At WWE SmackDown, on February 7, 2025, Royal Rumble, Jey Uso, the winner, was on the show and thanked his fans for their support after his win and he seemed happy and grateful. In addition, Jey included the WWE Champion Cody Rhodes in the conversation to talk about WrestleMania’s possible matchups. Jey expressed his potential choices giving the choice of competing with Rhodes for the WWE Championship or capturing the World Heavyweight Championship meanwhile Gunther was the holder of the belt. Both the fighters declared the importance of taking advantage of the WrestleMania time.
Cody was happy for Jey’s success and suggested that he picks the event that he is best at, meanwhile, he helped him make a decision. They were interrupted by Jacob Fatu and Tama Tonga who came through the fans and confronted both of them, sending the match into a brawl. It was this incident that laid out the plot of the evening with a tag team match where Rhodes and Uso together went up against Fatu and Tonga. The match was won by Rhodes and Uso when Cody nailed Tama Tonga with a Cross Rhodes for the pin fall.
Their celebrating time was not long when Solo Sikoa with a Samoan Spike attacked Rhodes leaving him on the ground when SmackDown went off the air. An awesome chance was to see that not only the bond between Rhodes and Uso was friendly but it was also unveiled that there could be conflicts in their relationship in the future. The polite yet competitive argumentation of their expectations of WrestleMania, alongside the assault Jey Uso made, can set a believable fiction in the future when there will be these arguments, and that the story will be based around the two of them.
Building a potential clash between Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso
Establishing Jey Uso’s Motivation and Journey
For WWE to maximize the potential of a Cody Rhodes vs. Jey Uso showdown at WrestleMania 41, it is important to shed light on Jey’s career trajectory, especially when involving singles run. He has always been the guy who was doing everything as a part of tag team, always in the shadow of a dominant one. But at WrestleMania 41 he has to show that he is ready to make headlines. The live passion of Jey Uso should be reflected in his two minutes on the mic. WWE needs to showcase him as a top star. Uso needs to renew himself after the past setbacks, especially those against the very powerful people like Gunther.
Fending off the title is just a component of his goal—what people really want to see is him emerge from the shadows of The Bloodline. He has already abandoned the group, however, the punk rock wrestler still needs an exceptional WrestleMania moment to take a step further out of the group’s shadow. He should do his promos like he used to, completely honest, emotional, and from the heart that he did in his rivalry with Roman Reigns in 2020. In this way, fans will desire him to be the one who will get to the top of the mountain.
Stoking tension between Jey Uso and Cody Rhodes
For WWE to make this match work, they need to create a little rivalry between the two, where they both respect each other, at least at first. WWE should book face-to-face confrontations between Jey and Cody on SmackDown, where they discuss their contrasting paths to the top. Cody should highlight that he fights for legacy and honor, attributing to his father’s name (Dusty Rhodes) and the title that he never won.
At the same time, Jey should argue that he had to wrestle with everything by himself and never enjoyed the advantage of being born into the wrestling dynasty. These promos can become hot, in which Cody may even go as far as to question Jey’s ability to win on his own, therefore, causing the doubt and the frustration in Jey.
Jey, in turn, can remind Cody that he also had to rebuild himself after leaving WWE, making their journeys more alike than they realize. This gradual tension should continue to grow, teasing that their friendship is fragile, especially as WrestleMania approaches.
Building Tag Team Dynamics With Jey Uso
To maximize the narrative element of the feud, WWE should make use of the fact that Jey Uso has established himself in tag team wrestling by incorporating this aspect into the story. WWE can settle tag team matches with Jey working with various grapplers, who are the likes of Solo Sikoa, Jacob Fatu, or The Judgment Day, including Cody himself, against common enemies. During those matches, Cody and Jey first need to display that they work together pretty well, but later on, they are supposed to face the misunderstanding issues.
An important moment can occur in a SmackDown and Raw high-stakes tag team match where their match was lost because of a miscommunication—maybe Cody hit Jey by mistake with a Cross Rhodes, fooling him into reacting that way. Cody questioning whether Jey respects him or perceives him only as a new opponent he has to beat can be what sparks at this moment. This newly discovered conflict will ensure their impending fight will be naturally formed rather than thrust upon the viewers.
Putting the Rivalry in Context
WWE should introduce past history between the two, so that fans can get a better understanding of the whole rivalry. Before going solo, Jey Uso was part of The Bloodline, which was Cody’s mortal enemy. In 2024, Jey went his separate way, but all that they had been through is still within them. When remembering everything that happened, Cody should point out the fact when Solo Sikoa was present at WrestleMania 39. Also he was the one responsible for not letting him get away with the Undisputed WWE Title Roman Reigns was holding.
Jey could argue back by saying that he was misled by the then-Roman Reigns, and he was stuck in a spiritual battle ever since then. WWE should use old matches as a set of cards — remembering the ones with Cody and Jey teaming up against The Bloodline in late 2023, to elaborate on the storyline. With the smart application of the past, WWE shows that the match doesn’t only revolve around the title but has to do with their personal issues as well.
Establishing High-Stakes Matches Before WrestleMania 41
A possible way to enhance the importance of the matches is to WWE promote critical matches for each of the men during the months leading up to WrestleMania.
For Jey Uso: He could compete against Gunther in a spotlight match at SmackDown or even a pay-per-view event before the big event. He should be just a fraction away from winning, which would establish his status among the top WWE superstars. Therefore, losing in a heated battle will motivate him to beat Cody and make it his last opportunity to prove himself.
Jey’s talent should be showcased to a high extent, such as showcasing his ability to come close to the win whereby people will then perceive him as one of the best in WWE. Losing in a hard-fought battle will add more drama to his match against Cody at WrestleMania—his last chance to confirm himself.
For Cody Rhodes: Cody should show his titles by continually battling all the WWE superstars, thus supporting the argument that he is the champion and that he is indeed Jey’s tough rival whom Jey would run into. If he takes out superstars like Drew McIntyre or Randy Orton, it will be another great testimony that he is a real “man” on the way to the blockbuster event.
Cody should defend his WWE Championship against other top challengers, proving that he deserves to be champion and will be no easy opponent for Jey. If he defeats someone like Drew McIntyre or Randy Orton, it makes him look even stronger heading into WrestleMania. These matches will add to the excitement of the last WrestleMania contest.
Capitalizing on the Emotional Storylines
WWE should make things more interesting with more fights based on family history and personal-time bonding. Jey Uso’s relationship with Jimmy Uso may play a critical role in this story. Both participants, Jey and Cody, can talk about their wrestling tradition, finding a connection to it.
Cody is a second-generation star as he is the son of the legendary Dusty Rhodes, and Jey is a part of Samoa’s most famous wrestling family. This idea could even showcase the involvement of wrestling legends making a special guest appearance such as Rikishi (who is Jey’s father), or Kevin Owens/Sami Zayn (who used to be Jey’s allies in the past). Wrestlemania will be a personal fight; people will be super-emotional about it.
The Final Clash Before WrestleMania 41
The final piece of the enigma is to provide an exciting closing scene of WrestleMania 41. WWE could consider creating a contract signing between Cody and Jey that takes place on the last SmackDown before WrestleMania. The segment should be consistent with players inducing a conflict swiftly but in a way that would edify both of them. Jey would speak his final words with confidence and demonstrate his readiness to take on the title.
Cody, opposing the idea, would stand firm, saying that he will not allow Jey to deprive him of the moment he has worked for his whole career. WWE could prefer to illustrate the climax of the program, therefore the segment would break into a chaos with a brawl, leading to a tumultuous climax just before WrestleMania. This segment will be a real energy booster making the match even more exciting as it will feel like a true main event clash.
If WWE follows this structured and emotional build, they can make Cody Rhodes vs. Jey Uso at WrestleMania 41 one of the most memorable main events in WWE history.
REDDAVENI SAISNEHA 
Sachin Singh