Jey Uso eliminated John Cena to win the 2025 men's Royal Rumble match Saturday night in Indianapolis.

What should have been a momentous occasion for one of wrestling's legitimate feel-good stories instead became a reminder of how fickle the internet wrestling community can be, as his victory and trip to WrestleMania 41 quickly became the industry's most polarizing story.

And it shouldn't be.

Uso spent a decade working as a tag team specialist, elevating the quality of the division in WWE with his twin brother, Jimmy Uso. He has had classic matches with The New Day, The Miz and John Morrison, The Wyatt Family, The Bar, Cesaro and Tyson Kidd, and countless other tandems that have rolled through the company since 2010.

Then he broke out during the pandemic, capitalizing on an opportunity to work with his cousin, Roman Reigns, in a main event storyline while his brother was out with a knee injury.

During that program, he cut an incredibly personal promo reliving fans celebrating Reigns while asking him, "Which one are you?"

It was the first indication that there was more to Jey than just being a voiceless tag team wrestler with his brother.

We witnessed it further in a Match of the Year candidate against Reigns at Hell in a Cell 2020 and beyond as one of the focal points of The Bloodline story.

When he finally broke free of his cousin's tyrannical rule, Jey became the breakout singles star and one of the most popular Superstars on the roster. The introduction of the "Yeet" catchphrase only enhanced the reaction.

And there is one of the biggest sticking points with the anti-Uso crowd: the catchphrase.

It's as if no other Superstar in WWE has had an immensely popular saying that was at least partially responsible for them reaching the level of popularity they did. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin was clearly the most over guy in wrestling before he uttered the words "Austin 3:16" at the 1996 King of the Ring.

The Rock was already over before he ever asked if the crowd could smell what he was cooking.

The idea Jey only got over because of his catchphrase is ridiculous because it suggests the crowd's response to the years-long build to his betrayal of Reigns and pinfall victory over The Tribal Chief at Money in the Bank to a thunderous ovation did not exist.

The reason fans are invested in him and chanted "you deserve it" as he stood in the center of the squared circle on Monday's WWE Raw is because of the work he has put in to prove himself, first as a singles star and then as a main event-worthy competitor.

Some fans suggest he was the wrong choice to win the men's Rumble because we had only just watched him lose a world title match to Gunther at Saturday Night's Main Event a week earlier. While this is true, it is hardly unique to Jey or fan-chosen top babyfaces.

Daniel Bryan lost countless times to Randy Orton and The Authority, leading to his defining moment at WrestleMania 30. Kofi Kingston dropped two matches to Bryan as part of the story leading to his title opportunity at WrestleMania 35.

And don't forget about Bryan's catchphrase or KofiMania.

Part of Jey's ongoing story is that he knows he can beat Gunther for the world title. Although he has yet to choose who he will challenge at The Show of Shows on April 19-20, all signs point to him selecting The Ring General and seeking to prove he is not a "mascot" or "cartoon character" but a world champion.

Some hang onto the idea he is not "skilled enough" a wrestler to shine in the high-profile spot he is going to have on the 'Mania card. Those fans still grasp tightly to the uber-disappointing match he had with his brother a year ago while ignoring the great contests he has had with Bron Breakker, Ilja Dragunov, Damian Priest, The Judgment Day and Gunther.

Uso's journey to the top of WWE is suddenly a polarizing topic, mostly because some foresaw someone else winning the men's Rumble and the only way to cope with the fact that an established star such as John Cena, Roman Reigns,or CM Punk did not get their arm raised in victory is to tear down the guy who did.

Those fickle keyboard warriors.

The fans in Cleveland for Monday's Raw 48 hours after the Royal Rumble greeted Uso with a hero's welcome and showed him the kind of respect reserved only for those who have earned their appreciation.

He is one of their guys, a Superstar singles performer who spent 15 years earning his way to the top of the industry and now has an opportunity to pay off his journey with the most important night of his career and a trip to the main event of WrestleMania.