The Usos Find New Life in WWE

By Tom Clark

The Usos aren't smiling anymore.

After spending so much time watching Roman Reigns' back, the twins are finally on their own and ready to wear the black hats. American Alpha suffered the brunt of The Usos' initial rebellion against the fans, and now both teams are neck deep in some serious bad blood.

It's a good look for The Usos.

This is what Reigns could be, if WWE Creative would only pull the trigger. Jimmy and Jey have completely turned on the fans that turned on them. The Usos did everything in their power to make everyone happy, and they were met with disdain for it.

They had done all they could do as babyfaces, and the fans were ready to hate them.

So they decided to go their own way, and now they're in the tag team title match at Clash of Champions. This is exactly what the brothers needed; it's turned them around, and lit a fire under them that hasn't been seen in quite some time.

It's not as if they had lost their heart. The Usos have become the most well rounded, and most entertaining tag team in WWE. They have the teamwork and competitive edge of The Andersons, while wrestling with the style of The Rock & Roll Express. They're dynamic, they're intense, and they put on a show whenever they're in the ring.

But they needed a reboot, and now they have it.

American Alpha needs them as well. Jason Jordan and Chad Gable are two of the best young talents in WWE, and it would have been extremely easy to bring them in and book them to the moon. They've proven they have what it takes, and they very well could've handled the pressure. However there's nothing like adversity to define a man's character.

Putting Jordan and Gable at such a disadvantage this early in their main roster career is a good thing, if done properly. Now they have something to overcome, something to fight for. Simply calling them a great tag team is not enough to warrant total fan support, there must be more for the WWE faithful to hang onto.

Now American Alpha's mettle is being tested, and fans will hopefully buy in as the duo fights its way back up.

Of course they'll have to get past The Usos when that climb is over. This is a by-product of Jimmy and Jey's heel turn, as it does much more than just help them grow. It's brought a new spotlight to them, and the SmackDown Live tag team division as well. There's no better team to put at the top of that division than The Usos.

They're the veterans now, they're the respected ones that all other teams look to as an example. Jimmy and Jey have so much untapped potential, and that will be realized now that they can cut loose and just have fun with it. From their facial expressions to their body language; everything about them screams villain.

They've embraced their new roles because they understand what must be done. They're getting over because they can connect in ways that a team like American Alpha are not ready to do just yet. They can be the perfect foil for every babyface team they work, and they will do that because that's what the situation calls for.

The Usos are pros. They're company guys. They know how to do business, and they will do just that as the newest heels on SmackDown Live. This is what they needed, and they will make it work because that's what they do.