Jey Uso is ready to wrestle at Fenway Park.
After surveying the landscape that poet John Updike once described as a “lyric little bandbox of a ballpark,” Uso narrowed in on precisely where he’d like to leave a lasting impression.
“I’d come off the Green Monster,” said Uso. “Me and my brother Jimmy, we can do our One and Done off it. Imagine that? Wrestling at Fenway would be fire.”
Wearing a Red Sox jersey with his trademark “YEET” inscribed on the back, Uso threw out the opening pitch to Peyton Tolle before the Sept. 13 Sox-Yankees game. Uso, whose real name is Joshua Fatu, operates on a short list of the world’s most popular pro wrestlers – but even he was in awe of Major League Baseball’s oldest ballpark.
“The energy at Fenway, it’s just crazy,” said Uso. “I loved being there. Before my pitch, I was shaking off signals that [Tolle] wasn’t even giving me. Getting there early, seeing it pack up so quickly, it’s intense. Then the game starts and it’s just a different feel. A main-event feel.”
That Sox-Yanks game aired on ESPN, which is fitting because WWE debuted on the network only days later during its Wrestlepalooza event. Uso teamed with twin Jimmy, reuniting one of the most accomplished tag teams in wrestling history.
“This isn’t a job, it’s a lifestyle,” said Uso. “Doing all this with my brother, it hits a lot differently. Our dad [Rikishi] smartened us up early on, saying to us, ‘You’ll always have each other.’ That’s why this is real to us – it’s family. My brother made all the miles easier. If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t have made it.”
In only their second time teaming together this year, the Usos dropped the match at Wrestlepalooza to Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed. It was a tough night for Uso, whose face was soaked with blood after he took an inadvertent chair shot to the forehead.
“Tagging with my brother, I get goosebumps thinking about it,” said Uso, who defeated Breakker and Reed in the subsequent rematch. “The Bron-Brons are nothing to play with, and I’m tired of getting Tsunami’d, so it was good to finally beat those guys.”
Missing from the Wrestlepalooza card was Roman Reigns, who was off filming scenes for the new Street Fighter film. But Reigns has since returned, serving as a mentor to Uso on-screen. The real-life cousins are extremely close, adding a distinctly unique element to The Bloodline story in WWE. Reigns set the example on how to conduct himself as a main-event talent, which came to fruition for Uso when he won the World Heavyweight Championship this past spring at WrestleMania.
“I learned everything from Roman,” said Uso. “I’m still learning from him. Think of what he’s done since the Covid era when we had no crowds because of the pandemic. We thought business was going to be down, but then he changed the game.
“Roman elevated everything. There’s the wrestling, but there’s also the way he cuts promos in the ring. He really locks people into what he’s doing. Even during the pandemic when we didn’t have a live crowd, Roman found a way to connect.”
As proud as he is to team with his brother, Uso has plenty more goals as a singles wrestler – beginning with another run with the world title.
“This game is a marathon,” said Uso. “A lot of brothers just want it now. It took me 15 years to get where I am in WWE. If you stay true to the game and give your all to the business, it will give it all back. You just don’t know when. That’s why you stay ready. I’m staying ready.”
Uso expects to be back in Boston soon. He is scheduled to be at Monday Night Raw on Nov. 10, which is John Cena’s final appearance in Boston, and he – mostly – looks forward to his return.
“I love coming to this city, and I love the clam chowder,” said Uso. “But it’s not perfect, Uce. That Boston airport – why is it right in the middle of the city? How do you navigate that? And I’m still figuring out how to drive in those tunnels.”
