Fans who attended the June 9 episode of "WWE Raw" were left stunned at the fact that Jey Uso lost the WWE World Heavyweight Championship to Gunther in a rematch from their bout at WrestleMania 41. "The Ring General" choked Uso out cold to the surprise of many in the audience, and at home, due to the fact that many saw Uso as someone who would hold the title for a long time, but that was not the case.
Not only was it not the case, but Uso holding the title for a short period of time was always the plan according to Dave Meltzer who, in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, claimed that the idea was for Uso to win the title, hold it for a few weeks, and then drop it back to Gunther. Meltzer noted that he isn't sure that the June 9 episode of "Raw" was always the day that Uso would drop the title back to the man he defeated at WrestleMania 41, but he was sure that Uso would have to lose to Gunther at some point before the Saturday Night's Main Event show on July 12 as Gunther's match with Goldberg was always supposed to be a title match.
However, there is a silver lining for the now former champion as he is just two wins away from earning himself a shot at either Gunther's WWE World Heavyweight Championship, or John Cena's Undisputed WWE Championship. Uso has made it to the semi-finals of the 2025 King of the Ring tournament, with his upcoming match with Cody Rhodes on the June 23 episode of "Raw" deciding who will go to Night of Champions on June 28 to face Randy Orton in the final. If Uso wins, he will earn a shot at either Gunther or Cena at the SummerSlam Premium Live Event in August.
