“When we say US, ya’ll say O!” US! O! “Oh, you didn't know?!” Wrestling fans, young and old, big and
champions and the other is courtesy of the New Age Outlaws, Road Dogg Jesse James and Billy Gunn.
Both teams met a few months back when the Usos challenged the New Age Outlaws for the Tag Team
titles. Both teams fought hard in those matches but ultimately, the New Age Outlaws prevailed over
the Usos due to experience, opportunity and sometimes, downright sneakiness. But let’s not write the
Usos off just yet. Patience, blood, sweat, tears and opportunity finally paid off for the brothers when
they snagged the gold from those very same New Age Outlaws.
I can’t imagine what was going through the Usos' minds when they held those titles up for the WWE
universe to see. Now, I imagine there will be a lot of questions about their ability to live up to the teams of
old, one such question is, can the Usos stack up to the many memorable and talented teams of the Attitude
Era? My answer to that question is: yes and no. Now before you kind people start growling and sharpening
your axes, let me explain. Yes, because they possess many of the tools that go into being a champion
and running with the “big dogs” so to speak. The first tool is talent. As we all know, the Usos are the
kiddos of the great Rikishi, they come from a champion blood line and ooze raw and natural talent.
Take that raw talent, mold it, create it, smooth out the rough edges, debut it, knock out any other
unseen kinks and watch it grow.
 |
| Rikishi, father of the Usos. |
But that doesn’t mean mistakes aren’t going to be made; No one is perfect and accidents happen, that’s
what makes us human. The 2nd love it or you hate it, there’s no middle ground. The Usos are the epitome
of passion and its apparent in the ring, in interviews and in their personalities. The Usos do not half-ass
anything. Period. They come out ready for a fight and full of energy. Combine those 2 elements with their
intensity and ring presence and we have one helluva show. Let us stroll down memory lane and go back to
the Attitude Era shall we? Countless, legendary tag teams came out of the Attitude Era, the most notable
goes on and on. Like the Usos, many of those superstars started at the bottom of the barrel, having to
EARN their way into the top spot. They had to fight, claw, damage and destroy to make it to the top of the
food chain and employ those same tactics to stay at the top. Like the Usos, those superstars had their
ups and downs, won and lost matches, some crucial, some not so much, gained, lost and retained
championchips, and so on. Those superstars oozed talent and passion just like the Usos do. All of
those superstars put their all into their matches and gimmicks, no half-assing allowed, I could
compare superstars of the past to the Usos until I’m red in the face but that would take forever and 6
years. Now, I say no because, 1. They have very big shoes to fill(their dad Rikishi). Living in a shadow
can hold back a person from REALLY showing the world their true potential. 2. The Usos are in their
prime, which is fantastic and right where they need to be, but drama outside the ring could
potentially throw a permanent monkey wrench into the brother’s rapid rise to the top. The Hardy
brothers are a great example of this. Drama, combined with differing opinions and injuries severed a
once amazing and downright talented team for good. The Usos have tremendous potential and I
predict them to be just as good as singles wrestlers as they are as a team. The brothers have a bright
future ahead of them and once it is all said and done, they may join the evergrowing list of legends
and possibly go down as one of the best tag teams in WWE history. Thank you for listening to the
ramblings of a geeky, slightly awkward dude who loves wrestling . Always remember, don’t commit
party fouls and and always smile.
Cheers,
Travis.
