Jey Uso: WWE WrestleMania 41 is ‘do or die for me’

Jey Uso understands just how important WWE WrestleMania 41 is to his career.

In the biggest match of his life, Uso will challenge Gunther for the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania in Las Vegas this April. He earned the title shot by winning the 2025 men’s Royal Rumble — a victory that surprised most fans given how much star power was in the match.

Uso told CBS Sports that he feels like people doubt him a lot, but he has a chance to prove his detractors wrong with a great showing against Gunther.

“This is do or die for me,” he said. “I feel like I am doubted a lot. A lot of people are doubting me right now, Uce. I’m not supposed to be in this position. I know that. They know that. But I’m going to shut them all up.”

This is also a chance for Uso to make up for the lackluster match he had at WrestleMania 40 last year. He faced off against his twin brother Jimmy Uso at that event, with Jey admitting that he felt like they let everyone down by not delivering a great performance. Jey told CBS Sports that, while he’s had standout matches as a tag team competitor in the past, he wants to show he can do the same as a singles wrestler.

“I always thought we put on great matches. If you look at it, we had great matches with The Wyatt Family, The Shield, The New Day. Now, I feel like I’ve had a couple of good matches but not ones that stick in people’s minds,” Uso said. “This is redemption time on the big stage. The pressure is on.”

Uso said he feels like Gunther is the “best in-ring performer.” Their WrestleMania title bout is a rematch from January’s episode of Saturday Night’s Main Event, where Uso came up short in his attempt to dethrone Gunther.

Allegiant Stadium is hosting WrestleMania 41 on Saturday, April 19 and Sunday, April 20.