The WWE Universe erupted Monday night when Jey Uso hugged Sami Zayn, seemingly aligning himself with the former "Honorary Uce" amid the latter's longstanding feud with The Bloodline.
But then, boom, superkick to the chops.
The public display was nothing more than a setup. Jey Uso, one-half of the undisputed WWE tag team champions, sent Zayn flying into the barricade with a head-high boot, the precursor to a beatdown on "RAW" that also involved Jimmy Uso and Solo Sikoa.
There had been some question as to whether Jey Uso would side with Zayn, who's been aiming to take down The Bloodline since smacking Roman Reigns with a chair at the Royal Rumble. But the battle lines now are clearer than ever, with Jey Uso choosing his family over Zayn.
Need more evidence? Jey Uso took to Instagram on Tuesday, in wake of the assault on Zayn, to share a very straightforward, two-word message.
"Family First," he wrote, along with a blood emoji and a "WeTheOnes" hashtag.
Everything points to The Usos facing Zayn and Kevin Owens at WrestleMania 39, while Reigns defends the undisputed WWE universal championship against Cody Rhodes, winner of the 2023 men's Royal Rumble match. But Zayn still needs to mend fences with Owens, his former best friend. So, we'll see how that situation develops over the next several weeks.
It'll also be fascinating to see how Reigns reacts to Jey Uso's sign of loyalty, as there had been some tension brewing within The Bloodline. Will The Tribal Chief welcome him back with open arms?
