Rikishi Disapproves of Jey Uso’s Romantic Pursuit of Rhea Ripley

When WWE writers decided to have Jey Uso, fresh from his pursuit of the Money in the Bank briefcase, show a romantic interest in Rhea Ripley, it certainly turned heads across the pro wrestling community.

Sure, technically, the storyline made sense: "Dirty" Dominik Mysterio had been semi-flirting with Liv Morgan for weeks leading up to Mami’s return. With the Judgment Day’s premier relationship not entirely back on solid ground, it seemed plausible that Ripley could be courted by a charismatic figure like the "Yeet Man."

…yeah, that’s pretty weird, right? Rikishi thinks so too. On his Off The Top podcast, the Bloodline patriarch criticized WWE’s creative team, suggesting they’re trying to break up his marriage with some bizarre booking decisions.

“I’ll tell you one thing, man, I got hairs on the back of my neck every time I watch it and, you know, not, okay, SummerSlam. Where is (Jey Uso)? Ah, let’s go. I don’t know. Let’s write him in that he likes Mami. Mami? That’s the best that those, you know, writers got. Let’s write this guy into a relationship with Mami,” Rikishi explained on Off The Top. “What y’all trying to do? Break his marriage up? Y’all can’t put them in a good storyline. Y’all can’t put him in a good storyline, so what’re you gonna do now, ya know? God forbid you try to tell him or tell her to tongue kiss each other on RAW. S**t, that’d better not happen.”

To Rikishi’s credit, the WWE Universe knows that Uso has kids, his real name is Joshua, and he’s likely married to his high school sweetheart. Things got very real in his feud with other Bloodline members. While this type of storyline might have flown under Vince McMahon during the attitude era, it feels like too much of a throwback to succeed in 2024. But then again, Mysterio and Ripley are actually married to other people, so the situation gets weird quickly.

Speaking of members of the Anoa’i-Fatu family who are prospering in the WWE Universe, even though they’re not officially associated with the faction on television, Nia Jax shared her excitement about representing her heritage on screen during the Battleground podcast.

“Obviously, it’s always a thing because right now, I am the female Samoan [member of the] Bloodline in the business right now. Then we have Tamina, and then we have married-in Naomi. So there is that option, but I also feel as though like the men, they’re doing such a great job, and they’re doing their own thing, and I feel as though they want us to have our own thing. They want us to go in our direction and thrive in what we can do. I’ve said it before, even though we’re not in it on-screen, behind the scenes: the boys are constantly supporting us. They’re constantly having our backs. If they’re not there in person, they’re texting me, watching my matches, and giving me critiques, and helping me out. So if ever down the line they need some women to get in there and kick some butt, I’m more than happy to. But I’m a fan. I’m just sitting back and watching them and being constantly surprised myself because I know how much family we do have, and it’s only the tip of the iceberg of what’s been coming to the shows lately. We have the new addition of Jacob [Fatu], and he’s just an incredible talent, but we have so much more family, so who knows what’s gonna happen?” Nia Jax told Tim and Eli on Battleground via Fightful.

“It’s pretty incredible because our men have been representing for decades, going all the back to High Chief Peter Maivia, coming from super humble beginnings, but our women really haven’t had the opportunity to showcase what we can do. Being one of the women that, as of right now, I feel as though I’m in a really good trajectory in the women’s division, showcasing to our culture what us Samoan women can do. It’s been pretty incredible and a really cool badge of armor that I like to carry, knowing that some of our younger family members and just all of the women in our culture, being like, ‘Look what we can do.’ It’s been pretty cool, and yes, if you looked at that family tree, it definitely could go on forever [laughs], and we are blessed, we are blessed with the charisma and the athleticism in our family, so everybody should watch out.”

Why hasn’t WWE leaned into Jax, Tamina, and Naomi being part of the greater Anoa’i-Fatu family on television, with the trio only working alongside their male counterparts when the storyline requires it? It’s hard to say. However, considering Tamina may no longer work for the promotion at the moment, it might be Ava who fills that final spot should a female Bloodline squad form in the future.

Source: Sportsnaut, Fightful