00:08:20.740 wrestled American Alpha Jason Jordan and Chad 00:08:20.740 --> 00:08:23.779 Gable, a great babyface team. The Usos lost. 00:08:24.000 --> 00:08:27.240 And usually the code of the Usos meant you shake 00:08:27.240 --> 00:08:29.560 hands and walk away. You smile and wave to the 00:08:29.560 --> 00:08:32.450 crowd. Not this time. No. This time was different. 00:08:32.649 --> 00:08:35.649 They attacked them. They chop blocked Gable's 00:08:35.649 --> 00:08:38.009 knee after the match. It was vicious. It was 00:08:38.009 --> 00:08:40.450 mean. It was so out of character for them. The 00:08:40.450 --> 00:08:42.850 crowd was genuinely shocked. And the next week. 00:08:43.360 --> 00:08:45.620 The presentation change was shocking. It was 00:08:45.620 --> 00:08:48.799 a complete 180. Gone was the paint. Gone were 00:08:48.799 --> 00:08:51.740 the bright colors. The Siva towel was gone. They 00:08:51.740 --> 00:08:55.480 walked out in black hoodies, baggy shorts, sneakers. 00:08:55.679 --> 00:08:57.440 They look like they just walked off the street 00:08:57.440 --> 00:09:00.159 in San Francisco. They looked real. This is the 00:09:00.159 --> 00:09:03.179 day one -ish era. And honestly, this is where 00:09:03.179 --> 00:09:06.269 Jimmy Uso, the performer. really woke up oh completely 00:09:06.269 --> 00:09:08.549 they stopped playing the usos and started being 00:09:08.549 --> 00:09:11.309 jonathan and joshua fatu they incorporated their 00:09:11.309 --> 00:09:13.850 real life cadence their slang their promo suddenly 00:09:13.850 --> 00:09:16.110 became can't miss they started cutting promos 00:09:16.110 --> 00:09:18.970 that sounded like threats not scripts and mechanically 00:09:18.970 --> 00:09:21.690 inside the ring they changed their style completely 00:09:21.690 --> 00:09:24.889 how so what was the big shift they grounded it 00:09:25.230 --> 00:09:27.809 They became brawlers. They swapped out some of 00:09:27.809 --> 00:09:29.809 the high -flying splashes for the super kick. 00:09:30.149 --> 00:09:33.110 Now, the super kick is a common move, popularized 00:09:33.110 --> 00:09:36.710 by Shawn Michaels, but the Usos mastered the 00:09:36.710 --> 00:09:39.549 timing of it. They made it their own. They used 00:09:39.549 --> 00:09:41.950 it as a disruption tool, a match -ender. They 00:09:41.950 --> 00:09:44.789 started calling their whole style the Uso Penitentiary. 00:09:45.009 --> 00:09:47.490 It was a lockdown style. Once they got you, you 00:09:47.490 --> 00:09:49.450 weren't getting away. And this stylistic shift 00:09:49.450 --> 00:09:53.470 led to the rivalry. That I think defines modern 00:09:53.470 --> 00:09:56.590 tag team wrestling. The Usos versus the New Day. 00:09:56.710 --> 00:09:59.070 The absolute gold standard. If you want to understand 00:09:59.070 --> 00:10:01.889 tag team wrestling, you watch that trilogy of 00:10:01.889 --> 00:10:04.470 matches in 2017. There's no better example. Why 00:10:04.470 --> 00:10:06.629 was it so effective? What made that chemistry 00:10:06.629 --> 00:10:09.429 so special? Contrast. Pure and simple. You had 00:10:09.429 --> 00:10:12.309 the New Day Big E, Kofi Kingston, Xavier Woods, 00:10:12.490 --> 00:10:15.429 who were over the top positivity, playing trombones, 00:10:15.509 --> 00:10:17.870 wearing unicorn horns, bright colors. Right. 00:10:17.889 --> 00:10:19.769 They were fun. They were a blast. And you had 00:10:19.769 --> 00:10:22.360 these gritty monochrome. angry Usos. It was the 00:10:22.360 --> 00:10:24.799 perfect clash of philosophies. But beyond that, 00:10:24.960 --> 00:10:27.700 the trust level between those five guys was off 00:10:27.700 --> 00:10:30.340 the charts. You could feel it. They knew exactly 00:10:30.340 --> 00:10:32.620 where the other would be at all times. And that 00:10:32.620 --> 00:10:34.980 trust allowed them to innovate. The Hell in a 00:10:34.980 --> 00:10:37.799 Cell match in 2017. That is a match I still think 00:10:37.799 --> 00:10:41.320 about. It was unbelievably brutal. It was a masterpiece 00:10:41.320 --> 00:10:44.620 of violence and psychology. There is a moment 00:10:44.620 --> 00:10:47.039 where they trap Xavier Woods in the corner of 00:10:47.039 --> 00:10:49.639 the cell using kendo sticks. Oh, I remember that. 00:10:49.720 --> 00:10:52.980 It was innovative. It was brutal. And it was 00:10:52.980 --> 00:10:55.240 uncomfortable to watch. It was something no one 00:10:55.240 --> 00:10:57.740 had ever seen before. And here's the fascinating 00:10:57.740 --> 00:11:01.440 thing about wrestling psychology. The fans, who 00:11:01.440 --> 00:11:04.539 were supposed to boo the Usos for being bad guys. 00:11:04.799 --> 00:11:08.350 They started cheering them. Respect. Exactly. 00:11:08.350 --> 00:11:10.950 You can only be that good for that long before 00:11:10.950 --> 00:11:12.970 the audience respects the work rate. They were 00:11:12.970 --> 00:11:15.230 just too good to boo. The talent transcended 00:11:15.230 --> 00:11:17.669 the heel face dynamic. It did. And that led to 00:11:17.669 --> 00:11:20.629 the respect arc. There is a moment in March 2019 00:11:20.629 --> 00:11:22.750 that I want to highlight because it's so important 00:11:22.750 --> 00:11:25.210 for their future character development. Kofi 00:11:25.210 --> 00:11:27.250 Kingston is trying to get his title shot at WrestleMania. 00:11:28.070 --> 00:11:30.909 Kofi Mania is running wild. He has to survive 00:11:30.909 --> 00:11:34.639 a gauntlet match. The Usos are the final hurdle. 00:11:34.919 --> 00:11:37.539 They are ordered by Vince McMahon to go out there 00:11:37.539 --> 00:11:40.200 and stop him. And instead, they walk to the ring 00:11:40.200 --> 00:11:42.220 and grab the microphone. They say, we fought 00:11:42.220 --> 00:11:44.899 wars with you. You earned our respect. We forfeit. 00:11:45.080 --> 00:11:46.700 That gives me goosebumps just thinking about 00:11:46.700 --> 00:11:49.480 it. Yeah. That moment was huge. It added so much 00:11:49.480 --> 00:11:52.259 depth to Jimmy and Jay. It showed they weren't 00:11:52.259 --> 00:11:54.919 just thugs or henchmen. They had a code. They 00:11:54.919 --> 00:11:57.980 had honor. And that complexity, that idea that 00:11:57.980 --> 00:12:00.820 family and respect matter more than orders is 00:12:00.820 --> 00:12:03.759 the perfect foundation for what came next. The 00:12:03.759 --> 00:12:05.879 bloodline. The bloodline. So let's move into 00:12:05.879 --> 00:12:08.440 the saga that changed everything. Yeah. The year 00:12:08.440 --> 00:12:11.259 is 2020. The world has changed. We're in the 00:12:11.259 --> 00:12:13.940 pandemic era. Roman Reigns returns at SummerSlam 00:12:13.940 --> 00:12:16.340 as the tribal chief. A whole new persona. The 00:12:16.340 --> 00:12:18.379 dominant, terrifying persona. He goes after his 00:12:18.379 --> 00:12:21.740 cousin Jay. But where was Jimmy? Jimmy was on 00:12:21.740 --> 00:12:23.460 the shelf. And this is a crucial detail that 00:12:23.460 --> 00:12:25.899 people forget. At WrestleMania 36, in the ladder 00:12:25.899 --> 00:12:28.740 match, Jimmy suffered a legitimate ACL tear, 00:12:28.879 --> 00:12:31.120 a really bad one. He was out of action for over 00:12:31.120 --> 00:12:33.259 a year. So the bloodline starts without him. 00:12:33.529 --> 00:12:36.289 It had to. The entire narrative of Roman Reigns 00:12:36.289 --> 00:12:38.970 gaslighting and abusing Jey Uso into becoming 00:12:38.970 --> 00:12:41.850 Main Event Jey only happened because Jimmy wasn't 00:12:41.850 --> 00:12:43.929 there to protect his little brother. Jey had 00:12:43.929 --> 00:12:45.789 to face the monster alone. Completely alone. 00:12:45.870 --> 00:12:48.269 There was no big brother to back him up, to tell 00:12:48.269 --> 00:12:50.289 him he wasn't crazy. Roman had him isolated. 00:12:50.730 --> 00:12:54.330 So when Jimmy finally returns in May 2021, he 00:12:54.330 --> 00:12:56.549 is walking into a completely different movie. 00:12:56.830 --> 00:12:59.470 The whole world has changed for his family. He 00:12:59.470 --> 00:13:02.370 is a time traveler. He left in 2020 when Roman 00:13:02.370 --> 00:13:05.070 was still the big dog. Right. He remembers the 00:13:05.070 --> 00:13:08.269 old cousin they played video games with. He comes 00:13:08.269 --> 00:13:10.909 back and sees Jay acting like a servant, walking 00:13:10.909 --> 00:13:14.350 on eggshells, calling Roman tribal chief. And 00:13:14.350 --> 00:13:16.909 Jimmy's immediate reaction wasn't fear. It was 00:13:16.909 --> 00:13:19.110 mockery. Complete mockery. He thought it was 00:13:19.110 --> 00:13:22.029 ridiculous. A nobody's bitch shirt. He wore a 00:13:22.029 --> 00:13:24.029 t -shirt that literally said nobody's bitch. 00:13:24.090 --> 00:13:25.990 He was the resistance. He tried to tell Jay, 00:13:26.049 --> 00:13:28.070 man, wake up. He's using you. This isn't who 00:13:28.070 --> 00:13:30.309 we are. He was the voice of the audience, really. 00:13:30.529 --> 00:13:33.750 He was. But, and this is the tragedy of the character, 00:13:34.009 --> 00:13:36.490 the gravity of the tribal chief was too strong. 00:13:37.269 --> 00:13:40.549 Roman had Jay too deep under his spell. Eventually, 00:13:40.649 --> 00:13:42.750 Jimmy realized that he couldn't beat Roman and 00:13:42.750 --> 00:13:44.980 he couldn't leave Jay alone with him. So if you 00:13:44.980 --> 00:13:47.399 can't beat him, you join him. To protect his 00:13:47.399 --> 00:13:49.759 brother, he fell in line. He acknowledged the 00:13:49.759 --> 00:13:53.320 tribal chief. And once he fell in line, absolute 00:13:53.320 --> 00:13:56.279 dominance. Statistical absurdity. They united 00:13:56.279 --> 00:13:57.980 the Raw and SmackDown titles. They held those 00:13:57.980 --> 00:14:03.159 belts for 622 days. 622 days. That broke the 00:14:03.159 --> 00:14:05.919 record previously held by the New Day. They were 00:14:05.919 --> 00:14:08.279 the longest reigning male tag team champions 00:14:08.279 --> 00:14:10.620 in WWE history. It's an untouchable record, most 00:14:10.620 --> 00:14:13.220 likely. They beat everyone, the Street Profits, 00:14:13.220 --> 00:14:15.960 the Mysterios, RK -Bro. It didn't matter who 00:14:15.960 --> 00:14:17.720 you put in front of them. And the match quality 00:14:17.720 --> 00:14:20.059 was incredible. That match against the Street 00:14:20.059 --> 00:14:23.379 Profits at SummerSlam 2022 with Jeff Jarrett 00:14:23.379 --> 00:14:25.399 as the special referee. Technical perfection. 00:14:25.539 --> 00:14:27.980 That was a masterclass. They isolated Montez 00:14:27.980 --> 00:14:30.299 Ford. They cut off the ring. It was old school 00:14:30.299 --> 00:14:32.840 tag team psychology with modern athleticism. 00:14:32.899 --> 00:14:34.840 They were the end bosses of the division. Completely. 00:14:34.840 --> 00:14:37.039 There was no one on their level. But while they 00:14:37.039 --> 00:14:39.820 were winning in the ring, the seeds of destruction 00:14:39.820 --> 00:14:42.720 were being sown outside of it. And those seeds 00:14:42.720 --> 00:14:47.120 had a name. Sammy Zane. The honorary oose. This 00:14:47.120 --> 00:14:49.139 is where we really see the difference between 00:14:49.139 --> 00:14:52.360 Jimmy and Jay. This whole storyline highlighted 00:14:52.360 --> 00:14:55.360 their individual personalities like never before. 00:14:55.600 --> 00:14:57.879 Break that down for us. When Sammy started hanging 00:14:57.879 --> 00:15:01.159 around the bloodline, Jay hated him. Jay is naturally 00:15:01.159 --> 00:15:04.159 distrustful of outsiders. He saw Sammy as a clown 00:15:04.159 --> 00:15:06.840 trying to use them. He was the guard dog. Exactly. 00:15:06.840 --> 00:15:09.440 But Jimmy, Jimmy thought Sammy was hilarious. 00:15:09.820 --> 00:15:12.860 Jimmy was the cool older brother who invited 00:15:12.860 --> 00:15:15.980 the weird kid to sit at the cool table. He was 00:15:15.980 --> 00:15:18.419 the one doing the elaborate handshakes with Sammy. 00:15:18.580 --> 00:15:20.940 He coined the term Oosie. He made Sammy feel 00:15:20.940 --> 00:15:23.240 Oosie. He was the bridge. He's the reason Sammy 00:15:23.240 --> 00:15:25.279 was ever accepted into the group. He smoothed 00:15:25.279 --> 00:15:27.720 things over. He was the bridge between Sammy 00:15:27.720 --> 00:15:29.980 and the family, especially between Sammy and 00:15:29.980 --> 00:15:32.409 Jay. Which makes the betrayal at the Royal Rumble 00:15:32.409 --> 00:15:35.590 2023 so much more heartbreaking. Oh man, let's 00:15:35.590 --> 00:15:38.909 set the scene. Royal Rumble 2023. The Bloodline 00:15:38.909 --> 00:15:42.370 has just destroyed Kevin Owens. Roman has handcuffed 00:15:42.370 --> 00:15:44.750 him to the ropes and is about to smash his head 00:15:44.750 --> 00:15:47.289 with a chair. It's a brutal emotional scene. 00:15:47.549 --> 00:15:51.009 And Roman hands a steel chair to Sami Zayn and 00:15:51.009 --> 00:15:53.740 tells him to finish his best friend. The ultimate 00:15:53.740 --> 00:15:56.320 test of loyalty. It is the ultimate test of loyalty. 00:15:56.500 --> 00:15:59.659 And Sammy fails, or passes, depending on your 00:15:59.659 --> 00:16:02.120 perspective. He hits Roman in the back with the 00:16:02.120 --> 00:16:04.480 chair. The crowd explodes. I've never heard a 00:16:04.480 --> 00:16:07.000 sound like that. It is deafening. And in that 00:16:07.000 --> 00:16:10.480 moment of chaos, look at the brothers. Jey Uso, 00:16:10.659 --> 00:16:12.820 who had finally warmed up to Sammy, who saw him 00:16:12.820 --> 00:16:15.019 as a brother, is so devastated he just walks 00:16:15.019 --> 00:16:17.720 out. He leaves. He refuses to participate. But 00:16:17.720 --> 00:16:20.740 Jimmy. Jimmy doesn't hesitate. For a fraction 00:16:20.740 --> 00:16:23.720 of a second, he's shocked. But as soon as Sammy 00:16:23.720 --> 00:16:26.919 hits Roman, Jimmy superkicks Sammy. He mounts 00:16:26.919 --> 00:16:29.100 him and rains down punches. He screams, you betrayed 00:16:29.100 --> 00:16:32.179 us. You betrayed the family. Why? Why was Jimmy 00:16:32.179 --> 00:16:33.919 the one to turn when he was the one who liked 00:16:33.919 --> 00:16:36.559 Sammy the most? It felt like such a swerve. Because 00:16:36.559 --> 00:16:39.720 for Jimmy Uso, family is a hierarchy, not a feeling. 00:16:39.980 --> 00:16:42.840 Sammy was a friend. Roman is blood. Roman is 00:16:42.840 --> 00:16:45.139 the chief. When the structure of the family was 00:16:45.139 --> 00:16:47.559 attacked, Jimmy's linebacker instinct kicked 00:16:47.559 --> 00:16:51.179 in, react, protect the chief, eliminate the threat. 00:16:51.360 --> 00:16:53.000 That's a great point. It's that reactive nature 00:16:53.000 --> 00:16:55.600 again. It showed that despite his earlier resistance, 00:16:55.980 --> 00:16:58.320 he was now fully indoctrinated into the system. 00:16:58.980 --> 00:17:01.360 Loyalty to the structure trumped personal affection. 00:17:01.679 --> 00:17:04.619 But that indoctrination. It had a shelf life. 00:17:04.799 --> 00:17:07.359 Yeah. Because Roman kept pushing. He never knows 00:17:07.359 --> 00:17:10.319 when to stop. Roman is a narcissist. After WrestleMania 00:17:10.319 --> 00:17:13.359 39, where the Usos finally lost the titles to 00:17:13.359 --> 00:17:16.059 Sami and Kevin Owens, Roman turned on them. He 00:17:16.059 --> 00:17:18.200 treated them like failures. He blamed them for 00:17:18.200 --> 00:17:20.299 the loss. He stopped talking to them. He only 00:17:20.299 --> 00:17:22.099 communicated through the younger brother, Solo 00:17:22.099 --> 00:17:25.059 Sakoa. He completely disrespected them. He was 00:17:25.059 --> 00:17:28.079 disrespecting the elders. And that, in that family 00:17:28.079 --> 00:17:31.420 structure, is the ultimate sin. And that leads 00:17:31.420 --> 00:17:34.819 us to the moment. Night of Champions, May 2023, 00:17:35.359 --> 00:17:38.059 Saudi Arabia. The shot heard around the world. 00:17:38.319 --> 00:17:40.400 Roman and Solo are wrestling Sami and Kevin. 00:17:40.799 --> 00:17:43.619 Roman is in the ring berating the Usos who tried 00:17:43.619 --> 00:17:46.420 to interfere and help. He shoves Jimmy in the 00:17:46.420 --> 00:17:48.240 face. He shoves him again. He treats him like 00:17:48.240 --> 00:17:51.059 a child. And Jimmy snaps. It wasn't a calculated 00:17:51.059 --> 00:17:53.079 plan. It wasn't a long con. You can see it in 00:17:53.079 --> 00:17:56.319 his eyes. It was pure reactive emotion. He just 00:17:56.319 --> 00:17:58.599 couldn't take it anymore. He super kicks Roman 00:17:58.599 --> 00:18:02.230 Reigns. The look on Roman's face. He looked like 00:18:02.230 --> 00:18:05.150 he had seen a ghost. Like that was the one thing 00:18:05.150 --> 00:18:07.230 he never thought could happen. And then Jimmy 00:18:07.230 --> 00:18:09.970 does it again, for good measure. And he screams 00:18:09.970 --> 00:18:12.849 that line to Jay. What was it? I'm doing what 00:18:12.849 --> 00:18:14.569 you should have done a long time ago. That is 00:18:14.569 --> 00:18:18.549 the key, isn't it? He took the bullet. Jay was 00:18:18.549 --> 00:18:20.710 the one who had the emotional turmoil for a year, 00:18:20.789 --> 00:18:23.009 but Jimmy was the one who finally pulled the 00:18:23.009 --> 00:18:25.390 trigger. He did. He knew that attacking the tribal 00:18:25.390 --> 00:18:27.690 chief was death within the family, but he did 00:18:27.690 --> 00:18:29.950 it to show Jay that the emperor had no clothes. 00:18:30.190 --> 00:18:32.490 He sacrificed his standing to free his brother. 00:18:32.710 --> 00:18:35.690 This launched the Bloodline Civil War. Money 00:18:35.690 --> 00:18:39.970 in the Bank 2023. London. The Usos versus Roman 00:18:39.970 --> 00:18:42.470 Reigns and Solo Sokoa. I will go on record saying 00:18:42.470 --> 00:18:44.670 this is the most emotionally resonant tag team 00:18:44.670 --> 00:18:46.990 match of the decade. The crowd in London was 00:18:46.990 --> 00:18:49.329 electric. They were singing for the Usos from 00:18:49.329 --> 00:18:51.309 the moment they came out. The atmosphere was 00:18:51.309 --> 00:18:55.329 unbelievable. And the finish. Historic. Jey Uso 00:18:55.329 --> 00:18:58.410 pins Roman Reigns. Let's repeat that. Jey Uso 00:18:58.410 --> 00:19:00.910 pins Roman Reigns. The first time Roman had been 00:19:00.910 --> 00:19:04.029 pinned since December 2019. Three and a half 00:19:04.029 --> 00:19:06.609 years of invincibility ended by his own cousins. 00:19:06.930 --> 00:19:09.559 It felt like the happy ending. The brothers were 00:19:09.559 --> 00:19:12.220 free. They had humbled the tyrant. The credits 00:19:12.220 --> 00:19:14.200 could have rolled right there. But wrestling 00:19:14.200 --> 00:19:16.859 doesn't do happy endings that easily. Because 00:19:16.859 --> 00:19:21.339 then we get to SummerSlam 2023. And this. This 00:19:21.339 --> 00:19:24.019 is where the chaotic stabilizer theory really 00:19:24.019 --> 00:19:27.160 comes into play. This is the moment. This is 00:19:27.160 --> 00:19:28.980 the twist that broke people's brains initially. 00:19:29.079 --> 00:19:31.460 It confused so many people. Myself included. 00:19:31.640 --> 00:19:34.240 Jey Uso is fighting Roman for the Undisputed 00:19:34.240 --> 00:19:36.980 Championship and the title of Tribal Chief. It's 00:19:36.980 --> 00:19:40.660 tribal combat. Jey is about to win. He has Roman 00:19:40.660 --> 00:19:44.140 beat. He hits the Uso splash. One, two. And a 00:19:44.140 --> 00:19:46.259 man in a hoodie pulls him out of the ring. And 00:19:46.259 --> 00:19:49.369 it's Jimmy. Jimmy betrays his twin brother. He 00:19:49.369 --> 00:19:51.269 super kicks him in the face and throws him back 00:19:51.269 --> 00:19:54.490 in the ring. He costs him the match. Roman retains. 00:19:54.650 --> 00:19:56.470 The internet was furious. People were saying, 00:19:56.529 --> 00:19:58.910 this makes no sense. Why would he rejoin Roman? 00:19:58.990 --> 00:20:01.470 This undoes everything. But he didn't rejoin 00:20:01.470 --> 00:20:03.289 Roman. Not really. That was the misunderstanding. 00:20:03.549 --> 00:20:05.950 On SmackDown the next week, he came out to explain 00:20:05.950 --> 00:20:08.410 it. And the explanation was just wild. He said, 00:20:08.490 --> 00:20:10.730 I did it because I love you. I did it to protect 00:20:10.730 --> 00:20:13.410 you. I didn't want you to become him. Break that 00:20:13.410 --> 00:20:16.289 down. I didn't want you to become him. What does 00:20:16.289 --> 00:20:19.180 that mean? Jimmy's logic was twisted, but deep. 00:20:19.359 --> 00:20:21.920 He saw what the power of the tribal chief did 00:20:21.920 --> 00:20:25.039 to Roman. It turned him into a monster. It destroyed 00:20:25.039 --> 00:20:28.119 their family. Jimmy believed that if Jay won, 00:20:28.500 --> 00:20:30.740 Jay would get that power, and that power would 00:20:30.740 --> 00:20:32.839 corrupt him too. So he would lose his brother 00:20:32.839 --> 00:20:36.160 either way. Exactly. Jimmy would rather have 00:20:36.160 --> 00:20:38.000 a brother who hates him than a brother who is 00:20:38.000 --> 00:20:40.720 a monster. He would rather Jay be Jay than the 00:20:40.720 --> 00:20:43.819 new tribal chief. So he sabotaged Jay's success 00:20:43.819 --> 00:20:46.490 to save Jay's soul. That's it. Perfectly put. 00:20:46.589 --> 00:20:49.609 It is the logic of a chaotic protector. He created 00:20:49.609 --> 00:20:52.130 chaos to maintain a status quo where his brother 00:20:52.130 --> 00:20:54.329 was safe, even if he wasn't champion. It's an 00:20:54.329 --> 00:20:57.109 act of love, but a destructive, selfish one. 00:20:57.309 --> 00:20:59.329 But of course, Jay didn't see it that way. Of 00:20:59.329 --> 00:21:01.690 course not. Jay super kicked him and quit the 00:21:01.690 --> 00:21:03.930 company moving to Raw. He was done with all of 00:21:03.930 --> 00:21:06.609 them. Which left Jimmy alone on SmackDown. And 00:21:06.609 --> 00:21:09.910 this began his lost period. The Wilderness. Late 00:21:09.910 --> 00:21:13.529 2023 into early 2024. This was hard to watch. 00:21:14.049 --> 00:21:16.549 Jimmy tried to crawl back to Roman. He was desperate 00:21:16.549 --> 00:21:19.230 for belonging. He's acting like a jester, trying 00:21:19.230 --> 00:21:21.190 to make Roman laugh, trying to high -five Solo 00:21:21.190 --> 00:21:24.210 Sakoa, who just glared at him. It was pathetic, 00:21:24.369 --> 00:21:26.990 but intentionally so. You could see the character 00:21:26.990 --> 00:21:29.069 had no identity anymore. He was a man without 00:21:29.069 --> 00:21:31.869 a country. He betrayed Jay. But Roman didn't 00:21:31.869 --> 00:21:34.109 fully trust him. He was in purgatory. And then 00:21:34.109 --> 00:21:38.549 the bill came due. WrestleMania XL. April 2024. 00:21:39.470 --> 00:21:42.349 Roman loses the title to Cody Rhodes. The Empire 00:21:42.349 --> 00:21:44.910 falls. The whole thing comes crashing down. And 00:21:44.910 --> 00:21:48.150 Solo Sikoa decides it is time for a hostile takeover. 00:21:48.369 --> 00:21:50.490 He doesn't see the fall of Roman as a tragedy. 00:21:50.630 --> 00:21:52.730 He sees it as an opportunity. Yeah, a power vacuum. 00:21:53.069 --> 00:21:55.849 And he introduces a new savage element, Kamatanga. 00:21:56.049 --> 00:21:58.430 The new bloodline. And their first order of business 00:21:58.430 --> 00:22:01.109 on the SmackDown after Mania was to purge the 00:22:01.109 --> 00:22:03.289 weakness. And in Solo's eyes, the biggest weakness 00:22:03.289 --> 00:22:05.849 was Jimmy. Because he lost his match to Jay at 00:22:05.849 --> 00:22:08.519 Mania. Exactly. They beat Jimmy down. It was 00:22:08.519 --> 00:22:11.160 brutal. They smashed him into a car. That wrote 00:22:11.160 --> 00:22:13.720 Jimmy off television for months with a legit 00:22:13.720 --> 00:22:16.859 injury angle. The exile. He sat at home. And 00:22:16.859 --> 00:22:18.920 this is where the absence makes the heart grow 00:22:18.920 --> 00:22:22.200 fonder rule applies in wrestling. While he was 00:22:22.200 --> 00:22:26.079 gone, this new bloodline solo, Tama Tonga, Tonga 00:22:26.079 --> 00:22:28.880 Loa, and eventually the werewolf Jacob Batu became 00:22:28.880 --> 00:22:31.920 these. vicious, unhinged villains. They were 00:22:31.920 --> 00:22:35.019 just pure evil. No nuance. None. And the fans 00:22:35.019 --> 00:22:37.059 started to miss the old dynamic. They missed 00:22:37.059 --> 00:22:39.279 the yeet. They missed the energy of the Usos. 00:22:39.299 --> 00:22:41.240 They even missed the complicated dynamic with 00:22:41.240 --> 00:22:45.069 Roman. So when he returned, Bad Blood 2024. the 00:22:45.069 --> 00:22:47.769 pop was deafening he came back not for revenge 00:22:47.769 --> 00:22:50.589 on solo but to help roman roman reigns the guy 00:22:50.589 --> 00:22:52.869 he super kicked the guy whose empire he helped 00:22:52.869 --> 00:22:55.849 crumble but they were united by a common enemy 00:22:55.849 --> 00:22:59.210 the enemy of my enemy is my friend that hug between 00:22:59.210 --> 00:23:02.319 roman and jimmy It was complex. You could see 00:23:02.319 --> 00:23:04.140 it on their faces. It wasn't total forgiveness, 00:23:04.299 --> 00:23:06.140 but it was an acknowledgement of survival. But 00:23:06.140 --> 00:23:08.940 the puzzle wasn't complete. They were still outnumbered. 00:23:08.940 --> 00:23:10.960 They needed the third piece. They needed Jay. 00:23:11.220 --> 00:23:13.599 And this was the emotional hook of late 2024. 00:23:14.180 --> 00:23:16.900 The story became about redemption. Jimmy had 00:23:16.900 --> 00:23:19.660 to go to Raw, hat in hand, and beg Jay for forgiveness. 00:23:19.960 --> 00:23:22.299 And Jay wasn't having it. Nor should he have. 00:23:22.380 --> 00:23:24.829 I mean, come on. Jimmy cost him the biggest match 00:23:24.829 --> 00:23:27.309 of his life based on some twisted logic. Exactly. 00:23:27.309 --> 00:23:29.430 It was realistic. You don't just forgive a betrayal 00:23:29.430 --> 00:23:31.589 like that because you need a tag partner. Jimmy 00:23:31.589 --> 00:23:33.849 had to earn it. He had to show humility. He had 00:23:33.849 --> 00:23:37.269 to take a few beatings on G's behalf. But eventually, 00:23:37.549 --> 00:23:41.390 the bond of twins is undeniable. October 25, 00:23:41.890 --> 00:23:45.329 2024. Smackdown. The new bloodline is beating 00:23:45.329 --> 00:23:47.710 down Jimmy and Roman. When G's music hits, he 00:23:47.710 --> 00:23:49.549 makes the save. The three of them stand in the 00:23:49.549 --> 00:23:51.789 ring. The crowd is going insane. And they hug. 00:23:52.240 --> 00:23:54.640 The OG Bloodline is back. Which led to Survivor 00:23:54.640 --> 00:23:57.660 Series, War Games, the OG Bloodline Roman Jimmy 00:23:57.660 --> 00:24:00.140 G and Sami Zayn reunited against the new guys, 00:24:00.259 --> 00:24:03.039 and CM Punk randomly. And CM Punk, yes, they 00:24:03.039 --> 00:24:05.660 won. It felt like the closing of a massive multi 00:24:05.660 --> 00:24:07.299 -year chapter. And the opening of a new one. 00:24:07.559 --> 00:24:10.180 Which brings us to the present. December 2025, 00:24:10.660 --> 00:24:12.880 they officially reunite as the Usos tag team. 00:24:13.180 --> 00:24:16.400 And on December 29, 2025, they defeat AJ Styles 00:24:16.400 --> 00:24:18.839 and Dragon Lee to win the World Tag Team Championship, 00:24:19.220 --> 00:24:22.640 their ninth reign. It is historic. It proves 00:24:22.640 --> 00:24:25.039 that despite all the drama, despite the betrayals 00:24:25.039 --> 00:24:27.240 and the injuries, when they are on the same page, 00:24:27.420 --> 00:24:30.000 they are the best tag team on the planet. Period. 00:24:30.319 --> 00:24:33.180 So that is the career arc. An incredible story. 00:24:33.779 --> 00:24:36.000 But I want to take a step sideways for a second. 00:24:36.119 --> 00:24:38.039 We have to talk about the man outside the ring. 00:24:38.329 --> 00:24:41.450 because Jimmy Jonathan Fatu has had a life that 00:24:41.450 --> 00:24:44.109 is just as public and sometimes just as turbulent 00:24:44.109 --> 00:24:46.309 as his character. It is important to discuss 00:24:46.309 --> 00:24:48.529 this impartially because it is part of the story. 00:24:48.730 --> 00:24:51.230 You can't separate the art from the artist entirely 00:24:51.230 --> 00:24:53.769 here, especially when real life bleeds into the 00:24:53.769 --> 00:24:56.349 show. For sure. Jimmy has had legal struggles, 00:24:56.529 --> 00:24:59.569 specifically a series of DUI arrests over the 00:24:59.569 --> 00:25:04.069 years, 2011, 2013, 2019, 2021. Yeah, and we aren't 00:25:04.069 --> 00:25:06.630 here to judge, but those were serious moments. 00:25:06.710 --> 00:25:09.910 They affected this. They absolutely did. We mentioned 00:25:09.910 --> 00:25:12.589 earlier about the day one -ish era, but later 00:25:12.589 --> 00:25:15.069 on during the Bloodline saga, there were logistical 00:25:15.069 --> 00:25:17.329 consequences. For example, Elimination Chamber 00:25:17.329 --> 00:25:20.250 2023 was in Montreal, Canada. Right, where Sami 00:25:20.250 --> 00:25:22.589 Zayn got the hero's welcome. And Canada has very 00:25:22.589 --> 00:25:25.789 strict entry laws regarding DUIs. So Jimmy couldn't 00:25:25.789 --> 00:25:28.569 go. Correct. He was legally barred from entering 00:25:28.569 --> 00:25:31.369 the country. The writers had to craft the storyline 00:25:31.369 --> 00:25:33.809 around the fact that... One of their main characters 00:25:33.809 --> 00:25:36.269 literally could not be at the show. It added 00:25:36.269 --> 00:25:38.690 a layer of fragility to his spot. Every time 00:25:38.690 --> 00:25:41.109 he got in trouble, fans wondered, is this it? 00:25:41.210 --> 00:25:43.309 Is this the one that gets him released? But he 00:25:43.309 --> 00:25:45.990 always came back. He did. And he seems to have 00:25:45.990 --> 00:25:48.009 done the work to get back to a stable place. 00:25:48.069 --> 00:25:49.690 You haven't heard about any issues for years 00:25:49.690 --> 00:25:52.789 now. And his relationship with his wife, Trinity, 00:25:52.950 --> 00:25:55.710 known to fans as Naomi, has been a huge part 00:25:55.710 --> 00:25:57.529 of that stability. They are the power couple. 00:25:57.920 --> 00:26:00.160 They've been together forever. And huge news 00:26:00.160 --> 00:26:03.099 from back in August 2025. They announced they 00:26:03.099 --> 00:26:05.380 are expecting their first child together. That 00:26:05.380 --> 00:26:08.000 is a massive milestone. It shifts your perspective. 00:26:08.339 --> 00:26:10.119 You aren't just living for the next match or 00:26:10.119 --> 00:26:12.119 the after party anymore. You are living for the 00:26:12.119 --> 00:26:14.759 next generation. I think that maturity is showing 00:26:14.759 --> 00:26:17.859 in his current work in 2026. He seems more focused. 00:26:18.140 --> 00:26:21.460 He seems happier. Absolutely. And we can't forget 00:26:21.460 --> 00:26:24.740 his most important role starring as a robot in 00:26:24.740 --> 00:26:28.150 the Jetsons movie. The Usobots. A cinematic masterpiece. 00:26:28.490 --> 00:26:31.630 A cornerstone of his legacy. Absolutely essential 00:26:31.630 --> 00:26:35.150 viewing for any deep dive. But seriously, when 00:26:35.150 --> 00:26:37.509 you look at the full picture, the struggles with 00:26:37.509 --> 00:26:40.329 the law, the pressure of the family name, the 00:26:40.329 --> 00:26:43.190 injuries, it makes his resilience pretty incredible. 00:26:43.369 --> 00:26:45.569 It does. It makes him human. Roman Reigns is 00:26:45.569 --> 00:26:48.029 often presented as a god or a mythological figure. 00:26:48.549 --> 00:26:51.009 Jey Uso is presented as the heart, the emotional 00:26:51.009 --> 00:26:54.230 core. But Jimmy... Jimmy is the flawed human 00:26:54.230 --> 00:26:56.809 being who makes mistakes, falls down, gets back 00:26:56.809 --> 00:26:59.609 up, makes another mistake and keeps trying. That 00:26:59.609 --> 00:27:01.509 is why people relate to him. He isn't perfect. 00:27:01.710 --> 00:27:04.789 Not even close. And that's OK. So let's look 00:27:04.789 --> 00:27:07.089 at where we are right now. It is February 2026. 00:27:07.349 --> 00:27:10.009 They are the champs. They just had a feud with 00:27:10.009 --> 00:27:12.490 Carmelo Hayes earlier this year. What does this 00:27:12.490 --> 00:27:14.910 ninth reign represent for them? Is it just another 00:27:14.910 --> 00:27:17.069 notch on the belt? I don't think so. I think 00:27:17.069 --> 00:27:19.490 it represents validation. For a long time, people 00:27:19.490 --> 00:27:21.549 thought the bloodline story would end with Usos 00:27:21.549 --> 00:27:23.809 fighting each other forever or one of them retiring. 00:27:24.069 --> 00:27:26.970 But this reunion signifies that the bond of brotherhood 00:27:26.970 --> 00:27:29.650 is stronger than the storyline conflict. They 00:27:29.650 --> 00:27:32.200 are back to doing what they do best. Dominating 00:27:32.200 --> 00:27:34.599 the tag division. And looking at the landscape, 00:27:34.839 --> 00:27:37.720 the division is stacked. You have the new bloodline 00:27:37.720 --> 00:27:40.079 still lurking. You have teams like AJ Styles 00:27:40.079 --> 00:27:44.019 and Dragon Lee. But the Usos are the standard. 00:27:44.259 --> 00:27:46.099 They are the end bosses of tag team wrestling 00:27:46.099 --> 00:27:48.079 now. If you want to be a champion, you have to 00:27:48.079 --> 00:27:49.940 go through the Fatu brothers. That's the rule. 00:27:50.160 --> 00:27:52.099 Okay, I want to circle back to your theory from 00:27:52.099 --> 00:27:54.759 the top of the show. Yeah. The chaotic stabilizer. 00:27:55.220 --> 00:27:57.720 Because I feel like he is... arguably the most 00:27:57.720 --> 00:28:00.200 complex character in that whole saga. I stand 00:28:00.200 --> 00:28:02.839 by that. I really do. We usually think of Roman 00:28:02.839 --> 00:28:05.019 as the complex one, the gaslighter, the narcissist. 00:28:05.259 --> 00:28:08.500 But Jimmy, he started the rebellion, then he 00:28:08.500 --> 00:28:10.279 ruined the rebellion, and then he united the 00:28:10.279 --> 00:28:13.039 family. It's a wild ride. Think about his driving 00:28:13.039 --> 00:28:15.880 force in every major decision. It is balance. 00:28:16.299 --> 00:28:18.480 When Roman was too tyrannical and the family 00:28:18.480 --> 00:28:20.640 was out of balance, Jimmy rebelled to restore 00:28:20.640 --> 00:28:23.380 balance. But when Jay was about to become the 00:28:23.380 --> 00:28:26.160 tribal chief, Jimmy saw that as a new imbalance. 00:28:26.559 --> 00:28:28.839 He didn't want his brother to lose his soul to 00:28:28.839 --> 00:28:32.200 that power, so he sabotaged it. He is constantly 00:28:32.200 --> 00:28:34.240 trying to keep the family in a state of equilibrium, 00:28:34.480 --> 00:28:37.299 even if his methods are destructive. It's such 00:28:37.299 --> 00:28:39.819 a cool way to look at it. He's not a villain. 00:28:39.940 --> 00:28:43.410 He's not a hero. He's... A regulator. A regulator 00:28:43.410 --> 00:28:46.150 who isn't afraid to break things to fix them. 00:28:46.369 --> 00:28:49.130 And in the end, look at the result. Roman is 00:28:49.130 --> 00:28:51.930 no longer the tyrant. He's a baby face now, humbled. 00:28:52.230 --> 00:28:55.930 Jay is his own man, a main event star. And the 00:28:55.930 --> 00:28:59.089 family is united against a common foe. Jimmy's 00:28:59.089 --> 00:29:02.049 jagged, chaotic path actually got them to the 00:29:02.049 --> 00:29:04.339 promised land. That is mind -blowing. And you 00:29:04.339 --> 00:29:06.200 have to give credit to Jonathan Fatu, the performer. 00:29:06.480 --> 00:29:08.619 To pull that off, to make the audience cheer 00:29:08.619 --> 00:29:10.519 you, then boo you out of the building, then cheer 00:29:10.519 --> 00:29:13.000 you again, requires a level of charisma that 00:29:13.000 --> 00:29:15.279 you can't teach. No, you can't. That is the Inouye 00:29:15.279 --> 00:29:17.440 gene right there. Absolutely. He has an innate 00:29:17.440 --> 00:29:19.359 connection with the crowd. He knows exactly when 00:29:19.359 --> 00:29:21.339 to sell, when to fire up, and when to be vulnerable. 00:29:21.539 --> 00:29:23.759 You believe him in every role he plays. So as 00:29:23.759 --> 00:29:26.440 we wrap this up, what is the so what for the 00:29:26.440 --> 00:29:29.509 listener? Why does Jimmy Uso matter in the grand 00:29:29.509 --> 00:29:31.849 scheme of wrestling history? He matters because 00:29:31.849 --> 00:29:34.289 he proved that you can evolve. You aren't stuck 00:29:34.289 --> 00:29:36.690 being who you were 10 years ago. He went from 00:29:36.690 --> 00:29:39.390 a face -painted rookie, just happy to be on the 00:29:39.390 --> 00:29:42.410 card, to a record -breaking champion, to a main 00:29:42.410 --> 00:29:44.930 event storyteller who drove the biggest angle 00:29:44.930 --> 00:29:47.190 in modern wrestling. And he elevated the medium? 00:29:47.710 --> 00:29:50.109 He elevated tag team wrestling itself. He did. 00:29:50.250 --> 00:29:53.130 Before the Usos, tag team wrestling in WWE was 00:29:53.130 --> 00:29:55.069 often treated as a side dish. It was the popcorn 00:29:55.069 --> 00:29:57.670 match. The Usos, through their work with the 00:29:57.670 --> 00:30:00.210 New Day and the Bloodline, made tag team wrestling 00:30:00.210 --> 00:30:02.630 the main course. Right. They main evented WrestleMania 00:30:02.630 --> 00:30:05.390 Night One. They proved that a tag team story 00:30:05.390 --> 00:30:07.589 could be the story of the company. That is a 00:30:07.589 --> 00:30:09.950 paradigm shift. That is the legacy. They changed 00:30:09.950 --> 00:30:13.019 the perception of the division forever. And personally, 00:30:13.220 --> 00:30:16.140 for Jimmy, it is a story of redemption. He has 00:30:16.140 --> 00:30:18.839 faced legal issues, injuries, and being overshadowed 00:30:18.839 --> 00:30:21.799 by his family members. But here he is in 2026, 00:30:22.119 --> 00:30:25.099 holding the gold, waiting for a child, and standing 00:30:25.099 --> 00:30:28.059 tall as a legend in his own right. It's a heck 00:30:28.059 --> 00:30:30.640 of a story. And frankly, with the way things 00:30:30.640 --> 00:30:32.759 are going, I would be surprised if we are sitting 00:30:32.759 --> 00:30:35.660 here in five years talking about their 15th title 00:30:35.660 --> 00:30:39.039 reign. Laughs. I wouldn't bet against them. They 00:30:39.039 --> 00:30:41.480 have plenty of gas left in the tank. Well, there 00:30:41.480 --> 00:30:44.619 you have it. The rise, fall and rise again of 00:30:44.619 --> 00:30:46.700 Jimmy Uso. If you haven't seen it in a while, 00:30:46.759 --> 00:30:49.660 do yourself a favor. Go back and watch the Bloodline 00:30:49.660 --> 00:30:53.299 Civil War tag match from Money in the Bank 2023. 00:30:54.000 --> 00:30:56.940 It is a masterclass in storytelling and Jimmy 00:30:56.940 --> 00:30:59.319 Uso is right at the center of it all. A perfect 00:30:59.319 --> 00:31:01.480 recommendation. Watch his face during the match, 00:31:01.579 --> 00:31:03.960 the conflict, the anger, the love for his brother. 00:31:04.119 --> 00:31:06.359 It's all there. Thanks for diving deep with us 00:31:06.359 --> 00:31:07.779 today. We'll catch you on the next one. Until 00:31:07.779 --> 00:31:08.980 then, keep watching. Take care.