The Usos: Deserving Champions

Jimmy and Jey- the Usos

The Usos are flying with the WWE tag team gold at just the right time. Jimmy and Jey Uso will make 2014 their year, heading a tag team division on the verge of major change.

The company’s patience with The Usos’ rise has allowed the team’s fanbase to grow and the group to morph into compelling warriors before taking center stage. The Usos have been exciting for some time but in the last six months that have shown that they are capable of thriving as kings of the tag team division.

Major tag teams in WWE are however near breakups. The Shield is close to imploding. The Real Americans have shown some cracks as well. The rumored plans for Cody Rhodes and Goldust are for them to split and then fight each other at WrestleMania XXX. The Usos can however shoulder some good amount of responsibility of the tag team division. They have more than proved themselves in the past year,

Around two years ago, Usos were a small pawn in the division. They used to battle way down the order. Most of their matches were with teams like 3MB and Santino Marella-Koslov team. Team Hell No and then The Shield were the stories of the division from 2012 to 2013. The Usos were but a minor subplot.

It is remarkable to think that since they debuted on Raw back in 2010, they have not won the championships on a single occasion.

They bring a brand of wrestling to the ring that no other tag team in the WWE currently does. It is exciting, high risk and the kind of action that makes people cheer for you. They had alternated between being a pretty poor heel team and a babyface team, but the last few months have seen them enjoy a meteoric rise in the company.

The first match that truly had people talking about Jimmy and Jey was their pre-show bout against The Shield at Money in the Bank 2013.

At the time, The Usos didn’t seem like legit threats for the tag team titles. They hadn’t put together enough signature wins and were going up against a team that had downed Superstars like John Cena, Undertaker and Chris Jericho. No one expected them to record a victory. They were mostly overlooked in the card of the PPV.

Once the bell rang, that changed. Seemingly powered by the fans in attendance and this chance in the spotlight, the brothers dove, darted and flipped their way to excellence.

They have since proved that that match was no fluke.

Their three-team tilt at Hell in a Cell 2013 earned some great reviews and was real fun to watch.

They followed that with a good showing their Survivor Series elimination match against The Shield and The Real Americans. That was the standout match of the night. Performances like these and what the brothers produce on Raw and SmackDown each week have grabbed the audience’s attention.

The brothers continue to fatten their in-ring resume. While there was a time not long ago where it would be hard to name five favorite Uso matches, narrowing it down to five is the challenge now. Their recent battles against the Shield and The Wyatt Family have to go on that list somewhere.

These matches showcased their versatility, informing fans that The Usos aren’t just two dudes with springs in their legs but instead top-notch overall in-ring performers.

They are now a solid face team, and that prolonged run with the same character type has enabled the crowd to get into them. Their chant, their face paint to highlight their Samoan culture—it all seems to have enabled them to get over more than they have in the past.

When you put together momentum, entertainment and excitement, no team seems to do it as much as The Usos at this moment in time. Their tag team titles are truly well deserved.