Jey Uso Heel Turn Coming? AJ Lee Reshapes Women's Division, More WWE Raw Fallout
The road to Wrestlepalooza heated up on the September 8 edition of Raw on Netflix at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee.
Jey and Jimmy Uso continued their reunion tour, challenging Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker to a tag team match at Wrestlepalooza on September 20.
Amid the chaos, though, no one expected Jey to spear LA Knight intentionally, teasing a darker turn for Main Event.
AJ Lee appeared again just days removed from her return to wrestling on SmackDown. She and CM Punk convinced Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch to agree to a mixed tag match at Wrestlepalooza.
AJ Styles defeated El Grande Americano with the help of Dragon Lee, continuing an inconsistent run of wins and losses.
Rusev defeated Penta with a timely distraction assist from The New Day, setting the stage for The Redeemer to potentially challenge Dominik Mysterio soon.
This was a big night of action, pushing forward Raw's biggest stories.
AJ Lee Booking Shows WWE Can Push Women's Division Better
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AJ Lee arrived on SmackDown to major fanfare, rivaling the top names in the business, and that continued into a highly anticipated promo on Monday.
Complete with a hype package earlier in the night, even new fans understand immediately that The Black Widow is a big deal.
On the same show, Iyo Sky and Rhea Ripley stayed backstage while both Lyra Valkyria vs. Raquel Rodriguez and Asuka vs. Nikki Bella were relatively short matches.
No one got the same level of spotlight, except the top men and the woman AJ is feuding with first, Becky Lynch.
This booking shows WWE has the capacity to book the women at the level of the top men in the business but suggests it has little trust in anyone but Lee or Lynch.
Even Ripley has not been used much in recent months beyond backstage segments that are going nowhere fast.
There is no reason for the hesitation or lack of trust. If AJ can come back and quickly command this level of attention, why can't the weekly talent rise to that level with time and focus?
It is frustratingly short-sighted to only push the easy buttons at the top of the card when long-term success comes from taking risks on fresh names.
Multiple Unforced Errors with AJ Styles Booking
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AJ Styles is one of the best wrestlers of all time.
If his time is coming to an end in WWE, given his age and limited booking near the end of his contract, he is going out with an absurd lack of fanfare.
The 48-year-old was a late arrival in WWE, spending 15 year making his name between TNA and New Japan Pro-Wrestling, before joining in 2016.
However, he quickly made a mark with unforgettable performances against the likes of Roman Reigns, John Cena, Daniel Bryan, Seth Rollins and more.
His impact on The GOAT alone in his later years cannot be understated as he gave Cena some of his best late-year matches.
A star of Styles' caliber near the end of his career should be getting his own version of a retirement tour. He should have his pick of opponents and rivalries.
Instead, it feels like The Phenomenal One cannot find a clear direction in WWE, a problem that has persisted for years.
His feud with Dominik Mysterio was a mess of delays and failed payoffs. His rivalry with El Grande Americano may already be over after a decisive win on Raw.
WWE has allowed Styles to pick up many wins, but they mostly feel superfluous. Nothing is landing when he could at least be putting over talent more definitively.
Regular interference in his matches has marred any real impact, leading to him staring at a final chapter of his career with little to show for multiple years.
It is time to get Styles back on track with strong rivals, hopefully allowing him to show what he can still do and deliver some memorable stories.
Rusev Is the Answer to Turning Dominik Mysterio Face
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Fans are itching for a chance to cheer Dominik Mysterio. He is already a massively cheered star in AAA whenever he appears, and the WWE Universe has backed him in his biggest moments.
There was a special moment at WrestleMania 41 when the entire crowd erupted as he won the Intercontinental Championship.
However, WWE has stubbornly refused to commit to that reaction, keeping him in The Judgment Day where Finn Bálor could turn on him tomorrow or in three more years.
The biggest problem is that his clearest rivals have been babyfaces from Penta to AJ Styles. He needs a strong heel to push him down a fan-favorite path.
While Rusev is not the strongest villain on his own, WWE has booked him as a clear threat to the roster. Fans will rally to see Dirty Dom beat him.
The Redeemer has his sights set on the Intercontinental Championship, setting the stage perfectly for Mysterio to find himself back in the supportive cheers of the audience.
Whether Rusev actually defeats Dirty Dom or not in their title rivalry, it will be impossible to ignore the reactions of fans cheering him on against The Redeemer.
Jey Uso Heel Turn Would Be a Mistake
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Jey Uso is too popular to turn heel.
WWE has often pushed against the audience when stars get over on their own, but Main Event has mostly served as an exception.
Booking adjusted to support Jey, giving him the win in the men's Royal Rumble and a World Heavyweight Championship victory at WrestleMania 41.
That does not mean WWE would not still try to turn him heel if it served the overall narrative the company wants to tell.
It would be a major mistake, though, and hopefully WWE already sees that. It is hard to imagine throwing away that incredible crowd energy just for the sake of a long-term story.
Jey is showing a harder edge, leaning into Roman Reigns' more heel tendencies with The OTC out of action.
This edge could make him an exciting tweener leaning face over time or push him full heel, particularly based on who he feuds with.
A rivalry with LA Knight benefits neither man in the long term because fans will be split on who to support.
The story right now leans against Jey, even though fans will likely still want to cheer him even over The Megastar.
WWE is walking a thin line with Main Event when it was an easy win to simply keep up his story as the rising underdog with his brother backing his rise.
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