WWE Saturday Night's Main Event: Gunther or Jey Uso — who should walk away World Heavyweight Champion?
With the second edition of the newly revived "Saturday Night’s Main Event" taking place this weekend, the Uncrowned crew is taking a new approach to our preview this week. Rather than enlist all of the Uncrowned Horsemen a week before the Royal Rumble — we don’t want to overwhelm you, after all — we’re introducing “Collar and Elbow,” a debate-style piece examining an intriguing, captivating or even controversial aspect in wrestling.
For the inaugural installment, Kel Dansby and Anthony Sulla-Heffinger look at the WWE World Heavyweight Championship match between Gunther and Jey Uso, each arguing on behalf of who they believe should walk out of San Antonio, Texas, with the strap.
GUNTHER RETAINS
Dansby: At this point, the complaints from pro wrestling fans about Gunther's current title reign are deafening. While it’s true that his World Heavyweight Championship run lacks the standout feuds of his record-breaking Intercontinental Title reign, it’s impossible to ignore the feeling that Gunther is just getting started. "The Ring General" has built his WWE career — first as the dominant Walter in NXT UK, and now as Gunther — on being an almost insurmountable force. Every loss he’s suffered has felt seismic, instantly elevating his opponents to new heights.
Take his historic 870-day reign as NXT UK Champion, which ended in an emotional clash against the gritty underdog Ilja Dragunov. That match, a brutal classic, remains a benchmark for storytelling in modern WWE. Fast forward to his unprecedented 666-day Intercontinental Title reign, which was capped off by a shocking loss to Sami Zayn at WrestleMania 40. Sami’s victory was not only one of the most memorable moments of the night, but also a reminder of how much weight Gunther's defeats carry.
Now Gunther reigns as World Heavyweight Champion, a title he captured at SummerSlam in August 2024. However, with a relatively brief 190+ days under his belt, this run feels small compared to his previous title legacies. Still, it’s hard to imagine Gunther losing the championship before a marquee feud at WrestleMania 41.
Jey Uso, with his once-red-hot YEET! Movement, has been over for nearly a year now, but his path to WrestleMania appears increasingly distant from the heavyweight gold. On the other hand, Gunther's dominance positions him as the perfect villain to challenge the company’s top babyfaces.
Consider the list of current main-event challengers: Seth Rollins, John Cena, CM Punk and Roman Reigns — all fan favorites (for now). While character turns are always a possibility before April 19-20’s two-night WrestleMania 41, it’s far easier to envision one of these stars attempting to dethrone the menacing Gunther.
The possibilities are mouthwatering. Imagine Gunther crushing John Cena’s dreams of breaking Ric Flair’s 16-time World Champion record, leaving Cena — and the WWE Universe — in stunned disbelief. Or picture him ending CM Punk’s triumphant return with a dominant WrestleMania debut in the main event. Both scenarios would solidify Gunther's legacy as one of the greatest villains in WWE history.
While Uso’s story is compelling in its own right, WWE’s greatest dramas often hinge on a larger-than-life heel being conquered by a beloved hero. Right now, no one fits the role of the unstoppable antagonist better than Gunther.
As the road to WrestleMania 41 approaches, it’s clear "The Ring General" is in the midst of carving out a historic WWE career. Whether it’s Cena, Punk or another top babyface, Gunther's eventual defeat should be nothing less than monumental — a true WrestleMania moment. NO YEET!
USO UPSETS
Sulla-Heffinger: I’m not here to downplay Gunther as a performer or champion — that would be completely idiotic. The Austrian star is among the most talented wrestlers in the world and brings a menace to the World Heavyweight Championship that has been missing since its reintroduction in WWE in 2023. I alluded to this in my “Raw” recap earlier this week, but Gunther will likely never be too far from the main-event picture — which is precisely why dropping the belt now makes sense.
You could argue that outside of Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns, there isn’t a hotter superstar on WWE’s roster than Jey Uso. There was no doubt he was heading to the WWE Hall of Fame for his tag-team legacy with his brother Jimmy. But over the past few years — partially due to his proximity to Reigns and The Bloodline saga — Uso has become one of the biggest singles draws in WWE. I’ve said this before, but everything he does screams “star.” The real question to ask ourselves then is: Does that justify him winning the top “WWE Raw" men’s championship?
It’s not exactly black-and-white, but I would argue yes, now is the time for Uso to get the biggest championship run of his career. While his popularity is undeniably more significant than a “flash in the pan,” I’m not sure we’re at the level of Kofi-Mania, The Yes Movement or even Sami Zayn’s pre-WrestleMania momentum two years ago. A clean loss to Gunther won’t completely halt the Uso hype, but it will certainly deflate a good deal of it heading into the most important stretch of the WWE calendar.
Outside of literal dollars and cents, WWE deals in the currency of making moments. Uso winning the World Heavyweight Championship on NBC (don’t discount the platform) is as big of a moment as you’ll see outside of WrestleMania. What better way to captivate and convert a casual fan than to show them the infectious nature of Uso?
There’s even a way for Gunther to look stronger coming out of a loss as well. If we pay attention to the story WWE is trying to tell between Gunther and Uso (we do, it’s quite literally in this job description), the champion is working as an overconfident, cocky heel while the challenger is hungry and desperate to win this match.
As cliché as it may be, a loss by Gunther can send him on a spiraling warpath, seeking any and every avenue to get revenge on Uso. Does that come via the Royal Rumble? Maybe, but I think the winner there is going for Rhodes’ Undisputed WWE Championship. Instead, throw Gunther in the Elimination Chamber in March and let him run riot over everyone. The field there probably consists of Seth Rollins, Drew McIntyre, John Cena and CM Punk, among others. A victory in that setting for Gunther would raise his threat level even higher and set up a captivating rematch at WrestleMania 41.
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What do you think? Should Gunther or Jey Uso be WWE World Heavyweight Champion when all is said and done Saturday night? Comment below or send us your thoughts on @UncrownedCombat on X.