Jey Uso haters have never been through the trenches

I am a 32 year old man. I watched a little bit of the Attitude Era and Ruthless Aggression Era but I really got into WWE around 2009. Jeff Hardy vs. CM Punk, Cena vs. Orton, Kofi Kingston as US Champ, HBK vs. Taker are what got me hooked on wrestling. After the Royal Rumble, I have some advice for fans today: BE GRATEFUL.

I grew up in a time where guy's like Jey Uso would get intentionally buried. If you were getting over when you weren't the guy they wanted to push, you would vanish from TV after a public humiliation at the hands of whatever heel experiment Vince was working on. I've seen it happen so many times in the past: Zac Ryder, Dolph Ziggler, pre-New Day Kofi Kingston, Rusev Day, Bray Wyatt, and Dean Ambrose at times. Hell, we had to hijack Monday Night Raw for Daniel Bryan to get the push he deserved, and I still believe that wouldn't have happened if Punk hadn't walked out.

To add insult to injury, we had to sit back and watch guys like Sheamus*, Alberto Del Rio, Jack Swagger, and The Miz* get opportunities no one asked for. We sat through 6 months of Jinder Mahal as WWE Champion! Jey Uso winning the Royal Rumble was a swerve, but I am thankful that those swerve booking decisions are going to guys who have legitimately earned it through years of service, recent performance, and overall popularity, rather than going to an unknown project the boss has a hard on for at the time.

Jey may not be your cup of tea, and that's fine. Are there other title matchups that I may have preferred at WrestleMania? Sure there are. But I can't help be taken back to this past Halloween. I dressed as John Cena and walked around my home city of Hoboken, NJ looking for something to eat, and along the way I met countless kids dressed as their favorite WWE superstars. The most popular costume by far was Jey Uso. It makes me feel good to know these kids, their hopes, and their dreams are in good hands. They won't have to suffer the agony and frustration my generation went through. Jey Uso's Rumble victory makes me happy because it is a clear signal of a change in the times. I look forward to seeing what's next.

\SIDE NOTE - Nowadays I love Sheamus, but if you weren't around at that time you wouldn't understand how disliked Sheamus was in 2009-2011, and I am not talking about heel heat. The reaction to his first world championship win was pure confusion, and for years after that no one wanted to see him on TV at all. His babyface run in 2012 was largely met by apathy too. Since then he's put together a fantastic, Hall of Fame worthy career that more than justifies the accolades he won too early in his run. The same can be said for The Miz as well, although Miz always did a better job of turning that disgust into actual heat.*