WWE officials concerned about Jimmy Uso's arrest, disappointed that he'd risk his storyline - Reports
WWE officials are reportedly worried and frustrated by Jimmy Uso's second arrest for a DUI, and the general feeling backstage is one of genuine concern.
On Tuesday, various outlets reported that Uso was arrested for a DUI in Pensacola, Florida, when he failed sobriety tests. Shortly after the news broke, WrestleVotes reported that WWE officials were quite frustrated by the arrest. In an update, Fightful Select confirmed this reaction.
Whenever a star performer gets arrested, it's major news, and these stories are fairly common in the wrestling world. But in Uso's case, fans and analysts were surprised because he recently returned to WWE after missing more than a year due to an injury. Plus, his previous arrests in 2011 and 2019 made the situation even more noteworthy.
When Jimmy Uso was arrested on Tuesday, many fans felt disappointed, as it was unclear how this development might affect his prominent role on WWE TV. In Fightful Select's report, Sean Ross Sapp notes that WWE officials are indeed frustrated with Uso for jeopardizing the plans for his storyline with Reigns. Sapp also notes that officials and other wrestlers are worried for Uso's health:
"To follow up on WrestleVotes' report that Jimmy Uso has 'high level people in power' extremely disappointed & legitimately pissed off over his DUI arrest, we can expand on that, and confirm it," wrote Ross Sapp. "Fightful has spoken to numerous talent, staff, and high level WWE names this week about their feelings on Uso, and there's unanimous concern across the board for him personally."
Ross Sapp also noted that while WWE did not respond to a request for a comment about Uso, other wrestlers shared their satisfaction that the company didn't take its typical approach this time. Usually, WWE states that wrestlers are liable for their actions, but Uso's repeated offenses led others to hope that the company would handle this situation differently.
It's important to point out that Uso was found not guilty of his DUI in 2019.
WWE sources are disappointed Jimmy Uso would risk "the story we've all been waiting for"
Fans aren't the only ones who are disappointed that Jimmy Uso could jeopardize plans for his storyline with Roman Reigns. The on-screen drama surrounding The Tribal Chief and the Usos has been a highlight of WWE programming, and it seemed like it was about to heat up even more before this arrest. Now, it's natural to wonder if WWE might respond by changing the direction it had planned.
Ross Sapp notes that one WWE source compared Jimmy Uso's case to that of Rob Van Dam, who lost the WWE Championship following his arrest in 2006:
"Jimmy Uso is well liked among those that we spoke to, but one compared the infractions to Rob Van Dam's in 2006, noting that more happened to him than in three arrests," wrote Ross Sapp. "One top WWE name called Uso's current storyline "the story we've all been waiting for," and expressed disappointment that he'd risk that."
What do you think about this report regarding the reaction to Jimmy Uso's arrest? Sound off in the comments below.