Did WWE Play It Too Safe with the World Title Match?
Seth Rollins’ unfortunate injury at Crown Jewel, followed by Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed’s attack on the leader of The Vision, left WWE with no choice but to strip him of the World Heavyweight Championship. With plans now being scrambled, it was up to WWE to figure out how to crown a new World Champion. CM Punk, who was in line for a world title match, sat and watched as a battle royale took place on the October 20th edition of RAW to determine the second challenger. Jey Uso would be the last man standing in the ring, eliminating Dominik Mysterio to secure a match with Punk for the World Heavyweight Championship at Saturday night’s main event. Although it was out of WWE’s hands when it came to the future of the world title once Rollins was out of action, it seems as if WWE took the easy way out in putting Uso into this match.
Uso’s popularity has skyrocketed throughout the last few years, earning him an Intercontinental Championship run, a Royal Rumble victory, and an eventual World Heavyweight Championship win at WrestleMania 41. Despite all the success and constant cheers from the crowd, Uso’s in-ring work has been the center of attention. Uso’s matches haven’t been the very best, and many feel that his entrance and constant “yeeting” hide the fact that Uso has some work to do inside the squared circle. Despite the pushback from fans, WWE continues to push Uso to the top of the card as fans in the arena beg to see him.
Uso has three of WWE’s most disliked videos this year, a message that WWE fans want to see someone else chase the World Heavyweight title. One of those names is L.A. Knight, who, despite his popularity with the fans, hasn’t received the same love from WWE booking that Uso has received in 2025. Ever since Knight moved over to RAW, Knight has been prominently featured in the main event scene. However, he has taken more losses and pins than Uso has taken. It is uncertain if Knight will make a move for the title after Saturday night’s main event, but fans will be hoping he gets another shot at the gold, as many want to see new challengers compete for the world title.
It’s understandable that WWE wants to cash in on Uso’s rise to the top as much as possible, but there comes a time when it’ll be necessary to set him to the side for a bit and let other talent be featured more often in the main event scene. The more a superstar is featured in a top position on a match card, the more likely the fans will begin to turn on them little by little. There is already a group of fans who don’t want to see Uso compete for the world title yet again, while those in WWE feel that Uso has what it takes to remain at the top of the card. It will be up to WWE to prove to the doubters that Uso’s spot for the World Heavyweight Championship at Saturday night’s main event was well-earned.
