Mark Henry On What's Next In WWE For The Bloodline & Jey Uso Vs. Roman Reigns
Saturday at Money in the Bank, Roman Reigns was pinned for the first time in 1,294 days. Not only that, but he was pinned by his cousin, Jey Uso, as The Usos emerged victorious from their battle with Reigns and Solo Sikoa. Where does The Bloodline go from here? If you're not sure, you're not alone.
"You know what, Dave? I don't even know!" Mark Henry said on "Busted Open." "I'm in complete shock, man."
For three years and countless title defenses, Reigns had the backing of his cousins at virtually every turn, without hesitation. But in recent months, the emotional and even physical abuse started to mount, leading Jimmy Uso to turn on "The Head of the Table" at Night of Champions. A few weeks later, his brother Jey — arguably the biggest victim of the abuse — followed suit. At each moment, the capacity crowd erupted. And scenes were no different inside The O2 Arena in London, England, on Saturday, something Henry made sure to note.
"Did you hear that ovation? It lasted for a long time, too. It wasn't a 'Yay! Good job...' It was a roar of an airplane engine," he added. "The fans loved the hell out of it, and where does it go from here?"
Maybe Jey Uso challenges Reigns at SummerSlam next month. Perhaps The Usos find a way to get that title off of their cousin together. But with Reigns suffering a defeat at Money in the Bank, there's already been a shift.
"They can say 'I've done something that no other wrestler has done in three years,'" Henry said of the Usos. And that's without even taking Sikoa into account.
Will Solo Sikoa Be Next to Feel the Tribal Chief's Wrath?
Whatever the case may be, Henry doesn't want us to forget about Sikoa. After all, since making his debut at Clash at the Castle last September, he's essentially been Roman's enforcer. And he's been dominant — his first singles loss didn't come until March, and that was at the hands of Cody Rhodes, who has only lost twice since returning to WWE at WrestleMania 38.
But Sikoa lost at Money in the Bank, too. And at Night of Champions against Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn in a battle for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championships, Skioa ate the pin. The difference this time, though, is that at Money in the Bank it was Reigns who had his shoulders pinned to the mat for three seconds.
"The Bloodline still keeps going because one is in the ring and one is on the floor," Henry said. "And [The Usos] proved that the two of them could beat the two of them in The Bloodline."
Of course, that's never really mattered in the past; Roman has shown time and again that he's willing to use whoever he needs to use in order to maintain control. Right now, the only member remaining is Sikoa.
"So will Sikoa stand there and take it?" Henry asked. "I think now the browbeating of Sikoa should start."
In the meantime, and in between all of the potential finger-pointing, Reigns still needs his next challenger. And who better than main event Jey Uso?
Is Jey Uso The One to Take Down The One?
Sikoa denied Drew McIntyre at Clash at the Castle. Sami Zayn fell short at Elimination Chamber. Rhodes was unable to finish his story at WrestleMania 39. So could Jey Uso, who last faced Reigns for the Universal Championship in an "I Quit" Match at Hell in a Cell in November 2020, be the one? Henry isn't sure, and more than that, he's not sure if WWE is, either.
"You're gonna put him in a place where nobody can beat Roman Reigns once in three years ... Now you're gonna put him at two losses to the same guy?" Henry asked. By all accounts, that'd make Jey the top guy in the company. Is that believable? Based on the reaction over the weekend, Henry isn't discounting it. But there are two things holding him back from committing to it.
"Then what? We totally throw Cody Rhodes/Roman Reigns to the woods. It's over. And I don't want to do that," Henry said.
Rhodes remains over everywhere he goes, though right now, it's Jey Uso everyone is talking about while fans wait for Cody's next chapter — presumably a third match against Brock Lesnar. Which, speaking of "The Beast Incarnate," this is where Henry ultimately discounts Jey.
"No," he answered when asked if he buys Jey walking out of SummerSlam with the gold. "And I say that because I always do the Brock Lesnar test. Can this guy beat Brock Lesnar one on one? Roman did. Can the other guy? Cody did, right? That's the litmus test."
But what if WWE doesn't have a clear idea as to what the next step is at this stage?
"That wouldn't surprise me," Henry suggested. "Sometimes you gotta fly by the seat of your pants and see what presents itself. See where the crowd wants to go ... We expected The Bloodline to be about Roman and Rocky ... and now, main event Jey Uso and Jimmy have done the impossible."
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "Busted Open" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.