The term"YEET"doesn’t originate from theWWEcanon. YEET is best described as a piece of Gen-Z slang first popularized during Vine culture’s 2015-16 era. Vines like “This B**** Empty” and “Transgender Street Legend Vol. 1” showcase the definition of the word best, as YEET essentially means to throw something with enthusiasm and emphatic energy. The term can also be used to express excitement.
Today,WWE viewers associate the term best with “Main Event” Jey Uso, who has turned YEET into not only a catchphrase but a top merch seller. The popularity of his use of the phrase was especially on display in a promo battle between himself and World Heavyweight Champion Gunther on theJanuary 13th episode of Monday Night Raw.
New viewers who started watching WWE programming upon its Netflix premiere may be wondering how one Superstar was able to turn a term that was popularized 10 years ago into one of the most consistent, loud crowd reactions every week. It’s not just a history of the YEET chants, but of Jey’s rise from tag team specialist to one of the top stars in WWE today.
The Beginning of Jey Uso’s Singles Push in WWE
Breaking Away from the Bloodline
To understand YEET’s rise in popularity for WWE fans, one must first trace everything back tothe rise of Jey Uso’s popularity as a solo star.Since debuting on the main roster alongside his brother Jimmy, Jey has enjoyed success as one of thebest tag teams in WWE historyas part of The Usos. In 2020, Jimmy suffered a knee injury at WrestleMania 36, forcing Jey to focus on singles competition. In doing so, Jey took the ball and absolutely ran with it, most notably in standout performances in the main event against Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship.
WWE’s Bloodline Explained: Everything About the Longest Storyline in Wrestling
The Bloodline is wrestling’s longest running storyline right now, but how did WWE’s hottest act begin? Here is a breakdown from its beginning to now.
Jey’s first taste of singles success would follow, as he’d win the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. He’d return to tag team competition once Jimmy returned, but critics and fans were eager to see more of the potential that a solo Jey Uso run could hold. The tides of that singles run would turn at Money in the Bank 2023, whenJey Uso became the first man to pin Reigns since 2019.
This led to him main eventing SummerSlam for a title shot against Reigns. Jimmy turning on Jey in the match led to Jey moving to Raw to embark on an official singles run. This is when the YEET chants would become a key component of his success.
Where Did Yeet Come From?
A Drunken Press Conference Gone Right?
It was evident that Jey’s rise to prominence was quickly becoming endearing to WWE audiences. Anyone who followed his journey felt compelled to cheer for his success,but it always felt like he was missing a key ingredient to propel that success to the next level. That ingredient would finally arrive at Fastlane 2023 the following October. Jey Uso and Cody Rhodes defeated Finn Balor and Damian Priest for the WWE Undisputed Tag Championship, but that would only be the tipping point for the birth of “YEET.”
As Cody Rhodes would explain on Andrew Schulz’s Flagrant podcast, Cody and Jey returned to their tour bus after the match, passing around a few “libations” to celebrate. Because they were the opening match, they were certain their night was over, until later they were told backstage that they’d be needed for the post-PLE press conference.
When it’s time to appear in front of the cameras and the reporters again, both men appear visibly inebriated. Not embarrassingly drunk, but a funny drunk that made for a hilarious, viral moment.Fans seemed to especially latch on to Jey’s mannerisms, which mostly amounted to constantly uttering “YEET.”
In the Flagrant interview above, Cody discusses his Fastlane press conference alongside Jey Uso at the 2:25:09 timestamp.
Why WWE Briefly Banned YEET
Legal Battle, Explained
Seeing how quickly the YEET term caught on with their fans, Jey Uso would slowly start incorporating YEET regularly into his vernacular in promos after the press conference. Most importantly, WWE started releasing YEET merchandise for Jey Uso, although that endeavor was almost short-lived. Without explanation, YEET would quickly be phased out of Jey’s promos and his merch pulled from WWE Shop.
As originally reported byWrestleVotes,WWE was having “trademark issues” with the term in December 2023. Any past vignettes of Jey wearing the merch had been blurred out, which prompted WWE to briefly release Blurred YEET shirts to poke fun at and address their copyright shortcomings.
Independent wrestler Kasey Huffman had owned the copyright to use “YEET” in wrestling spaces ever since 2021, preventing WWE from using it for Jey for a time. However, asHaus of Wrestlingreported the following January,Huffman and WWE were able to reach a dealallowing WWE to start producing YEET merch again, and for Jey to start saying YEET again. When asked if this new deal means Uso and Huffman are the only ones in the pro wrestling space allowed to use YEET, Huffman’s lawyer, Stephen P. New, simply answered, “What I can say is that no one else can use that term now.”
Why Did Yeet Get So Over?
The Missing Piece to Jey’s Puzzle
A simple catchphrase turned out to be the missing ingredient to get Jey insanely over with crowds. He was already slowly getting over after breaking away from the Bloodline, but YEET helped give the crowd something to latch on to and took him to another level. While some would argue that professional wrestling is a sport, WWE at the very least is presented like a TV show, first and foremost.WWE doesn’t shy away from that, andlike any TV show, audiences' favorite characters are the charismatic ones with catchphrases.
It’s the same effect of a line like “Did I do that?” turning Steve Urkel into a household name onFamily Matters, and giving viewers something to talk about and laugh about consistently every week. Even Stone Cold Steve Austin, who was already immensely popular, found his popularity skyrocketed even further when he adopted “What?” as a catchphrase.
A catchphrase gives the fans something to repeat, leaves an impression, and springboards into merch. This has all manifested for Jey since adopting “YEET.” Jey Uso was becoming a star in the making, but “YEET” helped him truly reach Superstar status inWWE.
Source:WrestleVotes on X,Haus of Wrestling
WWE
World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is a global entertainment company primarily known for professional wrestling. Founded in 1953, it produces live events, television programs, and streaming content. Headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, WWE operates multiple brands, including Raw, SmackDown, and NXT.
