Family legacy remains a cornerstone of ongoing WWE News, and Jey Uso recently shared insight into what it was like growing up as the son of Rikishi. Appearing on Cody Rhodes’ “What Do You Want To Talk About?” podcast, Uso reflected on the period when his father’s career accelerated in WWE during the late 1990s, a time that coincided with his own high school years.
“Man, my dad’s cool as s**t,” Uso said. “Now that I’m in the game, man, I see how hard he worked. … Just trying to hustle, being broke, being kids of a wrestler, not having money because he’s doing territories. He didn’t get his break ’til I hit high school, freshmen.” Uso described wearing hand-me-down clothes and being old enough to understand the financial strain. “Luckily, we was good in football. That kind of covered us, you know?” he added, noting how athletics helped them socially in their Florida community.
Rikishi’s breakthrough in WWE in 1999 changed that dynamic. “That’s when he hit Rikishi,” Uso continued. “When he would walk in the park, I could just see a crowd. Like I’m on the field, I know my dad’s here. Boom. Made me want to do good. … I know how much he worked and sacrificed, and still tried to make the games.” Uso acknowledged that while his father’s schedule often kept him away from football games, his presence was always impactful.
Today, Uso credits Rikishi for passing down one of his most important lessons about character evolution. According to Uso, his father emphasized continuing to evolve until finding a persona that resonates, then committing fully to it. That philosophy has become a defining element of Uso’s own WWE trajectory as he builds his individual identity within the broader Samoan wrestling dynasty.
