When it comes to WrestleMania 40, one of the most anticipated matches on the loaded two-night card was The Usos Civil War between Rikishi's sons, Jimmy and Jey Uso.
It made sense, right? After teaming together darn near their whole lives, the brothers Fatu would finally get to go one-on-one in the ring at the biggest wrestling show of the year, all the while delivering on the promise that the greater Anoa'i family runs WWE across both brands and both nights of the “Showcase of the Immortals.”
And yet, when the match actually happened and especially after, fans were left underwhelmed to say the least, with Dave Meltzer giving the match one of his worst-ever WrestleMania ratings at .75 and few others having much in the way of nicer things to say.
Discussing the bout that underwhelmed where it should have shined on his Off The Top podcast, Rikishi admitted that he too felt the match was missing something, and he knows what it is too: himself.
“First of all, I'd like to send a big shoutout to my sons. To be able to finally their dream match in this industry that they've been wanting for a long time, I felt like they went out there, they delivered,” Rikishi explained on Off The Top via Fightful. “I only wish that they could have had a little bit more time. I felt like there was a missing puzzle there, which is the guy who you're listening to now. Hashtag I never got to ‘Call Rikishi.' So I felt had…they did great without me, but just to add a little more into the match, it would have been a great opportunity, not only for the fans but also myself, on a personal level, to be able to grace the stage with your kids. That's a memory that will forever be in stone in our family. But at the end of the day, I don't make the calls. I didn't lie about it. I was right close by, I was in Philadelphia. Everybody knew where I was at, but I never got the call.”
What? How the heck did Rikishi not get a call to appear at WrestleMania 40, especially if he was down to add some Hall of Fame excitement to the match and was in Philadelphia already doing signings all weekend long? What an absolute waste, which, to be fair, is also the opinion of the former Headshrinker, as he, too, would have loved to be involved in what could have been his sons' greatest triumph.
Rikishi was willing to help out Jimmy and Jey Uso at WrestleMania 40.
Continuing his conversation about The Usos match at WrestleMania 40, Rikishi revals that he was actually very open to being part of his sons' efforts, with his preference being to play the role of guest referee in order to avoid any perceived favoritism one way or another between his boys.
“Absolutely not. That's why I was absent. Hey, I don't know. After watching the match, maybe… what would be right for me to be a special guest referee. That's what I felt,” Rikishi added. “I couldn't be a manager because then it would show favor, which side I'm leaning to. Or I could have just been part of the commentary for that one match, if they'd seen fit. Who knows? Maybe the company felt like, ‘Oh, maybe Kishi couldn't do the referee. Maybe blah blah blah.' Whatever the case may be, right. But there's still something that they could have put me at. Be it the front row or be it at commentary, or just something. Whatever it was. But at the end of the day, I don't call the shots. I don't work for WWE. I've been gone from them for well over 25 years, and the only reason why I'm relevant in this wrestling game, and I'll shoot with it, is because of my fans. Anything the Bloodline does, anything my kids does, anything any family does that is relevant on TV, you can guarantee my name is gonna pop up. So to me, it's like, the fans, when they speak, somebody's gotta listen. Somebody has to listen, and to be able to either, one, honor what the fans are asking for, or two, then so be it. So it's that. That's why I'm very happy, I'm working on this album now.”
After hinting at a potential appearance at WrestleMania 40 in the lead-up to the show, telling fans to keep an eye out for their favorite bleached blonde Samoan on Night 1, unfortunately, it wasn't meant to be. Granted, it's not like Rikishi's addition to the match would have made it into a certified 5-star classic, as his sons had no in-ring chemistry whatsoever; in the end, it would have helped, which was desperately needed, considering the final results.
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