Will The Usos Remain Top Guys Once Roman Reigns' Bloodline Storyline Concludes?

Thanks to the success of the Bloodline storyline these past three years, The Usos now find themselves more over than at any other point in their decorated WWE careers.

They've been integral to the angle since its start in late 2020, but only this year have both men come into their own as main-event players. Jey Uso is far from the same Superstar who challenged Roman Reigns for his prized possession in the ThunderDome and Jimmy Uso has also stepped up his game in a major way.

Based on everything we've seen so far on SmackDown, all roads seemed to be headed to SummerSlam, where Jey will presumably challenge Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. This is after Jey became the first person to pin The Tribal Chief since December 2019 in a tag team main event at Money in the Bank.

The outcome of their championship clash feels fairly set in stone, but there are several factors that will determine whether The Usos will remain top guys once they're finished feuding with The Bloodline.

Track Record of Reign's Past Opponents

Throughout Roman Reigns' lengthy run as Undisputed WWE Universal champion, it's been commonplace for certain Superstars to be built up for a marquee match with him only to disappear from the main-event scene once they lose, especially since they have nowhere left to go but down.

Former world champs such as Drew McIntyre, Brock Lesnar and Kevin Owens have all obviously been fine post-Reigns, but others haven't been as fortunate.

Cesaro was a fresh face in the title picture in the spring of 2021, and despite an excellent performance against Reigns at that year's WrestleMania Backlash event, he largely disappeared from WWE TV after that and ultimately exited the company less than a year later.

Finn Bálor vs. Reigns was another fresh feud later on in 2021, and on two separate occasions, Bálor was beaten by The Head of the Table. He's since worked his way back up to World Heavyweight Championship contention, but he was certainly worse off following that program.

Needless to say, The Usos should not suffer that same fate. They've done exceptional work as part of the Bloodline saga and shouldn't be two obstacles that Reigns overcomes before fading into obscurity.

It's safe to assume Jey nor Jimmy are unseating Reigns as champ, but that doesn't necessarily mean their time toward the top of the card should be finished entirely.

Nothing Left to Do as a Tag Team

The worst route WWE can take with The Usos once they're done with Reigns is to immediately put them in the same spot they were in previously as part of the tag team division.

The Usos are, of course, one of the greatest tag teams in the business today and should be mixing it up with the many talented tandems WWE has to offer, but that shouldn't be their ceiling.

Another Usos reign as Undisputed WWE Tag Team champions at any point in the next year or two would be old hat after all the time they spent dominating the division from 2021 through 2023.

There is zero need for them to run it back with The New Day or The Street Profits ever again, let alone in the foreseeable future.

Ideally, they should continue as singles stars while simultaneously teaming on occasion, similar to what they're doing right now with Reigns. They won't be feuding with a star as big as their cousin, but the company must know that there are ways to book tag teams in meaningful fashion without constantly chasing tag team gold.

They've accomplished that with The Usos recently and it should resume in a different form beyond the rivalry with Reigns.

Are Both Believable as Permanent Players in the Main Event Scene?

The primary question fans should be asking is if The Usos are main-event material individually, or if it's solely this storyline that's making it look like they are.

It can be argued that it's a bit of both.

Pre-Bloodline, there were no expectations for either of The Usos to ever branch off on their own. Some teams are destined to be together forever because of their limited ceilings as singles star and that's perfectly acceptable.

Jimmy Uso briefly dabbled in singles competition at various points whenever Jey was out injured and vice versa, but neither of them was booked as anyone special until The Bloodline came along. The storyline opened fans' eyes to how talented they truly were and they've risen to the occasion each and every time.

As monumental of a moment as it would be for Jey to capture the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship, the subsequent reign may not be able to measure up. Whoever beats Reigns should be cemented as a star and Jey clearly isn't the one the brand will be built around long term.

WWE has enough main-event-worthy talent that is more than capable of carrying the company and taking the torch from Reigns. The Usos aren't the strongest candidates for that spot.

However, the multi-time tag team champs have the potential to thrive in other areas on the card outside of the top title picture.

Settling for Singles Success

The odds of Jey or Jimmy Uso having a world-title run in their respective futures is fairly low, but a mid-card championship is certainly an attainable goal for both men.

"Main Event" Jey was working SmackDown main events consistently from the fall of 2020 through mid-2021 when Jimmy returned from injury. He could have held the Intercontinental Championship (property of the blue brand at the time) and no one would have thought twice about it.

Instead, he settled for winning the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, and although it isn't the most prestigious accolade, it was still a sign that WWE saw him as a credible singles star during that period.

Targeting the United States Championship (which Jey unsuccessfully contended for last month) or simply feuding with SmackDown's prominent players would suffice. It'll allow them to maintain momentum from the Bloodline storyline without going back to being just another team in the tag division.

With The Usos recently pitching the possibility of a WrestleMania match against each other in an interview with Ariel Helwani, perhaps that's the endgame that will ensure they remain prominently featured going forward.

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Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.