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Intercontinental champion Jey Uso appears to be on a collision course with Bron Breakker over the title, presumably as soon as Crown Jewel on November 2.
That matchup would be a retread of the contest on the September 23 edition of Raw when Uso captured the gold and seemed to conclude their rivalry.
But what’s next for Uso?
Here are four fresh matchups for the IC champion moving forward, each with a different origin or reason why they should be considered.
Drew McIntyre
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Drew McIntyre was one of the first Superstars to denounce Jey Uso’s arrival in Raw a year ago, citing his role with The Bloodline and the number of competitors he had screwed over in their pursuit and defense of the Undisputed WWE Championship.
Despite the Scot’s insistence that Uso cannot be trusted, the two never had a real feud or high-profile match to settle their differences.
While some may look at the IC title as a step down for a star the magnitude of McIntyre, such a program would further elevate the championship while giving it a legitimate and layered storyline.
The only negative is that one of the two Superstars would have to lose. Assuming the goal is not to take the gold off of Uso this early in his run, that would mean The Scottish Warrior suffers another key defeat on the heels of his loss to CM Punk at Bad Blood, which is something he cannot afford now.
Karrion Kross
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Karrion Kross has spent months attempting to turn Superstars to the dark side through verbal manipulation.
We saw it first with Xavier Woods, whose new attitude has manifested in a push as a burgeoning heel. The Miz then became the latest target of his devil-on-your-shoulder shtick and eventually betrayed R-Truth.
A feud with Uso that ties into the attempts of Jimmy Uso and Roman Reigns to bring him back into The Bloodline, in which the heel reminds him that those two did not have Jey’s best interests in mind and he owes them nothing in their battle against their new rivals, would make sense and be a huge boost for Kross, whose character finally feels like it is gaining traction.
Seth Rollins
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When Jey Uso hit the ring last Monday night and interrupted Seth Rollins’ promo, it was clear from the facial expressions of The Visionary that he wasn’t happy about it.
Rollins showed renewed edge during that segment and even hinted at a heel turn. If that is the direction Triple H and the creative team are headed with his character, what better way to solidify the change by programming him against the most popular guy on the roster?
That there is the tie back to The Bloodline and Rollins’ sworn enemy, Reigns, only makes it more logical.
The matches would be great, the promos would have added juice given the history between the two that dates back to The Usos challenging The Shield a decade ago, and the crowd would be on fire every time the two shared the same ring.
It’s a main event program without needing to involve the world heavyweight title and one that the powers that be should explore.
Pete Dunne
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Pete Dunne is recovering from losing the Good Ol’ Fashioned Donnybrook match to Sheamus a week ago. Still, what better way to heat him back up than via an attack on Jey Uso and an insistence that he wants the Intercontinental Championship?
The Bruiserweight is one of the best wrestlers in the world and would go a long way in helping to establish Uso’s reign as champion by way of in-ring work.
It would also heat the Brit back up after losing to Sheamus in the blowoff of their rivalry.
Considering his skill set, Dunne is someone who should not just disappear from television. Feuding with a star the magnitude of Uso would ensure that does not happen.